Research Professors

Dr Lavindra De Silva is a Principle Research Associate (Research Professor) in the

Cambridge University Engineering Department. He joined in February 2019 as Research

Lead on the Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring project, after which he took on the

role of Programme Director on the Digital Roads of the Future Initiative. In particular he

is interested in: developing novel hierarchical and hybrid (AI) planning approaches; in

developing formal semantics for autonomous (BDI-style) agent systems.

Dr Erika A. Pärn is a Senior Research Associate (Research Assistant Professor) at

University of Cambridge based at Civil Engineering Department Construction

Information Technology Lab. Previously, whilst working in industry, she led multiple

research project technical deliverables for the EU commission, such as the two H2020

initiatives, GreenInstruct and BIMERR and, and the UKRI project SeismPrecast. During

her time in academia as lecturer at Birmingham City University, she taught undergraduate

and postgraduate students of built environment school and accrued research experience.

Damian Palin is a Senior Research Associate (Research Assistant Professor) in the

Digital Roads of the Future Initiative at the University of Cambridge. Previously, he received

an Irish national research fellowship to work in Professor Daniel Kelly's Laboratory at

Trinity College Dublin in 2021. Before that, he was a European Commission-funded

Marie Curie Global Fellow at the Cornell University and at the Delft University of Technology,

leading a project synthesising biologically inspired material (2017-2020).

Dr Jie Xu is a Senior Research Associate (Research Assistant Professor) at the

Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. He is leading the Automation

and Robotics team in the Digital Roads of the Future initiative. Prior to this, he was a

post-doctoral research associate in Professor Richard Buswell’s group at Loughborough

University to deliver two EPSRC-funded significant projects (worth £2.2mil in total) that

delivered the next generation of 3D Concrete Printing technology-Hybrid Concrete Printing.  

Dr Stephen Green is a Senior Research Associate (Research Assistant Professor) at the

Division of Civil Engineering of the Department of Engineering at the University of

Cambridge. He is leading the Data Science team in the Digital Roads of the Future

(DRF) initiative. Prior to this, he was a post-doctoral research associate in Institute

for Manufacturing (IfM), University of Cambridge. 

Embedded Senior Researchers

Dr Lilia Potseluyko is an Industrial Research Fellow at the Division of Civil Engineering

of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. She drives the Digital

Twins team’s research impact and outputs for Costain and National Highways. She enjoys

working in a multidisciplinary team of Data Science, Automation&Robotics and Smart

Materials. Lilia aims to save significant money in road inspections and maintenance costs

by developing Digital Twin, which will aggregate road data from multiple sources and

visualise, predict, and provide insights for road maintenance processes. 

French-born Alix MARIE d’AVIGNEAU is an Industrial Research Fellow at Costain Group,

working on the Digital Roads of the Future initiative and specialising in Data Science

branch of the project. She completed her PhD in Information Engineering at the University

of Cambridge, as part of the Signal Processing and Communications laboratory. Her

research includes generic and efficient statistical tools and methodology, such as

changepoint detection, predator-prey models, single-molecule fluorescence microscopy,

and most recently, construction and maintenance of roads and infrastructure. 

N’zebo Richard Anvo is an automation and robotics industrial research fellow at Costain

Group, working on the Digital Roads project. He completed his PhD degree at London

South Bank University. His research interest focuses on roboticmaintenance and repair

alongside networked embedded sensing and control. He has extensiveknowledge and

experience in the development of robotic systems that can explore and manipulate

objects in extreme environments coupled with the development of complex control systems

for mobile robots for in-service inspection and non-destructive testing.

Research Associates and Fellows

Arsen Abdulali completed his Ph.D. degree with the Department of Computer Science

and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea. In 2021, he joined the

Bio-inspired Robotics Lab in the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge

as a research associate. In 2022, Arsen was awarded a three-year fellowship by the

Future Roads program funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and

Innovation Program  under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant. 

Dr Jinying Xu’s research is currently focused on the theme of sustainability and data

science in smart construction of future roads. She completed her Ph.D. in construction

management and technology at the University of Hong Kong in 2021. Her research

track-records cover data science for construction sustainability, smart construction and

facility management, construction digital transformation, human-organisation -technology

fit, and human-machine augmentation in construction engineering. She is the author of 25

journal papers, 6 book chapters and 13 conference papers till September 2022. 

