Dr Kamal Jaafar

Academic Qualifications:

• PhD, Structural Engineering - University of Cambridge, UK
• MPhil, Structural Engineering - University of Cambridge, UK
• MBA, International Business Administration - Ashcroft International Business School, Cambridge, UK
• BS, Civil Engineering - University of Balamand, Lebanon

Professional Certifications:

• Certified Project Director, Institute of Project Management, Australia 
• Certificate in Building a Business, Judge Institute of Management, University of Cambridge 
• Certificate in International Relations, Harvard University 

Scholarships and Academic Honours

• Fellow of the Cambridge Overseas Trust (2004), presented by HRH King Charles
• First Prize for PhD research, KRSF, Royal College, London
• Cambridge Overseas Trust Scholarship 
• Arab British Chamber Endowment 
• Dean’s Honour List, University of Balamand

Selected Publications

• Owais, O. A., Poshdar, M., GhaffarianHoseini, A., Ying, F., Jaafar, K., Sarhan, S. and Sheikhkhoshkar, M. (2025). From Competency Mapping to Digital Twin Integration: Developing a Next-Gen Digital Project Manager Model for Smart Construction. Journal of Information Technology in Construction (Scopus Q1).
• AlKakuri, M., Elkhouly, A. and Jaafar, K. (2025). A Machine Learning Approach to Predicting Air Quality and Health Risks for Construction Worker Safety. Aerosol and Air Quality Research (Scopus Q2).
• Enhancing Product Lifecycle Management through AI-Driven Design Optimization (2025). Management and Production Engineering Review (Scopus Q2).
• AlKakuri, M., Alashram, O., Elkhouly, A., Alagha, N., Jaafar, K. and Gouda, H. (2025). LSTM-Based Air Quality Forecasting at Construction Sites for Proactive Worker Risk Mitigation. 8th International Conference on Signal Processing and Information Security (ICSPIS), Dubai.
• Sikora, K. S., Nical, A., Amir, S., Jaafar, K. and Hao, J. L. (2025). Identification of Materials and Bonding Parameters for Cross-Laminated Panels Made in Asia. 14th World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2025), Brisbane. doi:10.52202/080513-0144
• Jaafar, K., Sikora, K., Amir, S. and Wais, M. (2026). A Review on the Role of AI in BIM: Streamlining Design for Greater Efficiency and Compliance. Soft Computing in Civil Engineering (Scopus Q1).
• Watfa, M., Bykovskii, A. and Jaafar, K. (2022). Testing Automation Adoption Influencers in Construction: An Innovative Machine Learning Rebar System. Automation in Construction (Scopus Q1).
• Yusof and Jaafar (eds). The Digital Project Management Evolution: Essential Case Studies from Organisations in the Middle East. Routledge.

Earlier work on the seismic design of reinforced concrete structures appeared in the ACI Structural Journal, the Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering and the Magazine of Concrete Research.

Research interests

• AI and machine learning in construction
• BIM and automated design compliance
• Digital twins for infrastructure and project delivery
• Structural health monitoring and damage prediction
• Digital engineering project management
• Construction safety and environmental risk
• Simulation and optimisation

Research funding 2025 - 2026

His funded research portfolio for 2025 - 2026 exceeds AED 3 million across more than four competitive grants.

Recent Projects

• 2025
  AI and machine-learning agentic platform for construction project management and governance (two grants, AED 2.7 million combined)
  Funder: Dubai Future Foundation (RDI)
  Partner: AYVO, Robert Bird Group
   
• 2025
  Two multidisciplinary research projects with industry, employing UOWD students as research assistants
  Funder: UOWD internal grants
  Partner: Industry partners
   
• 2026
  AI-powered structural damage prediction and asset assessment (AED 50,000)
  Funder: UOWD internal grant
  Partners: Dubai Municipality, Baker Hughes
   
• Ongoing
  Digital permit platform for automated checking of design compliance
  Funder: Applied research
  Partner: Dubai Municipality, RTA

Recognition (2025 - 2026)

• UOW Research Excellence and Scholarly Impact Award -2026
• GDI2025 Intelligent Futures Award, CIB Green + Digital + Intelligent Built Environments Conference, Auckland University of Technology
• Best Paper Award (as supervisor and co-author), “AI-Driven BIM Quality Framework for Dubai Code Compliance”

Research Supervision

More than 100 master’s theses supervised. Doctoral co-supervisor at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.

Academic

• Co-founder, Simulation and Smart Systems (S3) Research Centre, UOWD
• Director, Master of Engineering Management, UOWD (2009 – 2019)
• Founder of the Engineering Management programme, University of Balamand, with the Order of Engineers, North Lebanon (2005 – 2007)
• HDR co-supervision partnership, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
• Research collaborators at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (China) and Warsaw University of Technology (Poland)

Government and Industry

• Memoranda of understanding with Dubai Municipality and Dubai Industrial City
• Research partners: Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Future Foundation, AYVO, Robert Bird Group, Baker Hughes, Hilti
• Consultancy and professional training: ADNOC, Kuwait Oil Company, Buzachi Operating, CPECC, Sungrow Power, China Comservice, BioMap

Professional Service

• Certified Project Director, Institute of Project Management, Australia
• Editorial board member, Value Management Journal
• Judge, Construction Technology Awards 
• Keynote speaker, Harvard Business Review Arabia and MIT Technology Review Arabia