Dr. Ala’a Alshdiefat
Associate Professor
Associate Professor in Civil Engineering Department Philadelphia University in Jordan. He was the executive of International Projects Office and Innovation Centre at Philadelphia University from 2022-2024. He is a member in the central council of the Jordanian Engineering Association 2022- Present. Alshdiefat obtained his PhD in Construction Management from the University of Salford-UK, with a previously attained MA in Engineering Project Management from Isra University/Jordan. He holds a BSc. in Civil Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology. Alshdiefat has construction experience for more than 10 years in different construction firms in Jordan and UAE, he got several grants funded by wide range of international and local sponsors such as Newton-Khaidi Fund, British Council Fund, Going Global Partnership, Jordanian National Center for research and development in collaboration with Italian National Research Council, and the Council for Australian-Arab Relations. Alshdiefat publishes several journals papers in the area of construction management, waste management, gender equality, sustainability [Google Scholar]. He delivered several voluntary workshops by the Jordanian Engineering Association. His research interests that address the Intelligent Construction Collaboration, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Sustainability, Construction Management, Smart cities, and Social sciences.
Dr. Ahlam Sharif
Associate Professor
Associate Professor in the Architectural Engineering department at the Hashemite University, Jordan. She obtained her PhD in Architecture from the University of Manchester (UK), her master degree in Architecture and Urbanism from Manchester School of Architecture (UK), and her bachelor degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Jordan (Jordan). Prior to the Hashemite University, Dr. Sharif was a faculty member at Philadelphia University, Jordan (2017-2020) and Dar Al-Hekma University, Saudi Arabia (2015-2016). As an architectural practitioner, Dr. Ahlam worked for seven years as an architect, consultant, and project manager in multiple design firms and real estate development companies in Saudi Arabia and Jordan. She was also the receiver of multiple grants for funded projects by the international bodies such as Newton-Khalidi Fund, the British Council, Going Global Partnerships, and the Council for Australian-Arab Relations. She also managed multiple community service initiatives with the Hashemite University and Philadelphia University, cooperating with local municipalities through architectural and community development projects. Dr. Sharif is specialized in the areas of sustainability, design-use dynamics, gender equality in education, architecture, and construction, as well as green building evaluation and rating scales, where she has over 20 papers published in Q1 rated international journals covering these areas.
Dr. Gao Shang
Senior Lecturer
Senior Lecturer in Construction Management at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne. He holds a doctoral degree from the National University of Singapore, a master’s degree from Loughborough University, and a bachelor’s degree from China. His research focuses on lean construction, productivity, and sustainable construction technologies such as prefabrication. He has published over 70 academic works (see his publication record on [Google Scholar]) and has consulted for construction firms in Singapore, China, and Australia. Dr Gao has also been the recipient of several research grants and industry research contracts. Given his expertise in lean construction, Dr Gao is actively involved with Lean Construction Australia and New Zealand (LCANZ), where he has served as a board member and position of Victoria Chair.
Prof. Masa Noguchi
Associate Professor
Dr Masa Noguchi is an Associate Professor in Environmental Design at the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on Environmental Experience Design (EXD)—a decision-making framework combining mass customisation, machine learning, and value engineering to improve energy efficiency, affordability, and occupant wellbeing in the built environment.
He is the founding coordinator of the ZEMCH Network (www.zemch.org), uniting over 900 partners from more than 40 countries to advance zero energy mass custom home (ZEMCH) and vertical village/subdivision plug-in housing research. The Network runs international conferences, sustainable design workshops, and technical missions in collaboration with expert centres worldwide.
A Chartered Engineer, Environmentalist, and Technological Product Designer in the UK, Dr Noguchi is also a Certified Passive House Designer and a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. His work includes Canada’s first near net zero modular home (EcoTerra House), a digital mass custom design tool featured at the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, and affordable housing developments in Scotland and Brazil.
Previously a Reader at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, The Glasgow School of Art, Dr Noguchi continues to lead research, education, and global collaboration to deliver sustainable, resilient, and human-centred built environments.
