Payam Bakhshi, Associate Professor, Construction Management

Douglas C. Elder Professorship
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The Douglas C. Elder Professorship has made a positive impact on me and my students. I am determined to continue utilizing this fund effectively and efficiently in advancing my professional goals and providing a better learning experience for my students.
Dr. Bakhshi is an associate professor of Construction Management in the School of Management.

The support of the Douglas C. Elder Professorship has provided me with opportunities to expand my research projects and involve undergraduate students, participate in professional development activities, and acquire items needed for enhancing my students’ success in a remote learning environment.

This professorship allowed me to hire two undergraduate students and perform a research study on Automated Earth Moving Operations. The research aimed to identify the latest technologies introduced for automation of earth moving operations in the construction industry and investigate their productivities. The students were very interested in the topic and conducted a thorough literature search, as well as interviewed experts in the industry.

Also, the professorship provided the opportunity to quickly obtain resources needed for two research studies that I was conducting with Professor John Cribbs: (1) Best Practices for Creating Conceptual Estimates for Construction Projects, and (2) Best Practices for Design Change Management Transparency Amongst All Project Stakeholders.

The defined research methodology for both studies required an extensive literature search and interviewing practitioners to understand the current practices and propose the best practices. These research studies were presented in the Advancing Preconstruction 2020 Conference that became a virtual event due to COVID-19. Moreover, the professorship made it possible for me to participate in the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition and International Builders’ Show (IBS), to become a member of the Lean Construction Institute (LCI), and to attend the two most recent Annual Lean Construction Congress events, as well as a few webinars offered by the LCI. Attending the LCI events has been a great opportunity to keep in touch with lean experts from all around the country and be part of this incredible knowledge-sharing event.

The Douglas C. Elder Professorship has made a positive impact on me and my students. I am determined to continue utilizing this fund effectively and efficiently in advancing my professional goals and providing a better learning experience for my students.