Dr. Francis Baek
Assistant Professor
Location: Mason 2279
Email: francis.baek@ce.gatech.edu
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Short Bio
Dr. Francis Baek is an Assistant Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (Intelligent Systems, Robotics, and Control) from the University of California, San Diego. In addition to his academic endeavors, Dr. Baek has significant technical and industrial experience. He worked as a software engineer in a start-up company in the U.S., and as a researcher in an intelligent transportation systems company in South Korea. His research focuses on human-centric integration of advanced technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, and wearable bio-sensors, not only to improve construction processes through automation but also to contribute to ensuring worker well-being in construction. He has received many awards, including the Best Paper Award from the 22nd International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality (CONVR 2022), the Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Prize for Distinguished Academic Achievement at the University of Michigan, and the Rackham Merit Fellowship, given to an outstanding individual with diverse experience and background, at the University of Michigan. Additionally, he has excelled in technical competitions, earning first place in the 4th Annual Visualization, Information Modeling, and Simulation (VIMS) Datathon Competition, hosted by ASCE, for developing computer vision-based deep learning technologies to detect construction objects from images. Dr. Baek has published papers and served as a reviewer in top journals and premier conferences, and holds three patents.