Dr. Reza Akhavian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at San Diego State University, where he directs the Data-informed Construction Engineering (DiCE) Lab. He also serves as affiliate faculty in the Big Data Analytics Program and the Computational Science Research Center.

Beyond academia and as a digital transformation consultant to the AEC industry, he helps AEC firms design short-term strategies, long-term digital roadmaps, and tailored upskilling programs that accelerate the adoption of AI and other emerging technologies. His contributions have been recognized with multiple honors, including the ASCE Construction Institute Outstanding Young Professional Award and designation as one of Engineering News-Record (ENR) California’s Top 20 Under 40.

Dr. Akhavian received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Central Florida in 2015, published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles on technology in AEC, and has secured more than $6.5M in competitive research funding.