Javier Irizarry, Ph.D., P.E. Professor and Lab Director Phone: 404-385-7609 Fax: 404-894-1641 E-mail: javier.irizarry at coa dot gatech dot edu A pioneer of research on Unmanned Aerial System applications in the built environment, Dr. Irizarry is Director of the CONECTech Lab at Georgia Tech, which aims to establish the Construction 4.0 framework for developing next generation technology enhanced solutions for construction problems by incorporating the cognitive processes of the human component of construction operations. He has over 20 years of academic and industry experience and has authored over 100 academic articles. Irizarry’s research has been nationally and internationally recognized and focuses on construction information technologies including virtual and augmented reality, reality capture technology, and Unmanned Aerial Systems application in the AEC domain. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, a Masters in Engineering Management from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, and a PhD in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Irizarry is also a registered Professional Engineer as well as a FAA Licensed Drone Pilot. Linked-in Google Scholar Scopus Researchgate
	Steven Kangisser Ph.D. Student School of Building Construction Expected Graduation: 2023 E-mail: stevek at gatech dot edu Steven is a Ph.D. student in Building Construction. His interests relate to the potential role of technology in extending the age at which craft labor in the construction industry is no longer able to remain safe and productive. This includes the use of drones, virtual and augmented reality, and other improvements to on the job technologies. Steven has a background in management for heavy industrial construction. His current studies include engineering psychology, cognitive engineering, industrial design, and the management of emerging technologies.

Lab Alumni

Irish Horsey, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Dissertation: “Disadvantaged Business Enterprises: Effect of Decertification and Competing in the Georgia Transportation Construction Marketplace”
Graduated: May 2021
Director of Industry Advancement
Procore Technologies

Daniel Paes, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Dissertation: “A User-Centered Analysis of Virtual Reality in Design Review: Comparing Three-Dimensional Perception and Presence Between Immersive and Non-Immersive Environments”
Graduated: December 2019
Assistant Professor
School of Built Environment
Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand

Cristina Toca-Perez.
Visiting Ph.D. Student
Federal University of Bahia, Brazil
August 2018-July 2019
Currently: Assistant Professor, Aarhus University

Sungjin Kim, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Dissertation: “User-Perceived Effectiveness of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Integration in Infrastructure Construction Environments”
Graduated: May 2018
Assistant Professor
Department of Architectural Engineering
Hanbat National University, Republic of Korea

Mohammad Ali
Current Position: Construction Technology Associate at WeWork
Masters Student, Building Construction and Facility Management
Graduated: December 2018

Claudia Calderon Hernandez
Visiting M.Sc. Student
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Peru
January – March 2018

Samaneh Zolfagharian, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Dissertation: “A Knowledge-based BIM Exchange Model for Constructability Assessment of Commercial Building Designs”
Graduated: December 2016
CTO, Yegatech, San Francisco, Ca.

Mehdi Nourbakhsh, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Dissertation: “Generalizable Surrogate Models for the Improved Early-Stage Exploration of Structural Design Alternatives in Building Construction”
Graduated: May 2016
CEO, Yegatech, San Francisco, Ca.

Ebrahim P. Karan, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Dissertation: “Extending Building Information Modeling (BIM) interoperability to geo-spatial domain using semantic web technology”
Graduated: August 2014
Associate Professor
Applied Engineering, Safety, and Technology
Sam Houston State University, Texas

Masoud Gheisari, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Dissertation: “An Ambient Intelligent Environment for Accessing Building Information in Facility Management Operations; A Healthcare Operation Scenario”
Graduated: December 2013
Associate Professor
M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management
University of Florida

Rohit Pawankumar Sureka
Current Position: Developer at Oracle Corporation
Masters Student, Computer Science Department
Graduated: May 2011
Project Title: Construction Equipment Finder / Be Safe

Candace Giles
Current Position: Financial Analyst at CBRE
Bachelor of Science Student, School of Building Construction
Graduated: May 2012
Project Title: Analyzing the Existence of Gender Roles in Sustainability Practice

Samrudhi Patil
Current Position: Web Application Architect at Nutanix
Masters Student, Computer Science Department
Graduated: May 2011
Project Title: Construction Equipment Finder / Be Safe

Tarandeep Singh Gill
Current Position: President at UberSync
Masters Student, Computer Science Department
Graduated: May 2009
Project Title: Development of Mobile Communicator for Construction Operations (MCCO)

Manasa Vemuri
Masters Student, Construction Management
Southern Polytechnic State University
Graduated: December 2008
Project Title: Constructability of PCC Pavements