Mani Golparvar-Fard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Faculty Entrepreneurial Fellow (FEF)
Director of the Real-time and Automated Monitoring and Control (Raamac) Lab
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department of Computer Science
Technology Entrepreneurship Program
Computational Science and Engineering Program
Illinois Informatics Institute
E-mail: mgolpar [at] illinois [dot] *crawl* edu
ADDRESS: 3129D, Newmark Civil Eng. Lab., 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
Short Bio
Dr. Mani Golparvar-Fard is Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, affiliate Associate Professor of Computer Science, affiliate Associate Professor of Technology Entrepreneurship Program, Faculty Entrepreneurial Fellow (FEF), and the director of the Real-time and Automated Monitoring and Control (raamac) lab at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He received his PhD degree in Civil Engineering and MS degree in Computer Science from UIUC in 2010, MASc in Civil Engineering from University of British Columbia in 2006, and MS and BS in Civil Engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology in 2005 and 2002 respectively. Prior to joining the faculty at UIUC, he was an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Dr. Golparvar-Fard's research is focused on visual data sensing and analytics for construction and infrastructure monitoring. His areas of interest include: 1) model-driven visual data analytics for production control in construction, 2) semantic 3D reconstruction of building information model from point cloud data, 3) construction activity analysis using site video streams, 4) building diagnostics and energy modeling using thermal images and BIM, and 5) context-aware AEC applications via mobile augmented reality systems. His work in the area of computer vision, machine learning, and BIM has been the recipient of many awards including 2018 Walter Huber Research Prize from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2017 National Top 20 Under 40 from ENR; 2016 Dan Halpin Award for Scholarship in Construction and 2013 James Croes Medal for innovation in Civil Engineering from ASCE; 2013 and 2010 CETI awards from FIATECH; and numerous best journal and conference paper awards. Reconstruct has also been recognized by several industrial awards such as 2016 World Economic Forum most innovative startup company and 2016 Innovation Award from Turner Construction. Dr. Mani Golparvar is the CTO and co-founder of Reconstruct, a Software-as-a-Service company that has raised $10M of funding and offers a platform that integrates reality modeling, building information modeling (BIM) and project scheduling to visually track progress, analyze productivity, and proactively detect potential delays using predictive analytics; in turn empowering construction companies to keep their projects on schedule and on budget.
Education/Appointments
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
2010: Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
2010: M.Cs. in Computer Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
2006: M.A.Sc. in Civil Eng., Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
2005: M.Sc. in Civil Engineering, Iran Univ. of Sci & Tech, Tehran, Iran
2002: B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, Iran Univ. of Sci & Tech, Tehran, Iran
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Associate Professor, Faculty Entrepreneurial Fellow, and Faculty Excellence Fellow, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2016-present
Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Computer Science, 2016-present
Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Technology Entrepreneurship Program, 2017-present
Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2013-present
Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Computer Science, 2013-present
Faculty Affiliate, Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013-present
Faculty Affiliate, Computational Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013-present
Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech, Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Myers-Lawson SChool of Construction, 2010-2012
Research Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2006-2010
Mentoring Civil, Mechanical and Architecture Undergraduate Students, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Civil and Environmental Eng, 2006-2009
Research Assistant, University of British Columbia, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2005-2006
Assisting Teaching Assistant, University of British Columbia, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2005-2006
Research Assistant, Iran University of Science and Technology, Structures and Hysrostructures Center, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003-2005
Teaching Assistant, Iran University of Science and Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003-2004
Instructor and Tutor, Linear Algebra, Analytical Geometry and Calculus, 1999-2005
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Co-Founder and CTO, Reconstruct Inc., Champaign, IL, Chicago, IL and Menlo Park, CA, 2018
Co-Founder and CEO, Reconstruct Inc., Champaign, IL, 2016-2018
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), CloudPoint Labs., Boston, MA, 2014-2018
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Precision Augmented Reality Works (Parworks) Inc., Boston, MA, 2012-2014
Co-Founder and President, Vision Construction Monitoring LLC, Blacksburg, VA, Oct 2011-2014
Project Engineer/ PhD Intern, Turner Construction Company, Chicago, IL, 2008-2010
Project Engineer, Tarahan Darya Sahel and Talan-Sazeh Design and Construction Co., Tehran, Iran, 2003-2005
Junior Design Engineer, Tehran-Berkeley Managers and Consulting Engineers, Tehran, Iran, 2001-2002
Project Monitoring and Control Intern, Joint Venture of Perlit Construction Co. & Tehran-Berkeley Managers and Consulting Engineers, Tehran, Iran, 1999
Honors and Awards
Research
2018, Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
