Aminah Robinson Fayek, PhD, PEng

Area of Study / Keywords

Construction Engineering Artificial Intelligence Fuzzy Logic Machine Learning Productivity

About

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy, Construction Engineering and Project Management, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
• Master of Applied Science, Construction Engineering and Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
• Bachelor of Engineering, Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Current Positions Held

• Professor of Civil Engineering, Hole School of Construction Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta
•  Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Fuzzy Hybrid Decision Support Systems for Construction
• Vice-President (Research and Innovation), University of Alberta

Summary of Academic Achievements

As of May 31, 2023, I have

• supervised 60 graduate students (17 Ph.D., 21 M.Sc., 22 M.Eng.) to completion of their programs,
• supervised 14 past postdoctoral fellows,
• published 114 peer-reviewed journal papers,
• edited one book,
• authored or co-authored 13 book chapters,
• published 95 conference publications,
• served 8 editorships with major journals, and
• participated in 87 invited lectures, panels, and workshops.

Select Academic Honours and Awards

• Elected Member, National Academy of Construction (NAC) (October 2020)
• Elected Fellow, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) (June 2020)
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Peurifoy Construction Research Award 
  (June 2019)
• Construction Owners Association of Alberta (COAA) Don Currie Award of Recognition (May 2018)
• Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) Summit Excellence in Education Award (June 2016)
• Killam Annual Professorship (July 2013 – June 2014)
• CIB (International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction) Program Committee 2012 Commendation Award (January 2013)
• Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) Walter Shanly Award (June 2011)
• Ledcor Professor in Construction Engineering (January 2008 – June 2020)

Research

Research Interests

My core research is in the development and application of fuzzy logic techniques in construction research. I and my research team have developed fuzzy hybrid techniques for use in:

• decision support systems to help design and construction personnel improve the cost, schedule, quality, and productivity performance of projects;
• incorporating fuzzy logic with other artificial intelligence techniques, such as machine learning and evolutionary optimization;
• developing fuzzy simulation techniques that incorporate fuzzy logic with system dynamics and agent-based modeling; and
• developing data mining techniques.

My research contributions have created a paradigm shift in how subjective uncertainty is modeled in construction, allowing the creation of solutions that were previously inaccessible to researchers and practitioners. My work has led to a number of industrially relevant applications, tools, and best practices and encouraged widespread acceptance of fuzzy logic in both construction research and practice. Several of these applications are being used on the job by multiple industry partners. Issues addressed through our fuzzy hybrid modeling research include:

• Construction productivity improvement
• Organizational competency and project performance assessment
• Risk analysis and management
• Reduction of construction rework
• Contractor prequalification
• Management of workforce absenteeism
• Evaluation and improvement of construction supervisors’ skills
• Management of temporary foreign workers
• Enhancement of the career progression of construction tradespeople.
• Developing optimal job shop (i.e., production) schedules for industrial fabrication facilities
• Cost range estimating
• The subjective parameters affecting activity duration
• Knowledge elicitation and consensus reaching approaches

Research in Progress

Most recently, I have developed hybrid intelligent decision support systems that incorporate fuzzy logic with other modeling techniques, such as artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, and simulation. This research has significant potential to change the way in which we model construction operations and decisions, leading to a more accurate and realistic representation of the expert reasoning process and uncertainty involved. Currently, I am developing a project to support modeling efforts of labour productivity, performance, and safety behaviors. The heart of this work would be an empirical framework capable of directly measuring some physiological variables (e.g., motivation, fatigue, cognitive load) and incorporating these directly-measured subjective factors as input variables to existing predictive and simulation models. The goal is to analyze different work scenarios in productivity prediction, performance controls, and safety management

Chairs

I currently hold the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Fuzzy Hybrid Decision Support Systems for Construction. The multifaceted nature of construction projects requires organizations to balance many complex decisions in project planning and execution, such as those related to allocation of funds, duration of activities, and management of resources. Human activities and subjective judgement add uncertainties to these decisions. Under my CRC, we have used modeling methods that incorporate fuzzy logic with other artificial intelligence and/or simulation techniques to effectively capture both subjective expert knowledge and objective data. Through this work, we have developed cutting-edge, real-time decision support systems capable of handling different types of uncertainties and improving project practices.

As of December 2022, I completed my third term as NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Strategic Construction Modeling and Delivery. Through this Chair, I and my team of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, programmers, and research assistants pursued fundamental research to advance the state of the art in fuzzy hybrid modeling for construction engineering and management applications. We pursued applied research, driven by industry needs, to develop practical resources to help our construction industry members mitigate organizational and economic obstacles and improve their practices. The IRC’s research also contributed to the founding of the Construction Innovation Centre, for which I served as the inaugural Director.

Appointment of Vice-President (Research and Innovation)

Verna’s Vlog: The Strategic Plan for Research and Innovation

Strategic Plan for Research and Innovation | Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation)