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Director:
Director:
Dr. Hexu Liu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering at Western Michigan University (WMU) and leads the Digital & Smart Construction (DiSC) Lab. His research advances AI-enabled systems for construction and infrastructure, integrating BIM, digital twins, and data-driven methods to enable predictive, automated, and intelligent lifecycle management of the built environment.
His work focuses on construction automation, industrialized construction, digital twin–enabled infrastructure systems, and infrastructure decision analytics, with applications in AI-driven design, predictive infrastructure management, and cost intelligence across building and transportation systems.
Dr. Liu has published extensively in leading journals such as Automation in Construction, Advanced Engineering Informatics, and ASCE journals (JCEM, JCCE), and has contributed to premier venues including ASCE CRC, ISARC, TRB, and CONVR. His research is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and state transportation agencies.
He serves as Assistant Specialty Editor for ASCE’s Journal of Construction Engineering and Management and Associate Editor for Frontiers in Built Environment. He is an active reviewer for NSF, Canadian NSERC, and major journals in construction and computing, and has received Outstanding Reviewer Awards from leading journals including Automation in Construction and ASCE JCEM.
Current Members
Current Members
Zaid Alwashah (Research Assistant)
Zaid Alwashah is a PhD student in the Construction Engineering program at Western Michigan University. He earned both his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in 2019 and his master's degree in Engineering Project Management in 2022 from the University of Jordan. Before pursuing his PhD, Zaid gained valuable experience working on various construction projects in Jordan. Zaid’s research focuses on reliable LLM-driven BIM automation, generative AI applications in construction, and data-driven construction cost intelligence. His recent work has appeared in Automation in Construction, Journal of Building Engineering, and Journal of Management in Engineering.
Selected Outputs
Reliable LLM-Driven BIM Automation Through Capability-based Multi-Dimensional Evaluation, Automation in Construction, 2026.
Generative Artificial Intelligence for Construction: Use Cases, Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities, Journal of Building Engineering, 2025.
Regional Highway Construction Cost Index Comparison: Analyzing Disparities and Their Drivers, Journal of Management in Engineering, accepted, 2026.
Departmental Graduate Research Awardee, 2026.
Amr Altalhoni (Research Assistant)
Amr AlTalhoni is a Ph.D. student in Civil and Construction Engineering at Western Michigan University, where he also earned his M.Sc. degree in 2023. Amr’s research develops robust forecasting and pricing-factor models for highway construction cost indices under market volatility, with applications to DOT cost estimation and infrastructure budget planning.
Selected Outputs
Robust Forecasting Models for Highway Construction Cost Indices During Pandemic-Era Inflation, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2025.
Data-Driven Identification of Key Pricing Factors in Highway Construction Cost Estimation During Economic Volatility, International Journal of Construction Management, 2025.
Nuzhat Moin (Research Assistant)
Nuzhat Moin is a master’s student in Civil and Construction Engineering program at Western Michigan University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in 2023 from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Before beginning her graduate studies, she worked as a Junior Business Development Engineer at ACE Consultants Ltd., a subsidiary of SMEC International Pty. Ltd. Her research focuses on roadside safety, with an emphasis on data-driven enforcement strategies, digital alert technologies, and crash data analytics to reduce roadside crash risks.
Selected Outputs: To Be Updated
Hosam Olimat (Teaching Assistant)
Hosam Olimat is a Ph.D. candidate in Civil Engineering at Western Michigan University, working under Dr. Hexu Liu and Dr. Osama Abudayyeh. His research focuses on advancing construction safety, offsite (modular) construction, and data-driven performance evaluation. Hosam’s work bridges engineering, data science, and management to improve how safety and efficiency are measured in construction projects. Over the past four years, he has served as the Teaching Assistant of Dr. Liu's courses, supporting students in learning estimating principles, cost management techniques, and the use of digital tools such as RSMeans, Revit, and Navisworks. Hosam is committed to advancing safety and innovation in construction while helping future engineers develop the skills for a smarter, safer industry.
Selected Outputs
Safety Performance Evaluation Model for Offsite Construction through the Integration of Key Leading and Lagging Factors, ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, accepted, 2026.
Enabling Technologies and Recent Advancements of Smart Facility Management, Buildings, 2023.
Alumni
Alumni
Dr. Shengxian Tang (Spring 2025)
Dr. Tang works as a Civil Engineer at Illinois DOT.
Shengxian Tang was a PhD student of Construction Engineering at the Western Michigan University. Shengxian joined the DSC lab in Fall 2019, after receiving a master degree in Highway and Railway Engineering from Central South University, China. He has a strong background in road and railway engineering and construction management. His research interests include Building Information Modeling, Human-centered Augmented/Virtual Reality, Robotics, and Bridge Inspection. He is currently working on applications of Augmented/Virtual Reality in construction engineering.
Selected Outputs
Measurement of Information Loss and Transfer Impacts of Technology Systems in Offsite Construction Processes, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2023.
