Meet the team

Abhilash has been interested in architecture and construction since his childhood. So he chose construction engineering as his career. He is currently working as a graduate teaching assistant, assisting three professors with posting study materials, assignments, and online AIC tests on the virtual learning environment Blackboard Learning. He grades and provides feedback for the assignments in accordance with the guidelines the professor has provided. Additionally, he is working on research on VR/AR applications in construction under Dr. Zia UD Din. 

Someswara is currently working as a graduate teaching assistant, assisting five professors with posting study materials, assignments, and online AIC tests on the virtual learning environment Blackboard Learning. He grades and provides feedback for the assignments in accordance with the guidelines the professors have provided. Additionally, he is working as a research assistant under one professor, assisting with research work.  

Krithikashree Lakshminarayanan is a computer science professional based in Houston, TX. She holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Houston and a Master's degree in Software Systems from Coimbatore Institute of Technology. She works with Dr.Din on the development of Marker based AR application for handheld devices that generate the 3D BIM model to present just-in-time information for visualizing construction tasks. She is also responsible for designing the lab's website.

Aslan provided research on 360 photo reports of construction progress and developed live data monitoring of air quality data (Radon gas) of construction using Dynamo visual programming, Revit, and IoT. 

Hardith is currently pursuing his Master's in Computer Science from the University of Houston. He has worked for 4 years in India for CGI, developing applications related to the web. During his time as a student at the University of Houston, he worked as a Research Assistant (RA) under Dr. Din, developing Virtual Reality applications to improve safety in the field of Construction. He now works in CASA IT as a VR developer, introducing the concept of taking exams using VR. He has also interned for 3 months at Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a software developer.  

Mayank Patel is a construction management graduate student with a bachelor's degree in architectural design. His interest lies in design and construction technologies that can improve workers' productivity and increase their safety. He has collaborated with Dr. Zia UD Din on researching various applications of augmented reality technology in the construction industry. He has presented his findings in papers for the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers (CSCE). Mayank has also written his thesis on "Assessing the impact of marker-based AR technology on improving the quality and safety of construction". Currently, he serves as an assistant project manager at Anchor Construction and Management, where his passion for construction technology enables him to educate the team and inspire conversations about improving team performance by incorporating effective technology use into project documentation, project management, quality control, budgeting, and other work areas. 

Mr. Christopher Bennett is a recent graduate from the University of Houston's College of Technology Construction Management program. During his time in the Master's program, Christopher became fascinated with sustainability and green building design after taking Dr. Zia Din's LEED and Green Construction Principles in Construction Management course. After completing the class, Christopher began research on Circular Economy (CE) which led to his thesis on "A Holistic Approach to Implementing Circular Economy Practices into the Built Environment."

Christopher's research examined barriers and drivers associated with CE implementation based on a literature analysis of published works. Mr. Bennett then surveyed CE, LEED, and sustainability practitioners in the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry to better understand the perception of barriers and drivers associated with CE implementation. His study revealed that the top three drivers associated with CE implementation are sustainability of the environment, image enhancement, and competitive advantage. In contrast, the top three barriers associated with CE implementation are lack of experience, unfamiliar design and construction techniques, and lack of performance information on reclaimed construction materials.

Mr. Bennett is currently an Associate Project Engineer and Consultant at Ramboll, a European civil engineering consulting firm focusing on advanced manufacturing, specifically renewable energy systems. 

Edes's research area has focused on the use of Augmented Reality for Construction, with a keen interest in the use of BIM (Building Information Modeling) and Sustainability in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. She is currently employed at Kirksey Architecture, where she works in the Community, Collegiate, and PreK-12 Education studio sectors. 

Oluwatobi's research has focused on investigating visualization technologies used in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (ASC) industry. Currently, he is involved in and has a strong interest in the management of commercial and industrial buildings.