DR. VAHID BALALI

Dr. Vahid Balali is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Management at аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Tehran, his second M.S. in Construction Engineering and Management from Virginia Tech, and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Upon completion of graduate school, he worked for two years as a BIM Manager in the industry. He is a recipient of a Consulting-Specifying Engineer's (CSE) 40 Under 40.

Dr. Balali's research focuses on the (1) visual data sensing and analytics for the AEC industry, (2) virtual design and construction for infrastructure asset management and interoperable system integration, and (3) smart cities in transportation for sustainable infrastructure decision-making. He has been the principal investigator on research projects supported by Caltrans, Mineta Transportation Institute, Associated of General Contractors of America (AGC), and several industry entities. He is currently an associate member of ASCE and CMAA, committee member of the ASCE Data Sensing and Analysis (DSA) and ASCE Visual Information Modeling and Simulation (VIMS) committees, and friend member of relevant TRB committees. He also serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Civil and Architectural Engineering and is a reviewer with several top-notch journals. He is actively collaborating with industrial partners and involved in professional and outreach activities.

Selected Awards

  • Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Regional Teaching Award (2021)
  • аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ Early Academic Career Excellence Award (2020)
  • Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s (CSE) 40 under 40 (2017)
  • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering Outstanding Reviewer (2016, 2017)
  • Engineering News-Record (ENR) California Top Young Professional (2016)
  • National Academy of Inventors (NAI) аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ Chapter (2016)
  • Construction Research Congress (CRC) Second Place Poster Award (2014)
  • Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Scholarship (2013)

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Civil Engineering (2015)
  • M.S., Virginia Tech, Construction Engineering and Management (2012)
  • M.S., University of Tehran, Civil Engineering (2010)
  • B.S., University of Tehran, Civil Engineering (2008)

Appointments

  • Associate Professor, аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ (2022-present)
  • Assistant Professor, аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ (2016-2022)
  • Senior BIM and Project Controls Specialist, STV Inc. (2015-16)
  • Graduate Research/Teaching Assistant, UIUC (2013-15)
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Virginia Tech (2011-12)
  • Senior Project Engineer, Boland Payeh (2008-11)

Teaching

  • CEM324 – Institutional, Commercial, and Industrial Construction Practices 
  • CEM424 – Earthwork and Civil Work Construction Practices 
  • CEM431 – Construction Cost Control 
  • CEM483 – Virtual Design and Construction
  • CEM490 – Construction Project Management 
  • CE 406 –  Project Cost-Benefit Analysis 
  • CE 571 – Construction Planning and Cost Control 
  • CE 575 – Construction Optimization and Decision Making 
  • CE 576 – Construction Organization and Management 
  • CE 697 – Directed Studies