2018, Outstanding Reviewer, ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering
2018, Best Journal Paper Award, Wiley Journal of Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
2018, Hojjat Adeli Award for Innovation in Computing, Wiley-Blackwell
2017, National Top 20 Under 40 list, Engineering News Record (ENR)
2017, Top Young Professional, Engineering News Record (ENR) Midwest
2017, World Economics Forum (WEF)'s Future of Construction Ideas
2016, Campus Distinguished Promotion Award, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2016, Daniel H. Halpin Scholarship Award in Construction, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
2016, Outstanding Reviewer, ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering
2016, Excellence Faculty Fellowship, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2016, Dean's Award for Excellence in Research, College of Engineering, University of Illinois
2015, Best Paper Award, International Conference on Construction Engineering and Project Management
2015, Best Data Sensing and Analysis Conference Paper Award, ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering
2014, FIATECH CETI Award, Outstanding Early Career Researcher
2014, Best Conference Paper Award (Second Place), Construction Research Congress
2014, Two Second-Place and One Third-Place Best Poster Awards, Construction Research Congress
2013, Best Conference Paper Award, Data Sensing and Analysis, ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering
2013, James R. Croes Medal, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
2013, Faculty Fellowship (2), National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
2013, Faculty Fellowship (1), National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
2012, Best Journal Paper Award, ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
2012, Best Conference Paper Award, 12th International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality
2012, First-Place Best Poster Award, Construction Research Congress, ASCE
2011, Paul E. Torgersen Research Excellence Award, Virginia Tech
2010, Best Poster Award, Construction Industry Institute Annual Conference
2010, Nova CM Innovation Award Nominee, Construction Innovation Forum
2010, Best Student Paper Award, 10th International Conference on Innovation in AEC
2010, FIATECH CETI Award, Outstanding Student Researcher
2010, FIATECH Scholarship
2009, First-Place Poster Award, Construction Research Congress
2009, Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Scholarship
2009, Intel Scholars Research Program Scholarship
2008, William E. ONeil Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
2008, Shell Scholars Research Program Scholarship
2008, University of Illinois Innovation Tournament Award
2006, Faculty of Graduate Studies Travel Award, University of British Columbia
2006, Institute of Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems Travel Award, University of British Columbia
2005, International Student Scholarship Award, University of British Columbia
Entrepreneurship
2017 World Economics Forum (WEF)'s Future of Construction Ideas
2016, Entrepreneurial Excellence: New Venture Award, The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
2016, Cozad New Venture Competition Winner, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2015, Faculty Entrepreneurship Fellowship (FEF), College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2013, Design and Eng. Awards Honoree in the Software & Mobile Apps product category, 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
2013, Finalist for SXSW2013 Trade Show "Accelerator Award"
2013, Finalist for SXSW2013 Trade Show "Interactive Award"
Editorship/Committees
Editorship
Guest Editor, Elsevier Journal of Automation in Construction, Special issue on IoT for Smart Infrastructure, 2017.
Associate Editor, Elsevier Journal of Automation in Construction, 2015-present
Editorial Review Board Member, Emerald Journal of Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2015-present.
Guest Editor, IEEE Proceedings, 102(2), Special Issue on Applications of Augmented Reality, 2014.
Associate Editor, ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, 2012-present
Assistant Specialty Editor, ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2012-present
Member of the Editorial Board, Elsevier Journal of Automation in Construction, 2013-present
Member of the Editorial Board, IPMA Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management, 2011-present
Conferences Organized/Chaired
International Committee Member, The 8th International Conference on Innovative Production and Construction (IPC 2019), 4-7 December 2019 in Hong Kong
Technical Committee Member, 2019 Winter Simulation Conference "Project Management and Construction Track", National Harbor, Maryland.
Technical Committee Member, 2019 26TH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON INTELLIGENT COMPUTING IN ENGINEERING, Leuven, Belgium.
Technical Committee Member, 2019 CIB W78 – Information Technology for Construction, Chicago, IL.
Technical Committee Member, 2018 ASCE Construction Research Congress, New Orleans, Louisiana
Technical Committee Member, 25th International Workshop on Intelligent Computing in Engineering, June 10th - June 13th 2018, Lausanne Switzerland.
Technical Committee Member, Second European and Mediterranean Structural Engineering and Construction Conference, July 23-28, 2018, in Beirut, Lebanon
Technical Committee Member, 2017 International Conference on Civil and Building Engineering Informatics (ICCBEI 2017), Taipei, Taiwan.
Technical Committee Member, 2017 ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, Seattle, WA.
Technical Committee Member, 2017 Canadian Society of Civil Engineers (CSCE) Construction Specialty Conference, Vancouver, BC
Technical Committee Member, 16th International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality, 11-13 December 2016, Hong Kong
Technical Committee Member, 2016 ASCE Construction Research Congress, San Juan, Porte Rico, 2016.