Towards Automated Construction Quantity Take-Off: An Integrated Approach to Information Extraction from Work Descriptions, Buildings, 2022.
Dr. Obaidullah Hakimi (Summer 2024)
Dr. Hakimi works as a Commercial Project Manager at AVB.
Obaidullah Hakimi was a Ph.D. student (Co-supervised by Dr. Liu and Dr. Abudayyeh) in Construction Engineering at Western Michigan University. As a Fulbright Scholar, he earned his master’s degree from WMU, with majors in Construction Engineering in 2018. He also earned his undergraduate degree from Nangarhar University, Afghanistan, in 2013. In addition, He received an Exchange Student Scholarship through the EU-NICE-Erasmus Mundus Program to Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Obaidullah’s research advances infrastructure digital twins, data fusion, and predictive maintenance methods for bridge decks and smart civil infrastructure management.
Selected Outputs
Hybrid Computer Vision and Multi-Defect Data Fusion Framework for Automated Concrete Bridge Deck Condition Rating, ASCE’s Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, 2026
Deep Learning-Driven Multi-Level Data Fusion Framework for Predictive Maintenance and Structural Health Monitoring of Concrete Bridge Decks, Automation in Construction, 2025.
Digital Twin-Enabled Smart Facility Management: A Bibliometric Review, Engineering Management, 2023.
Dr. Manea S. Almatared (Summer 2024)
Dr. Manea works as a Lecturer in the civil engineering department at Najran University
Manea S. Almatared started his PhD study in Construction Engineering at Western Michigan University in the Fall of 2019. Before this, he worked as a lecturer in the civil engineering department at Najran University for one year. Manea received his bachelor’s degree in Najran and master’s degree from Western Michigan University. Manea’s research contributed to digital twin frameworks, smart infrastructure management, and facility-management knowledge synthesis.
Selected Outputs
Digital Twin in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industry: A Bibliometric Review, ASCE Construction Research Congress, 2022.
Data Fusion for Smart Civil Infrastructure Management: A Conceptual Digital Twin Framework, Buildings, 2023.
Dr. Mohamed A. M. Binalhaj (Fall 2022)
Dr. Mohammed is a Lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering at Sebha University.
Mohamed joined the lab as a PhD student of Construction Engineering in Fall 2018. Mohamed obtained his Master's degree at Western Michigan University, with his master's thesis focusing on evaluating IoT sensors for construction safety. In addition, Mohamed has a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from the University of Sebha. Mohamed's research interests include BIM, GIS, and Sensor technology for construction and facility management applications.
Selected Outputs
Mobile Crowdsourcing-Based Data Collection for User-Centered Facility Maintenance Management, Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 2021.
Development of a Mobile Application for Occupant-Centric Facility Maintenance Management, IEEE World AI IoT Congress, 2022.
Dr. Mohammed Sulaiman (Spring 2022)
Currently, Mohammed works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Al-Baha University.
Mohammed Sulaiman was a Ph.D. Student in the Civil and Construction Engineering Department at Western Michigan University (Fall 2018-Spring 2022). Mohammed graduated from Umm Al-Qura University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in 2012. Shortly after graduating, he worked with Dar Alhandsa as a Consultant Engineer in the Expansion Project of Al-Masjid Al-Haram for two years. In 2014, Mohammed moved to Al-Baha University to work as a Teaching Assistant in the Civil Engineering department. After that, Mohammed joined WMU and earned his Master's degree in Civil Engineering in 2016. His research interests include Off-site Construction, Robotics, and BIM.
Selected Outputs
ICT-Based Integrated Framework for Smart Facility Management: An Industry Perspective, Journal of Facilities Management, 2021.
GIS-Based Automatic Flight Planning of Camera-Equipped UAVs for Fire Emergency Response, IEEE EIT, 2020.
Benwin George (Spring 2026)
Benwin George is a master’s student in Computer Science at Western Michigan University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Information Technology in 2022 and has over three years of professional experience as a software engineer, working on AI/ML systems, full-stack applications, and blockchain-based decentralized applications. His research interests focus on artificial intelligence driven systems, machine learning applications, and intelligent software tools for real-world problem solving. Benwin has worked on projects involving retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), large language models, computer vision, and automation pipelines. He is particularly interested in applying AI and emerging technologies to build scalable, data-driven solutions across interdisciplinary domains.
Ms. Anam Hussain Mirza (Spring 2024)
Anam works as a Civil Engineer at MDOT.
Anam was a thesis-based Master student in Construction Engineering at Western Michigan University. Anam’s research interests include AI, data analytics, and bridge design and management. She worked on the construction cost analysis for Michigan highway construction projects.
Former Interns
Former Interns
Owen Su (Summer 2024)
Owen is a sophomore at the University of Michigan majoring in Computer Engineering. He is currently interning as a Cost Analysis Intern for highway construction projects, where he applies his skills in machine learning and Python programming to enhance cost analysis processes. His role involves evaluating the financial aspects of construction projects and contributing to cost estimation.
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