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Members

Jacob Blackwood

Project Engineer @ Clark Construction Group

Jacob holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Siena College and is completing his Master’s at Penn State. Jacob is currently working on a new Surgical Pavilion for MedStar Health

Saja Alnusair

PHD student @ UVA

Saja's interests include human-building interaction, intelligent built environments, occupant behavior and health, design process studies, data analytics, digital twins, computational design, energy optimization, and building performance monitoring

Sarah Azeez

Pursuing Masters in Architectural Engineering

Sarah researches women’s roles in construction, focusing on lean practices, team diversity, and project outcomes. She has received the NAHB Residential Construction Industry Award and Summer Success Scholarships at Penn State

Tandin Norbu

Pursuing Masters in Architectural Engineering

Tandin's interest is in the optimization of life cycle processes in buildings from design and construction to operation and facility management using automation and robotics. He is a recipient of the 2021 Joint Japan- World Bank Graduate Scholarship

Ali Faragalla

Pursuing Masters in Architectural Engineering

Ali's research focuses on building energy performance, building facades, and biomimicry design. On a broader scale, he is intrigued by the effect of energy, the microclimate and macroclimate of the building on its architectural form

Abolfazl Nasehi

PHD student @ UVA

Construction manager and BIM specialist graduated from Sharif University of Technology. Worked as project Delay & Claims Analyst at Dr. Claim

Rahaf Bataynah

PHD student @ UVA

Rahaf Fareed Bataynah researches occupant behavior, building performance simulation, and digital twin technology to enhance smart building efficiency and comfort. She holds a master’s in architecture and has taught in Jordan and the U.S.

Somayeh Asadi

Professor at The University of Virginia

Somayeh is a Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on smart buildings and cities, occupant behavior, net-zero and resilient environments, the food–energy–water nexus, and AI applications

Alumni

Yewande Abraham

Alumni

Dr. Yewande Abraham is an Assistant Professor at RIT, LEED Accredited Professional, and associate member of ASCE and ASHRAE. Her work focuses on sustainable building operations and engineering education.

Yumna Kurdi

Alumni

Yumna Kurdi is a Ph.D candidate in the Architectural Engineering program at Penn State University (PSU). Yumna has a master’s degree in Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Jordan University

Milad Mohammadi

Alumni

Milad is a Research Assistant at the Pennsylvania State University. Milad is pursuing his second master's degree in electrical engineering and computer science focused on deep learning and machine learning

Baraa ALKHATATBEH

Alumni

Baraa Alkhatatbeh is an Assistant Professor in the Architecture Division at Yarmouk University. She earned his master’s degree from Jordan University of Science and Technology in 2017.

Shideh Shams

Alumni

Shideh specializes in applying machine learning and statistics to develop data-driven solutions for environmental challenges. She holds a Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from Drexel University, with expertise in energy modeling and urban systems

Austin McClymonds

Alumni

Austin McClymonds is a Construction Technology Integration Engineer at Leonard S. Fiore, Inc. He holds a Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from Penn State University

Ehsan Mostavi

Alumni

Ehsan is Co-founder and CTO at dataArrows. He holds a Ph.D. in Construction from Penn State University

Andy Mackey

Alumni

Andrew is a Co-founder and EVP at ProtoGen, has 20+ years in construction, a master’s in architectural engineering, is a CMVP, FAA drone pilot, and leads business, technical, and financial operations

Reza Foroughi

Alumni

Reza is Assistant Department Chair and Associate Professor at App state University. He holds a Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from Penn State and M.S. and B.S. degrees from the University of Guilan

Nazari Harris

Alumni

Dr. Heris is dedicated to teaching electrical engineering, with a focus on power systems. His expertise includes power system analysis, circuits, renewable energy, energy storage, smart grids, building electrical systems, and engineering economics

Saratu Terreno

Alumni

Saratu Terreno is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at Bradley University since 2020. She also serves as the Director of Engineering Labs for the Caterpillar College of Engineering