The Automation of the Softer Side of Smart City: a Socio-Semantic Roadmap

Dr. Mohamed Al-Hussein is a professor, Research Chair in the Industrialization and Decarbonization of Construction, in the of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. He held the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in the Industrialization of Building Construction and was the inaugural director of the Nasseri School of Building Science and Engineering. He is a highly sought researcher in the areas of modular and offsite construction, lean manufacturing, construction process optimization, and BIM. Dr. Al-Hussein’s research has been published in over 400 articles in leading journals and conference proceedings.

Farzad is a Professor of Digital Engineering at the School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, UK. He is the leader of the Centre for Sustainable Engineering and Open Research and Output Quality Lead, SCEDT, Teesside University. He is Editor in Chief: Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SCI/JCR IF=3.6, CiteScore Tracker: 9.1) and Associate Editor: AUTOMATION IN CONSTRUCTION (SCI/JCR IF=10.3, Citescore: 16.7). Farzad has a robust research track record delivering more than 200 quality publications and more than 3800 citations. Farzad’s research covers various aspects of Construction 5.0, with a strong emphasis on adopting cutting-edge technologies to serve the NetZero and sustainability agenda, including XR for H&S training, AI and deep-learning for sustainable infrastructures and logistics, smart construction, circular construction, energy policies, data-driven digital twins, demand response optimisation, smart energies, DLT and blockchain technologies, and social innovation. Farzad has successfully led several high-profile research projects – from H2021, InnovateUK through to the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC), Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Data Lab, and Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC). Farzad secured research and innovation income of over £2.5m. This expertise and standing are also recognised through several high-profile bodies, including the International Council for Building (CIB) and buildingSMART International. He graduated with 10 PhD students in the topics across the fields above, and some of them are already senior academics at reputable institutions such as the University of Cambridge, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Salford, and some hold leadership positions in the industry.