Scientific Committee Member, 2015 International Conference on Innovative Production and Construction (IPC 2015), Jul 28-31, 2015.
Technical Committee Member, International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality in Construction (CONVR), Banff, AB, Oct 7-9, 2015.
Technical Committee Member and Track Chair, 2015 International Working on Computing in Civil Engineering, Austin, TX , Jun 23-25, 2015.
International Scientific Committee Member, 30th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC), 15-18 Jun 2015, Oulu, Finland. 2015.
Technical Committee Member, the CSCE International Construction Specialty Conference (ICSC15), Vancouver, BC, June 7 - 10, 2015.
Technical Committee Member, the 6th International Conference on Construction Engineering and Project Management, Buson, Korea, Oct 11-15, 2015.
Technical Committee Member, 2014 ASCE Construction Research Congress, Atlanta, GA, May 19-21, 2014.
Technical Committee Member, 2014 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering, June 2014.
Technical Committee Member, First Int Conference on Infrastructure Management, Assessment and Rehabilitation Techniques, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, March 4-6, 2014.
Technical Committee Member, 13th International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality (CONVR 2013), London, England, Oct 30-31, 2013.
Technical Committee Member, 1st International Conference on Civil and Building Engineering Informatics (ICCEBEI2013), Tokyo, Japan, Nov 7-8, 2013.
Session Chair for Sensing/Sensor; 30th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, 11-15 August 2013, Montreal, Canada. 2013
Session Chair for Remote Sensing/ Integrated Smart Systems Technologies; 30th Int Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Montreal, Canada. 2013
Session Chair for IT Applications in Construction & Mining; 30th Int Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, 11-15 August 2013, Montreal, Canada. 2013
Technical Committee Member, 30th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, 11-15 August 2013, Montreal, Canada. 2013
Session Chair; ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, 26-29 June 2013. 2013
Technical Committee Member, ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, 26-29 June 2013. 2013
Technical Committee Member, the Fifth International Conference on Construction Engineering and Project Management (ICCEPM-2013), Jan9-11, 2013. 2013
Chair, 2012 Construction Research Congress Poster Session Committee, Technical Council on Computing and Information Technology), ASCE, 2012
Session Chair; 12th International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality (CONVR 2012), Taipei, Taiwan, Nov 1-2, 2012.
Technical Committee Member, 12th International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality (CONVR 2012), Taipei, Taiwan, Nov 1-2, 2012.
International Scientific Committee Member, CiB (Computer Knowledge Building) W78 2012 Conference, Beirut, Lebanon. 2012
Chair, Data Sensing and Analysis (DSA) Best Paper Award Subcommittee, Technical Council on Computing and Information Technology, ASCE, 2011
Track Chair; 2012 International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Clear Waters, FL. 2012
Session Chair; 2012 International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Clear Waters, FL. 2012
Technical Committee Member, 2012 International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Clear Waters, FL. 2012
Technical Committee Member, 2012 International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Eindhoven, Netherlands. 2012
Technical Committee Member, 2012 Construction Research Congress, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), West Lafayette, IN., 2012
Session Chair; 2012 Construction Research Congress, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), West Lafayette, IN., 2012
Track Chair; 2012 Construction Research Congress, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), West Lafayette, IN., 2012
Technical Committee Member, 11th International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality (CONVR 2011), Weimar, Germany, Nov 3-4, 2011. 2011
Workshop Co-Chair, Transportation Research Board Committee on Construction Management (AFH10) Workshop, Jan 2012. 2011
Session Chair; Technical Committee Member, 2011 ASCE Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, Miami, FL., Jun 19-22., 2011
Technical Committee Member, the 4th International Conference on Construction Engineering and Project Management, Sydney, Australia, Feb 16-18. 2011 2011
Member of the Poster Session Organizing Committee, Construction Industry Institute’s Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, Jul 25-27. 2011
Member of the Jury, 2011 FIATECH International Technology Conference and Showcase CETI awards, Chandler, AZ, Apr 18-20. 2011
Technical Committee Member, 27th International Conference on Applications of IT in the AEC Industry (Cib w78), Cairo, Egypt, Nov 16-19, 2010. 2010
Organizing Chair, Technical Chair and Founder, the First Annual University of Illinois Student Interdisciplinary Conference, Jan 26, 2009, Urbana, IL. 2008-2009
Member of Organizing Committee, Int. Workshop on Construction Research Funding in XXI Century: A Partnership between Academia, Industry, and Public Sector, Urbana, IL 2009
Member of Organizing Committee, Graduate Student Poster and Academic Discussion Panels, Construction Research Congress 2009, Seattle, WA. 2009
Scientific Organizing Committee Chair, “12th Civil Engineering Student Conference.†Iran Univ. of Science & Technology, Tehran, Iran, Nov 2005. 2005