My Expertise
I am a Professor in Construction at the School of Built Environment, UNSW Sydney. My areas of expertise are construction informatics - Virtual Reality (VR), Blockchain Technology (BCT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address research problems in Health & Safety, technology adoption, and Information management. I am also interested in investigating human behaviors, opportunities (economic and social benefits), and risks (privacy, data-sharing & security, ethics) of technological adoptions in the Built Environment.
Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
Building, Building construction management and project planning, Automation and technology in building and construction, Occupational and workplace health and safety, Quantity surveying, Building industry studies, Building information modelling and managementSEO tags
Biography
I am a Professor in Construction at the School of Built Environment, UNSW Sydney.
My research lies in the interdisciplinary areas of intelligent and digital construction. I have focused on applying construction informatics - Virtual Reality (VR), Blockchain Technology (BCT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address research problems in Health & Safety, technology adoption, and Information management. I am also interested in investigating...view more
I am a Professor in Construction at the School of Built Environment, UNSW Sydney.
My research lies in the interdisciplinary areas of intelligent and digital construction. I have focused on applying construction informatics - Virtual Reality (VR), Blockchain Technology (BCT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address research problems in Health & Safety, technology adoption, and Information management. I am also interested in investigating human behaviors, opportunities (economic and social benefits), and risks (privacy, data-sharing & security, ethics) of technological adoptions in the Built Environment.
As of today, I have already produced more than 100 research outputs, including international refereed journal articles, research monographs, book chapters, and conference papers. His research networks cover different countries/regions such as New Zealand, Hong Kong, Mainland China, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United States of America, Japan, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. I am currently the Associate Editor of an international journal (ASCE Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction) and was the Associate Editor of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)’s International Journal Management, Procurement and Law. I am also the Editorial Board Member of an international journal - Safety Science.
In terms of administrative responsibilities, I was an elected member of the Senate (also known as the Academic Board) and Deputy Head of Department (Academic) at the University of Auckland. I was the Research Lead of the School of the Built Environment, Massey University, New Zealand. In these roles, I have actively advised and contributed to strategy- and/or policy-related matters at the School and University levels. I also actively serve two major professional institutions, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), as Assessor for various professional activities (e.g., Assessment of Professional Competence and Accreditations of Construction Programmes). I am a Member of the College of Assessors, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), New Zealand, and the External Assessor of the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
My Grants
- Building Research Levy Fund, Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) (PI, 2020-2022); (PI, 2020-2022)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) - (CoI, 2023-2026);(CoI, 2019-2022)
- Visiting Fellowship 2014, Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (PI)
- General Research Fund (GRF), University Grants Council, Hong Kong SAR Government (PI, awarded, but withdrew due to relocation, 2010);
- Competitive Earmarked Research Grant (CERG), University Grants Council, Hong Kong SAR Government - (CoI, 2008-2010); (Co-I, 2007-2009)
My Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Construction Management, City University of Hong Kong, 2005
- B.Sc. (First-class Honours) in Quantity Surveying, City University of Hong Kong, 2001
- Professional Member, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) - Chartered Quantity Surveyor
- Chartered Member, The Chartered Institute of Building (MCIOB) - Chartered Construction Manager
- Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (MASCE)
My Awards
- Best Paper Award (Runner Up) - ASCE Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction (2019)
- Best Paper Award - The 6th International Conference on Construction Engineering and Project Management, Oct 11-14, Busan, Korea (2015)
- Fellowship - Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)(2014) ASCE Outstanding Reviewer – ASCE Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction (2013, 2019)
- Best Forum or Synopsis Paper Award - ASCE Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction (2012)
- Grand Prize - the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Outstanding Dissertation Award – PhD Category (2002)
My Research Activities
My Research Supervision
Supervision keywords
Areas of supervision
I am available to supervise MPhil or PhD students in the following areas:
Construction informatics (VR, AI, BCT) - application to safety management, contract management, dispute management, and project management.
Data management in digital transformation - ethics and privacy
Construction health and safety
Behavioral studies on technological adoption
My Engagement
- Council Member, Australasian Universities Building Education Association (AUBEA),
- Member of the College of Assessors, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), New Zealand,
- External Assessor, Research Grants Council (RGC) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government,
- Associate Editor, ASCE Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction,
- Editorial Board Member, Safety Science,
- Managing Guest Editor for a Special Issue, entitled 'The Use of Emerging Technologies to Enhance Construction Safety' in Safety Science,
- Guest Editor for four special issues in the ASCE Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction,
- Member of Scientific Committee, Session Chair or Co-moderator at various international conferences,
- Assessor, Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS),
- Assessor, Programme Accreditation, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS),
- Assessor, Programme Accreditation, Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB),
- PhD/MPhil External Examiner at various universities in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, and
- Programme External Examiner at various universities in Australia