Dr Varun is currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Future Roads Fellow at the University of

Cambridge. He recently obtained his joint PhD from IIT Madras, India, and UTS, Australia,

where he studied the use of computer vision for monitoring construction projects.

His research area focuses on Automation in Construction, Digital Twins, and Construction

Management. Prior to his current position, he was awarded the prestigious Prime Minister’s

Research Fellowship at IIT Madras and received the UTS President's Scholarship and

Collaborative International Research Scholarship at the University of Technology Sydney.

Dr Linjun Lu is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Future Roads Fellow, working in the Future

Roads Programme. In this fellowship, his research focuses on improving the

trustworthiness of digital twins for road infrastructure inspection and maintenance.

Before his current position, he received his PhD in civil engineering from West Virginia

University. His research interests focus on structural health monitoring, intelligent sensing

and construction automation, infrastructure computer vision and machine learning, and

intelligent transportation systems

Dr Mengtian Yin is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Future Roads Fellow, working in the Future

Roads Programme. His research project focuses on the conceptualization and

implementation of the minimum viable products (MVP) of highway digital twins, with

product models and process models created and validated. He recently obtained his

PhD in Real Estate and Construction at the University of Hong Kong. His PhD research

was centred on the development of AI-driven Natural Language Interfaces (NLIs) for

efficient data retrieval from Building  Information Models (BIMs).  

Dr Yuandong Pan currently holds the position of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Future Roads

Fellow at the University of Cambridge. His research interests encompass the creation of

geometric digital twins from multi-modal data sources, point clouds, images, thermal

images, and ground penetrating radar data. Dr Pan's expertise lies in developing 

automated methods for generating digital twins for different facilities, significantly reducing

human labour. He earned his joint Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich, Germany.

Dr Kai-Fung Chu is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow in the Department of Engineering,

the University of Cambridge. He received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Electronic

Engineering from The University of Hong Kong. Prior to the University of Cambridge,

he was a Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Computing, The Hong Kong

Polytechnic University, and a research fellow of the School of Aerospace, Transport and

Manufacturing, Cranfield University. 

Dr Chapa Hewa Pelendage is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow in the Department

of Engineering, the University of Cambridge. Chapa received her bachelor’s and PhD

in Electrical Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. In 2023 she won

the prestigious Marie Curie Future Roads fellowship to continue her research in

Robotics in a Civil Engineering domain and develops a multi-agent system based on

sensor fusion to improve the safety of heavy machines and workers. 

Dr Abbas Solouki is an MSCA Future Roads Fellow at Cambridge University, specializing

in the field of pavement engineering and sustainable infrastructure. With a strong focus on

geopolymer binders, ultra-low carbon alternative concrete, and material characterization,

Dr. Solouki is at the forefront of developing smart and resilient pavement solutions. His

expertise also extends to high-performance materials for pavements and bitumen rheology.

He completed his Ph.D. in Pavement Engineering at the University of Bologna. 

Dr Wang is currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow at the University of Cambridge. Prior

to Cambridge, he earned both a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a PhD from the

National University of Singapore and was a visiting researcher at MIT. His current project

consolidates both historical performance data and continuous monitoring data to advance

the understanding of how climate, traffic, and natural hazards interactively impact England's

pavement infrastructure. 

Dr Yue Xie is a Marie Curie Future Roads Fellow at the University of Cambridge, specializing

in AI and multi-agent systems for future road automation. She earned her Ph.D. in

computer science from the University of Adelaide in 2021 and has experience as a

Postdoctoral Fellow at CSIRO and the University of Adelaide. Her research spans AI,

bio-inspired optimization, mining engineering, public health, and soft robotics. Her current

focus is on integrating AI and information theory for vehicle-road coordination.

Judith Fauth is Marie-Sklodowska-Curie postdoc fellow at the University of Cambridge.

Before she joined her current position, she was postdoctoral researcher at the Technische

Universität Wien and researcher in the research project iECO at RIB Software GmbH in

Germany. Judith completed several research stays abroad such as at the University

of Southern California, Fraunhofer Italia, and Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.

She obtained her doctorate in engineering from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar  from the

department of construction engineering and management in 2021. 

