New York, New York, United States
I am the Dean of Engineering and Sciences at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, where I lead one of the largest and most prestigious engineering and science schools in Latin America, with over 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and more than 4,000 faculty and staff across 20 campuses. I am also the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the oldest and largest professional society for civil engineers in the world, with over 150,000 members in 177 countries. With more than 30 years of experience in academia, government, and industry, I have a passion for advancing engineering and science education and research, as well as promoting the role of engineers and scientists in addressing global challenges and improving the quality of life for all. My research interests include information technology support for collaboration and disaster management, sustainable construction, and visualization and process integration. I have authored or co-authored over 250 publications, received six patents and some of the most prestigious awards in the field. I have also held leadership positions in several prominent institutions, such as Executive Vice-President of Research at Tec de Monterrey, Dean of Engineering at Columbia University, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction, Associate Provost at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Intelligent Engineering Systems Laboratory Co-Director at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
My research interests include information technology support for collaboration in preparedness, response, and recovery during disasters involving critical physical infrastructures, such as the 9-11 terrorist attack and Hurricane Katrina. I am also involved in change management, conflict resolution, sustainable construction, as well as visualization and processes integration during the design and development of large-scale civil engineering systems. My research in the field of construction engineering and management has resulted in significant advances in our understanding of collaboration, change, and conflicts in large-scale infrastructure projects. In collaboration, the development of the Interaction Space Theory for collaboration has led to improved performance among global construction management teams. In change management, I have identified the key components that influence the effectiveness of fast-tracking strategies in large-scale global construction projects and the dynamics that affect these strategies. My research efforts in conflict resolution have identified the main drivers that define the context of conflict resolution during the development of large-scale civil infrastructure projects. In sustainable construction, my team has defined a new construction procurement method (A+B+C) that takes into consideration not only cost and schedule but also CO2 emissions as part of the bidding process. My efforts in visualization have resulted in new methods for presenting construction progress information using an n dimensional augmented reality modeling framework. A guiding principle for my teaching interests is to provide a balance between theory and practice within a global perspective of construction engineering management. Following this philosophy, I have influenced a generation of students, serving as supervisor or committee member on nearly 100 master’s and doctoral theses.
Lectured in Project Management and Information Technology support for Construction activities
The Department of Design and Construction (DDC) builds many of the civic facilities New Yorkers use every day. As the City's primary capital construction project manager, we provide communities with new or renovated structures such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, courthouses and senior centers. To successfully manage this portfolio, valued at more than $15 billion, we partner with other City agencies, as well as with emerging and world-renowned architects and consultants whose experience and creativity bring efficient, innovative, and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to the projects we build.