Month: October 2025

The RIIS Hub proudly congratulates Prof. Dr. Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse, Director of Geospatial Advisory and Innovation at Woolpert Asia-Pacific and RIIS Hub Partner Investigator, on his recent appointments to two prestigious international leadership roles in the geospatial sector.

Prof. Zaffar has been elected Chair of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management – Geospatial Societies (UN-GGIM:GS) and Vice Chair of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Board of Directors. These appointments reflect his visionary leadership and longstanding contributions to global geospatial governance and innovation.

As Chair of UN-GGIM:GS, Prof. Zaffar will lead a coalition that represents a unified voice on geospatial matters to the United Nations and other global stakeholders. His work will support the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management in shaping international geospatial policy and collaboration.

In his role as Vice Chair of the OGC Board, he will help guide the organisation’s governance, financial sustainability, and strategic direction. Prof. Zaffar shared:

“I deem it a great privilege to serve OGC as Vice Chair of the Board. I look forward to working with our new Chair, Ed Parsons, my fellow Board Directors, and the OGC leadership team to position OGC as a resilient organisation – one defined by sustainable finance, strong governance, a member-first approach, and global thought leadership in geospatial.”

These global appointments are a testament to Prof. Zaffar’s impact and leadership in the geospatial community. His achievements continue to elevate the profile of Australian geospatial expertise on the world stage.

The RIIS Hub celebrates this milestone and is honoured to collaborate with Prof. Zaffar in advancing geospatial innovation and research.

The ARC Research Hub for Resilient and Intelligent Infrastructure Systems (RIIS Hub) is proud to celebrate the remarkable achievements of three of our outstanding researchers who have recently completed their PhDs at UNSW Sydney. These graduates have made significant contributions to advancing the frontiers of infrastructure resilience, construction monitoring, and structural health assessment.

🎓 Dr Ziang (Blake) Jiang

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr Ziang (Blake) Jiang on the successful completion of his PhD. Pictured on graduation day with his supervisor, RIIS Hub Chief Investigator Associate Professor Johnson Xuesong Shen, Blake has made impactful contributions to the field of infrastructure monitoring.

His research focused on real-time construction progress monitoring for infrastructure projects. Through extensive field trials on transport infrastructure sites, Blake utilised terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and handheld simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) laser scanners to collect high-resolution spatial data. His work demonstrated the potential of integrating point cloud scan data with 4D Building Information Modelling (BIM) to enable timely and automated progress tracking on large-scale construction projects.

We wish Blake every success as he embarks on the next stage of his professional journey.

🎓 Dr Andres Felipe Calderon Hurtado

Congratulations to Dr Andres Felipe Calderon Hurtado on achieving his PhD! Andres has been a valued member of the RIIS Hub, where his research has focused on data-driven methodologies for structural health monitoring of bridges.

His thesis, “Development of Advanced Data-Driven Methodology for Bridge Damage Assessment Using Drive-By Bridge Inspection,” explored the use of vehicle-mounted sensors and unsupervised learning frameworks to detect and assess bridge damage through dynamic signal analysis. This innovative approach offers a scalable and efficient solution for bridge condition assessment, with the potential to transform how infrastructure is monitored and maintained.

We especially enjoyed seeing the graduation photo of Andres with RIIS Hub Chief Investigator Dr Mehri Makki Alamdari – a proud moment for both student and mentor.

🎓 Dr Mahdi Zakerzadeh

A warm congratulations to Dr Mahdi Zakerzadeh on completing his PhD in Civil Engineering. Mahdi’s research journey has been marked by dedication, innovation, and a strong connection to industry.

Supervised by Scientia Professor Nasser Khalili and Dr Babak Shahbodagh, and supported by industry partner Kypreos Group, Mahdi’s work has contributed to the advancement of road and pavement engineering. His research bridged the gap between academic inquiry and real-world application, exemplifying the RIIS Hub’s mission to deliver impactful, industry-relevant outcomes.

Mahdi’s reflections on the support of his supervisors, colleagues, and family highlight the collaborative spirit that underpins success in research. His graduation photo with Professor Khalili captures the pride and camaraderie shared by the RIIS Hub community.

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We are incredibly proud of Blake, Andres, and Mahdi for their achievements and contributions to the RIIS Hub. Their success reflects the strength of our research community and the value of our partnerships across academia and industry.