Before joining the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge as a Marie

Sklodowska-Curie Future Roads Fellow, Shirin worked at University of Edinburgh as

research Associate in a Horizon-2020 BIM Project. Her PhD of Photogrammetry and

Geomatics was supported on ‘large-scale building reconstruction and enrichment using

drone photogrammetry’ by Young Scientist Award of DAAD in Stuttgart and Braunschweig.

She has different experiences as senior engineer, manager and developer in national and

state organizations in Iran and Germany and also in Industry.

Before joining the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge as a Marie

Sklodowska-Curie Future Roads Fellow, Junxiang worked at Curtin University for 5 years

as research assistant, research fellow, lecturer, and senior lecturer, where he managed and

delivered courses relating to digital construction and involved in the development of the

new Virtual Design and Construction course. He completed his PhD in Construction

Management at Curtin in 2019 on the topic of integration of Building Information Modelling 

and Geographic Information System (GIS) for smart infrastructure management. 

Dr Khashayar Kazemzadeh is a MSCA Future Roads Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable

Development within the Division of Civil Engineering at the University of Cambridge. He

earned his PhD in transportation engineering from Lund University, Sweden. During his

doctoral studies, Khashayar focused on evaluating the level of service for e-bike rides,

particularly concerning interactions between e-bike riders and pedestrians. In July 2023,

Khashayar joined the University of Leeds as a visiting research fellow and he concentrated

on quantifying barriers to the adoption of Mobility as a Service in the UK.

Before becoming a Marie Curie co-funded Future Roads Fellow at the University of

Cambridge, he worked at Kunming University of Science and Technology for two years.

He earned a PhD degree from Southwest Jiaotong University. Currently, Dr Liu will

evaluate the impacts of climate change on transport performance and propose effective

models and methods to mitigate the negative impacts caused by various climatic events.

He aims to contribute to building a reliable, resilient, and sustainable transport system,

enhancing the reliability, efficiency, and safety of our daily travel.

Dr Xiang Wang obtained his PhD at the Delft University of Technology. Before he was

appointed as the Marie Curie Fellow at the Future Roads project at the University of

Cambridge, he was a postdoctoral researcher funded by the Dutch Research Council at

the non-destructive testing laboratory at the Delft University of Technology and was

appointed as a postdoctoral fellow funded by Research Talent Hub for Innovation and

Technology Fund at the department of electronic and information engineering at

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Dr Zhaojie Sun obtained his PhD degree in Pavement Engineering from Delft University of

Technology in 2022 and worked as a Postdoc Researcher in the same section. Since 2024,

he joined the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge as a Marie

Skłodowska-Curie Future Roads Fellow. Dr Sun has the expertise of pavement

structure dynamic analysis, pavement structural quality evaluation, tire-pavement

interaction, and pavement material performance evaluation.

Dr Zizhen Xu is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Future Roads Fellow at the Department of

Engineering at the University of Cambridge. He received his PhD in Transportation

Resilience from City University of Hong Kong in 2022. Prior to joining the University of

Cambridge, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Energy and

Environment at City University of Hong Kong. His recent work includes the resilience of

interconnected systems such as multimodal transportation networks and industrial

symbiosis networks.

Dr Alwyn Mathew is a Research Associate sponsored by BIM2WIN, Horizon 2020 funded

project on developing 3D mobile mapping solutions for large-scale infrastructure assets.

Prior to this, Dr Mathew was a post-doctoral research assistant at the University of Dundee,

developing advanced 3D vision systems for endoscopy devices. He holds a Computer

Science and Engineering PhD degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Patna. His 

expertise spans digital twin technologies, 3D reconstruction, laser scanning, and

photogrammetry.

Shuyan Li is a research associate working with Ioannis Brilakis. Her role is to lead a work

package of BIM2TWIN project, funded by European Commission H2020. She is broadly

interested in computer vision and machine learning. Her current research focuses on

representation learning, point cloud processing and transfer learning. In January 2022, 

she got her doctor’s degree in the Department of Automation at Tsinghua University.

Dr Soheila Kookalani is a postdoctoral research associate at Cambridge University,

where she is working on the “Reuse of Structural Steel in Construction (RESTOR)” project.

