Research News @ Rinker School

Here, we highlight the latest accomplishments and milestones of our faculty and graduate students. It features updates on externally funded research awards received by our faculty, showcasing the breadth and impact of their contributions to advancing knowledge in construction management and the built environment. This page also serves as a space for announcing upcoming PhD and master’s thesis defenses, celebrating the achievements of our graduate students and inviting the academic community and public to engage with their work.

A dissertation defense flyer for Adriel Cardenas, PhD candidate in Construction Management, with event details, title, committee members, and a faded image of Rinker Hall in the background.

PhD Defense – Adriel Cardenas

September 21, 2026

Please join us for Adriel Cardena’s PhD Defense titled “Empirical Analysis of Corporate Veil Piercing in Real Estate Development and Construction” at 3:00 PM on Monday, September 28, in RNK338.

Announcement of NSF-funded project at University of Florida on AI literacy in construction education. Includes photos of Masoud Gheisari, Idris Jeelani, and Pasha Antonenko, plus project dates and cost.

Gheisari, Jeelani, and Antonenko Receive $750K NSF Award to Advance AI Literacy in Construction Education

August 7, 2026

Dr. Masoud Gheisari and Dr. Idris Jeelani from the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management, and Dr. Pavlo Antonenko from the College of Education received a $750K NSF award to advance AI literacy in construction education.

Dr. Rui Liu and her collaborators Receive $750K NSF Award for AI-Based Construction Education Research

July 31, 2026

Dr. Rui Liu and her collaborators from Florida International University received a $750K NSF award for their project developing an AI-based interactive learning support system to improve plan interpretation skills.

A dissertation defense flyer for Ali Katooziani’s PhD presentation at the M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Construction Management, featuring presentation details, date, location, committee members, and his photo on the left.

PhD Defense – Ali Katooziani

June 30, 2026

Please join us for Ali Katooziani’s PhD Defense titled “VirtuaAI-Safe: GPT-Enabled Personalized Situated Learning in Virtual Reality for Safety Education” at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, July 8, in Rinker 303.

A dissertation defense flyer with a photo of Chady Elias, details for his PhD defense on Context-Aware Operational Digital Twins for AI-Augmented Facility Management, scheduled for June 12, 2026, at Rinker Hall 338.

PhD Defense – Chady Elias

June 10, 2026

Please join us for Chady Elias’s PhD Defense titled “Context-Aware Operational Digital Twins for AI-Augmented Facility Management” at 10:00 AM on Friday, June 12 in Rinker 338.

Deepak Balakrishnan's Dissertation Defense at 8:00 AM on Friday, February 6, 2026 in room 331F, Dean's Conference Room at Antevy Hall

PhD Defense – Deepak Balakrishnan

January 30, 2026

Please join us for Deepak Balakrishnan’s PhD Defense titled “Powering Digital Twins: Development of an NVIDIA™ Omniverse Bi-Directional Connector for Near Real-Time Building Energy Simulation and Optimization” at 8:00 AM on Friday, February 6, in ARC331F.

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Research News