Conference Chairs

  • Prof. Amirhosein Ghaffarian

    Amir is a Professor of Architecture and Urban Transformation and a Senior Academic Strategist with over two decades of experience leading several national and international teams in New Zealand, Canada, and Malaysia. As the recipient of several prestigious awards, he is an internationally recognized professor, an innovative thinker, an expert assessor at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Royal Society Te Apārangi, and a consultancy member at the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor in New Zealand.

    He is the DCT Faculty and School Chair of the Postgraduate Board of Studies, Director of Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies in the School of Future Environments, an appointed leading researcher, architectural designer (NZIA Academic), and urbanist. His research primarily focuses on the future of buildings and urban areas through the lens of sustainable and healthy design and smartification. He is interested in the impact of architecture and urban design on end users, the influence of buildings on the urban microclimate, and the future of cities. He has extensively published in many top-ranked journals in his field, with a current total of over 7,500 citations, an h-index of 34, and an i10-index of 59.

    He has consistently been ranked as the first or second most cited professor in the field of architecture in New Zealand in previous years. He is listed among the top 2% of the world's highly cited scientists by Stanford University for the years 2022-2024. Currently, Amir is the Director of the Architectural Engineering (AE) Lab at AUT and also serves as a key leader as the Director of the Responsive + Green Urban Built Environment (R+G UBE) Lab, an interdisciplinary research group based in New Zealand (www.rgube.com). Before joining the School of Future Environments, Amir served as the Head of Postgraduate Studies in the School of Engineering, Computer, and Mathematical Sciences and was also the coordinator of all Master's research projects in the Department of Built Environment at AUT. In recent years, he has led several nationally and internationally funded research projects (Approximately $1-Milion NZD national/international research funding) and currently supervises a large number of PhD and Master's students in New Zealand.

    As of mid 2024, 9 PhD researchers from his team have successfully completed their doctoral studies at AUT, in addition to a significant number of Master's graduates (100+ completed & 15 ongoing). He has also served as an external examiner for PhD and Master's researchers both in New Zealand and elsewhere.

    Amir is one of the AUDP panel members for Auckland City (Auckland Urban Design Panel) for the period 2024 to 2026, providing advice to developers and the council. In addition to his strong focus on the intersection of architectural design, urban microclimate, and end-users' well-being, Amir is a leading researcher in the emerging field of digital twins. He has contributed nationally and internationally to large-scale proposals related to digital twins in various capacities, from expert assessor to international advisor and principal investigator.

    He has coordinated various architectural/urban design studios at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, focusing on the integrated design process, building science, and the urban future.

  • Prof. Ali Ghaffarian

    Professor Ali Ghaffarian is a Senior Academic Strategist, a Visionary People Leader, and a Champion of Transformational Change Management.

    With over 2 decades of experience in Academic Management, leading sophisticated teams and initiatives, he has constantly been regarded as a high achiever. Professor Ghaffarian is member of the Artificial Intelligence Reference Group at the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, an Evaluator at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, a Delegate of the College of Assessors at Royal Society Te Apārangi, Head of the Built Environment Engineering at Auckland University of Technology, a Senior Academic Representative on the University Academic Board, an Appointed Leading Researcher, an Academic Architectural Engineer/Designer (New Zealand Institute of Architects), and a Green Star Accredited Professional (New Zealand Green Building Council).

    From a scholarly perspective, Professor Ghaffarian is a Globally Recognized Scientist, having led various International Collaborations with world-class leaders, and has achieved well-recognized awards plus scholarship of over 200 international-level Patents, Journal Articles, Books/Book Chapters, Conference Papers, etc.

    In Curriculum Leadership and Pedagogical Development, he has Led, Developed, Moderated, Reviewed, and contributed to the Accreditation of various academic programmes along with design, development and operationalization of special Research, Teaching, and Testing Laboratories/Facilities plus Financial Management, Recruitment, and Mentoring of Several Academicians and Team Leaders. Ali has been an International Assessor for Government Projects, United Nations, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Funding Projects, DIGI+ and SyMeCo, European Research Council (ERC) and Research Infrastructures: Horizon Europe’s Pillar I – ‘Excellent Science’, etc. He is SoFE’s Representative at Te Kāhui Rangahau o Te Rōpū Taki Māori: Sub-committee of Te Rōpū Taki Māori – DCT Māori Staff Caucus.