She brings a diverse skill set in architecture, civil engineering, and computer science.

She completed her Ph.D. at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, specializing in machine

learning-based computing and generative models for structural design and optimization.

She strives to integrate cutting-edge technologies into the field, driven by a passion for

sustainable construction practices.

Dr Mudan Wang is a Research Associate in Digital Twin Construction sponsored by DigitAl

and physical incrEmental renovation packaGes/systems enhancing envIronmental and

energetic behaviour and use of Resources (AEGIR). She works on automatically

generating operation phase geometrical digital twins models of buildings to be renovated

based on machine learning and AI technique. She completed her PhD on Construction

Management at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Her research interests

include digital twin, 3D reconstruction, laser scanning, and prefabrication construction. 

Dr Hamidreza Alavi is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge. He involves

in two projects, 'OMICRON,' aims to revolutionize the maintenance, renewal, and

upgrading of roads through the implementation of robotized technologies and intelligent

decision support tools. In the second project, 'AEGIR,' he contributes to the development

of digitAl and physical incrEmental renovation packaGes/systems that enhance

environmental and energetic behaviour while optimizing resource utilization. Dr Alavi holds

a PhD in Construction Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

Ya Wen is a Research Associate working with Prof Ioannis Brilakis. Her role is to lead the

work package of the project – Enabling Innovative Space-Driven Services for Energy

Efficient Buildings and Climate Resilient Cities (BUILDSPACE), which is sponsored by

European Union Agency for the Space Programme. Within this project, Dr Wen focuses

on utilizing Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence techniques to automate the creation

of geometrical digital twin models derived from building point clouds. Dr Wen holds a PhD '

in Real Estate and Construction Department in University of Hong Kong. 

Dr Guangming Wang is a Research Associate working with Prof. Ioannis Brilakis. His role

is to lead a work package for the AEGIR project, funded by the European Commission, and

assist some parts of BIM2TWIN and OMICRON projects. He is broadly interested in

computer vision and robotic technologies and the application of these technologies. His

current research focuses on localization, mapping, multi-sensor fusion, Nerf-based SLAM,

point cloud processing, and 3D visual learning. In June 2023, he got his PhD degree in

the Department of Automation at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

PhD Students

Viktor Drobnyi is a PhD Student in Engineering and an ESR in the CBIM project sponsored

by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie foundation. Viktor holds a Master's Degree in Informatics

with a major in Computer Vision from the Technical University of Munich. He has previously 

worked as a computer vision engineer at RoadAR. His PhD research is focused on the

automation of infrastructure object detection of buildings on raw sensor data, including

point cloud data & image data.

Ms Zhqi Hu is a PhD Student in Engineering at the Construction Information Technology

group of the Laing O'Rourke Centre on a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Studentship. Zhiqi holds

a Master's Degree in Intelligent Building from Hong Kong University of Science and

Technology, where she gained several awards including the Outstanding Student Award.

Her work experience includes IT, Venture Capital, and Real Estate companies. Her

research project for the PhD focuses on updating model geometry from registered point

cloud and image datasets. 

Ms Jialei Ding is a PhD student in Infrastructure Digitalisation and Gamification at the

Construction Information Technology group. Her PhD is in partnership with Loclab Gmbh

in Germany and funded through the CBIM training network. Jialei's research focuses on

creating geometric digital twins of existing roads using videogrammetry, in combination

with game technologies. Jialei holds a BEng in Civil Engineering from The University of

Edinburgh and an MSc in Transport from London Imperial College. 

Diana Davletshina is a PhD student within EPSRC Industrial CASE studentship at the

Department of Engineering in partnership with National Highways and co-sponsored

by Costain.  Diana's research focuses on automating the process of generating digital

twins of roads using existing large-scale visual and spatial datasets to reduce costs and

enable performance optimisation, failure prediction and future scenario modelling. Diana

holds a Master's degree in Data Science from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

Haritha Jayasinghe is a member of the 3rd cohort of Future Infrastructure and Built

Environment: Resilience in a Changing World (FIBE2) CDT, a 1+3 year MRes and PhD

programme. Haritha's project is focused on the digitization of industrial facilities, and it

is conducted in partnership with AVEVA and BP. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in

Engineering from The University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, specializing in Computer

Science & Engineering. 

