Principal Investigator

Dong Zhao, Ph.D., LEED AP
Office: 517.432.3242
E-mail: dz-at-msu-dot-edu
Biography
Dr. Zhao is an associate professor of construction management and associate professor of civil engineering at Michigan State University. Prior to joining MSU, he earned his PhD and conducted postdoctoral research at Virginia Tech. He is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, the ASCE ExCEEd Teaching Award, and an ASCE Best Journal Paper Award. He is a LEED AP, a TEDx speaker, and a member of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society. He currently serves as an officer for the ASCE’s Data Sensing and Analysis (DSA) Committee.
His research focuses on human-building integration towards smart and sustainable cities. His research integrates human factors into building systems through advanced computing for energy efficiency, productivity, and health. His research seeks data-driven solutions and intelligent decision-making by connecting a digital world to balanced, optimal, and robust real work-systems that include people, technology, organization, and environments.
His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, US Department of Transportation, US Economic Development Administration, Michigan Department of Transportation, and other agencies and associations. He has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed journal and conference papers. He serves as a reviewer for agencies/foundations in the US, Europe, and Asia, and for more than fifty international journals and conferences.
Honors and Awards
- Election to Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society
- NSF CAREER Award
- ASCE ExCEEd Teaching Award
- Outstanding Reviewer, Journal of Construction Engineering & Management
- Outstanding Reviewer, Journal of Civil Engineering Education
- AGC Robert L. Bowen Fellow
- MSU Academy of Global Engagement Fellow
- Best Journal Article Award of the Year, ASCE Architectural Engineering Institute
- Outstanding Dissertation Nomination Award, Virginia Tech