    Professor Ghaffarian’s substantial involvement in Academic Management has not diminished his engagement in research. His scholarly standing (Citations: 7K+, h-index: 30+, i10-index: 50+) represents his significant contribution to the academic spectrum, highlighting his dedication to Research and Dissemination. Moreover, he has been a pivotal figure, serving as the Organizer/key member of Scientific/Technical Committees for 100+ Prestigious International Academic Conferences in 30+ Countries.

    He is the Co-founder and Co-director of RESPONSIVE + GREEN Urban Built Environment (RG UBE) Lab. RG Lab is an interdisciplinary consortium based in New Zealand, Canada, and Malaysia. It is led by Prof. Ali Ghaffarian & Prof. Amir Ghaffarian. The Lab aims to contribute to the development of healthier, smarter, and environmentally responsive urban built environments. It encompasses highly talented scholars with diversified fields of expertise related to the responsiveness and green performance of urban built environments. The Lab, with its cutting-edge research focus at both building and urban scales, aims to contribute to the sustainable development of future cities.

Honorary Chairs

  • Prof. Farzad PourRahimian

    Farzad is Professor of Digital Engineering at School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, UK. He is also a leader for Centre for Sustainable Engineering, Open Research and Output Quality Lead, SCEDT, Teesside University and Lead of Construction Innovation & Research (CCIR). He is Editor in Chief: Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SCI/JCR IF=3.6, CiteScore Tracker: 8.5) 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 3400 citations. Farzad's research cover various aspects of Construction 4.0, including Digital Twins, Smart Contracts, Building Information Management/Modelling (BIM), Distributed Ledger Technology, Big Data, IA/Machine-Learning, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), Smart Homes, IoT, Cybernetics and use of Smart Agents within the built environment, Virtual Prototyping and use of VR/AR/MR interfaces for building simulation, automation and integration of design, Offsite Construction, Lean and Six Sigma thinking and development of new business models for integrated construction. Farzad has successfully led several high-profile research projects – from H2021, InnovateUK through to 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 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 10 PhD students in the topics across the aforementioned fields, and some of them are already senior academics at reputable institutions such as the University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, and the University of Salford and some hold leadership positions in industry.

  • Prof. Nashwan Dawood

    Prof. Dawood research has been recognised in the UK’s best breakthrough list. The list of breakthroughs, compiled by Universities UK, demonstrates how UK universities are at the forefront of some of the world’s most important discoveries, innovations and social initiatives and also highlights the less celebrated, but vital breakthroughs, that transform lives.

    Professor Dawood is a member of the senior management team (Associate Dean for Research & Innovation, AD for R&I) at the School Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies (SCEDT). This school was formed in 1st Oct 2019 following a restructuring at Teesside University to create ‘super schools’ and reduce the number of school at university. Previously he was Associate Dean for Research & Innovation at School of Science, Engineering & Design (SSED). As the AD for R&I, his main responsibilities are: creating a vibrant research culture; leading and growing research and innovation; contribute to the University's research strategic vision and mission; develop international collaboration; maintain a high quality of research impact, respond to local and national grand challenges (in particular decarbonisation of industrial sector, Digital City and Biologics). He is responsible for REF2021 submission of three big UoAs, Engineering, Design and Computing with 100 staff expecting to be returned. Prof. Dawood developed and operationalised school research strategy focusing on increase capacity and capabilities to deliver research projects and outputs. He developed ‘Industry Facing’ strategy within the school to enable research teams to develop solutions for industrial challenges: Decarbonisation, Digital Health, Smart Energy Systems and Transforming Construction. Operationalisation of the strategy was accomplished through alignment of the research base to local and national industry strategies to deliver applied research, research consultancy and knowledge transfer.

  • Prof. Jeremy Gibberd

    Jeremy has over 20 years of experience working in a range of roles within the planning, design and management of the built environment. He has developed specialist expertise in sustainable built environments, education and community architecture, building performance analysis and facilities management. He has a wide knowledge of relevant legislation, technological developments and best practice within these areas.