Percy Lam is an MRes + PhD student at the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in

Future Infrastructure and Built Environment. His PhD research focuses on the

construction and maintenance of a digital twin for highway networks. Percy graduated

from the University of Cambridge with MEng and MA in Civil, Structural and Environmental

Engineering in 2016. His professional experience includes geotechnical and construction

engineering on the expansion of the Hong Kong International Airport. 

Rui Kang is a PhD student in Digital Roads of the Future (DRF) research group, sponsored

by CSC Cambridge International Scholarship. Her research focuses on using machine

learning methods to optimise road maintenance planning on the basis of digital twins. Her

project is in collaboration with National Highway and Trimble. Rui graduated from Southeast

University in China with a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering.

Fergus Mok is enrolled in the 1+3 MRes/PhD programme of the FIBE2 CDT. His research

focuses on integrating legacy data sources from National Highways with the road digital

twin through data science techniques. Fergus graduated from the University of Cambridge

in 2022 with an MEng and BA specialising in Information and Computer Engineering. His

undergraduate final year research project involved using computer vision to automatically

detect road defects from imagery and point clouds data.

Peihang (Hank) Luo is an MRes + PhD student at the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral

Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment (FIBE2 CDT). Peihang’s research

focuses on the visualisation and human-information interaction of the road metaverse 

and the digital road infrastructure system. Peihang graduated from the University of

Cambridge with a BA & MEng degree in Engineering. His research interests lie in the

human-computer interaction design of computer systems, especially with the application

of natural language interactions and Large Language Models.

Xiaofang Wen is a PhD student in Engineering, sponsored by National Highways. She holds

both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from Tongji University. Her PhD research focuses

on Digital Twin (DT) design automation, in alignment with National Highways’ vision to

enhance the safety, sustainability, and operational efficiency of the Strategic Road Network

(SRN). This research also adheres to the standards established by the Centre for Digital

Built Britain (CDBB).

Tao Huang is a PhD student in Engineering with an iCASE studentship sponsored by AMEY.

Tao's Ph.D. research centres on Highways Maintenance and Renewal Scheduling,

leveraging new data sources and digital twin technology. His primary focus lies in optimizing

resource allocation for maintenance decision-making, aiming to enhance the efficiency and

sustainability of infrastructure operations.

Anson Chan is a PhD Student in Engineering under Prof Ioannis Brilakis’ supervision

at the  Construction Information Technology group, sponsored by Dorsett Hospitality

International Scholarship. Anson’s PhD interdisciplinary research focuses on Sustainable

Digital Twin construction, AI-driven business strategies and technological innovation in the

built environment. She will work closely with Dorsett Hotels and Far East Consortium, a

leading international property developer to advance the digitalization of buildings for net

zero developments and business transformation.

Han(Shichen) Han is a MRes + PhD student in Engineering sponsored by EPSRC Centre

for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero

(FIBE3 CDT). Han holds a BA and an MEng at the University of Cambridge with a focus on

Mechanical and Bioengineering. Han’s current research is focused on the planning of road

digital twins, which will enhance user experience in planning digital assets and building a

cost competitive advantage, while supporting digitalization of roads to Net Zero.

Staff

Dr Nevena Vajdic is a Senior Project Manager with expertise in project management,

problem-solving, and risk monitoring. She possesses extensive experience across

various infrastructure projects in both the road and airport sectors. Nevena is currently

working at the Digital Roads of the Future Initiative, Department of Engineering,

University of Cambridge, where she is responsible for managing the European

Commission’s MSCA COFUND Future Roads Fellowships project. Nevena holds a PhD

in Civil Engineering from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Belgrade.

Aimee obtained her MA British Studies at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and was

formerly the International Partnerships Manager at the University of Southampton in 2021

and Manager of Education and Training at the Drug Safety Research Unit in Southampton,

UK, in 2022. She is currently the DRF Programme Coordinator. Her role coordinates and

monitors the operations of the initiative and is part of the management team.

Embedded Staff

Rachel Judson, employed by Costain, serves as the Digital Roads Project Manager

within the DRF programme at the University of Cambridge. Prior to her current role,

she worked as the project manager for the Centre for Digital Built Britain at the

University of Cambridge, which was a part of the National Digital Twin Programme.