ASCE has honored Burcu H. Akinci, Ph.D., F.ASCE, with the 2023 Peurifoy Construction Research Award for her contributions resulting from the integration of BIM with data capture technologies, such as 3D imaging and embedded sensors, to create digital twins of construction projects and infrastructure operations which support proactive and predictive operations and management.
Akinci is the Paul Christiano Professor and Chair of the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University; she is also a member of the National Academy of Construction. Her record as a faculty member at CMU and as a leader in ASCE's professional activities has been exemplary.
Akinci's undergraduate and graduate teaching focuses on project management for construction and on building information modeling. Her research focuses on modeling and reasoning about information-rich histories of buildings and infrastructure systems in order to streamline construction and infrastructure operations. She has two patents, one provisional patent, and over 170 publications. She has advised/co-advised four postdocs, 27 Ph.D. students, 21 master’s degree students, and 21 undergraduate students.
She has been part of the committee of two National Academies of Sciences studies and currently serves as a board member for the NAS Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment (BICE). Akinci's scholarly work in CEM has had a significant impact on professional practice, research, and education. Her research has been making significant positive influences in defining the current and future direction of innovation in CEM.
The Peurifoy Construction Research Award is made to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of construction engineering through research and development of new technology, principles, or practice.