    Following a science course at the University of Botswana, Jeremy trained and registered as an architect in the UK. He completed a Masters degree in Advanced Architectural Studies at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London, UK. His PhD, completed in 2003, is on methodologies for integrating sustainability into built environments in developing country contexts.

    As a visiting professor, Jeremy lectured on environmental design, advanced technology and design at SCAD in the USA and has developed and taught courses on urban design, architectural design, materials, sustainability, energy and facilities management with organisations such as GIZ, ICLEI, the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) the University of the Pretoria and the University of the Free State. He has examined at masters and doctorate levels at Queensland University of Technology (Australia), University of Cape Town and University of Johannesburg (South Africa).

Conference Committee

Academic Host: Prof. Charles Walker (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Event Manager: Janie van Worden (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Chairs of the International Scientific Committee

Assoc. Prof. Nicola Naismith (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Dr Mani Poshdar (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Prof. Chansik Park (Chung-Ang University, Korea)

Prof. Robyn Phipps (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand)

Prof Vanessa Gomes (Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil)

Senior Advisory Board

Prof. John Tookey (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Prof. Suzanne Wilkinson (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Prof. Salman Azhar (Auburn University, USA)

Prof. Ahmed Massoud (Qatar University, Qatar)

Prof. Umberto Berardi (Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada)

Prof. Rahinah Ibrahim (UPM, Malaysia)

Prof. Tim Anderson (Charles Sturt University, Australia)

Prof. Noorh Albadi (Dar Al Uloom University, Saudi Arabia)

Prof. Robert Amor (University of Auckland, New Zealand)

Prof. Derek Clements-Croome (University of Reading, UK)

Prof. Steffen Lehmann (University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA)

Prof. Richard Hyde (The University of Sydney, Australia)

Prof. Joseph Lai (Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong)

Prof. Roopak Sinha (Deakin University, Australia)

Prof. Manish K. Dixit (Texas A&M University, USA)

Prof. Frank Schultmann (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany)

Prof. Ümit Işıkdağ (Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi, Turkey)

Prof. Baojie He (Chongqing University, China)

Prof. Ivo Martinac (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)

Prof. Jose Guevara (University of Los Andes, Columbia)

Prof. Usha Iyer-Raniga (RMIT, Australia)

Prof. Patrizia Lombardi (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Prof. Ali Cheshmehzangi (University of Queensland, AU)

Assoc. Prof. Kjartan Gudmundsson (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)

Assoc. Prof. Yangang Xing (Nottingham Trent University, UK)

Assoc. Prof. Elmira Jamei (Victoria University, Australia)

Assoc. Prof. Ipek Gürsel Dino (Middle East Technical University, Turkey)

Assoc. Prof. Abiola Akanmu (Virginia Tech University, USA)

Assoc. Prof. Michael Donn (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand)

Assoc. Prof. Paola Boarin (University of Auckland, New Zealand)

Assoc. Prof. MohsenTabassi (IAUM, Iran)

Assoc. Prof. Mohammad Mayouf (Birmingham City University, UK)

Dr Husam Al Waer (University of Dundee, UK)

Dr Karam M. Al-Obaidi (Sheffield Hallam University, UK)

Dr. Alessandro Premier (University of Auckland, New Zealand)

Dr M. Reza Hosseini (University of Melbourne, Australia)

Dr Pernille H. Christensen (University of Technology Sydney, Australia)

Dr Mehrtash Soltani (Chem Concrete, Australia)

Dr Borja García de Soto (New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)

Dr Sergio Rodriguez (Teesside University, UK)

Dr. Salman Shooshtarian (RMIT University, Australia)

Dr Eziaku Onyeizu Rasheed (Massey University, New Zealand)

Dr Jan Hugo (University of Pretoria, South Africa)

Dr Ehsan Asnaashari (Nottingham Trent University, UK)

Dr Ali Rashidi (La Trobe University, Australia)

Dr Ankit R. Patel (University of Minho, Portugal)

To be extended…

Steering (Organizing) Committee

Chair: Dr Mahesh Babu (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Dr Roo Kalatehjari (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Dr Funmi Rotimi (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Dr Dat Doan (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Dr Esther AIgwi (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Dr Megan Burfoot (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Dr Priscila Besen (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

Dr Kamal Dhawan (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)