Staff Profile

Mohamad Kassem is Professor of Digital Construction Management and the Lead of the Digital Construction Research theme in the School of Engineering at Newcastle University. He is also the International Committee Chair at the International Centre of Connected Construction (IC3).

Professor Kassem has an established leadership and reputation in Digital Construction with a proven track record across research, enterprise, and teaching. Previous roles include the Lead for the Digital Built Environment research group, the Head of Subject for the Project and Construction Project Management Group, and the Director of Enterprise at Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering at Northumbria University. He was also the Chair of the Human Data Interaction (HDI) technical committee of the European Council for Computing in Construction (EC3) between 2019 and 2021.

Prof. Kassem has spent short visiting academic time at prestigious universities including ETH Zurich and the University of Cambridge. He has published more than 120 outputs in international journals and conferences. His successful funding awards include multi-million-pound research and enterprise grants, co-funded by Horizon Europe, Innovate UK and other international research and innovation councils.

Professor Kassem had a number of consultancy appointments to several public sector bodies including the European Commission, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and various governments, advising about strategic digital transformation of their construction markets. The impact from his research and enterprise activities in this area was used in a REF 2021 Impact Case Study, entitled ‘Transforming the global construction sector through digitalisation’ evidencing impact in 11 countries around the world.

Prof. Kassem received the Scherer Award for outstanding service to the computing community in the context of EC3 in 2021.

He is an expert Grant Evaluator for international and national funding programmes including EU Horizon Framework Programme; the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (Canada); the Centre for Digital Built Britain (Cambridge), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK), Natural Environment Research Council (UK), Newton Fund (UK), Norway Research Council, ETH Zurich (Switzerland), and the American University of Beirut (Lebanon).

He has delivered from than 28 invited keynotes around the world in both industry and academic conferences. He has examined PhD students at more than 10 universities in the UK and abroad.

Prof. Kassem is a founding member of the BIM Excellence Initiative, and one of the leading contributors to their Macro BIM adoption project, an international project aiming to be the worldwide leading research effort for country-scale BIM adoption analysis and policy development.

He has a proven track record of working with the industry having collaborated with more than 30 companies in the UK and internationally. Prof. Kassem is keen to develop collaboration with others in academia and the industry under the following themes: digitalisation of construction and engineering projects; data-centric construction, Digital Twin for construction and operation of built/urban environment; decarbonisation through digitalisation; blockchain applications in construction, BIM-enabled digital transformation policies; performance management studies; and project and construction management. He welcomes applications from prospective PhD students on these themes.

Prof. Kassem research interest is in Digital Construction Management focussing on the advancement and application of digitalisation technologies (BIM, Blockchain, Digital Twin, and AI) to address key challenges in construction and the built environment. Key themes include:

• Digitalisation of construction and engineering projects
• Blockchain application in construction
• Data-centric construction
• Digital Twin for construction and operation of the built/urban environment
• Decarbonisation through Digitalisation
• Virtual and Augmented reality applications
• BIM-enabled digital transformation policies
• Performance Management studies
• Project and Construction management 

A full list of publication can be seen on Google Scholar

Professor Kassem welcomes opportunities for collaborative research with other academics and the industry around the themes above.

Prospective PhD students with proposals on these themes are also encouraged to apply.

Module Tutor for

CEG3002 : Construction Management

CEG8011 : Construction Project Management

Contributor to

CEG3005 : The Data-Centric Urban Environment

CEG8003 : Public Policy: Infrastructure and Climate Change

CEG8006 : Digital Engineering and Analytics

• Articles

  • Feng H, Kassem M, Greenwood D, Doukari O. Whole building life cycle assessment at the design stage: a BIM-based framework using environmental product declaration. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation 2023, 41(1), 109-142.
  • Doukari O, Seck B, Greenwood D, Feng H, Kassem M. Towards an Interoperable Approach for Modelling and Managing Smart Building Data: The Case of the CESI Smart Building Demonstrator. Buildings 2022, 12(3), 362.
  • Doukari O, Greenwood D, Rogage K, Kassem M. Object-centred automated compliance checking: a novel, bottom-up approach. Journal of Information Technology in Construction 2022, 27, 335-362.
  • Mohammad Ahmad A, Rodriguez Trejo S, Hafeez MA, Dawood N, Kassem M, Naji KK. Drivers for energy analysis towards a BIM-enabled information flow. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment 2022, 12(3), 507-533.
  • Shahzad M, Shafiq MT, Douglas D, Kassem M. Digital Twins in Built Environments: An Investigation of the Characteristics, Applications, and Challenges. Buildings 2022, 12(2), 120.
  • Mohamad K, Ahmed AL. Digital transformation through Building Information Modelling: Spanning the macro-micro divide. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 2022, 184, 122006.
  • Rogage K, Mahamedi E, Brilakis I, Kassem M. Beyond Digital Shadows: a Digital Twin for monitoring earthwork operation in large infrastructure projects. AI in Civil Engineering 2022, 1, 7.
  • Piazzi MA, Feng H, Kassem M. An investigation of concepts for the specification of graphical exchange information requirements in building information modelling. Journal of Information Technology in Construction 2022, 27(2022), 662-684.
  • M Kassem. A Systematic evaluation of blockchain-enabled contract administration in construction projects. Automation in Construction 2022, 143, 104553.
  • Arayici Y, Tokdemir OB, Kassem M. A Quantitative, Evidence-based Analysis of Correlations Between Lean Construction and Building Information Modelling. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment 2022, (ePub ahead of Print).
  • Lynn T, Rosati P, Egli A, Krinidis S, Angelakoglou K, Sougkakis V, Tzovaras D, Kassem M, Greenwood D, Doukari O. Rinno: Towards an open renovation platform for integrated design and delivery of deep renovation projects. Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6018.
  • Kassem M, Mahamedi E, Rogage K, Duffy K, Huntingdon J. Measuring and benchmarking the productivity of excavators in infrastructure projects: A deep neural network approach. Automation in Construction 2021, 124, 103532.
  • Chahrour R, Hafeez MA, Ahmad AM, Sulieman HI, Dawood H, Rodriguez-Trejo S, Kassem M, Naji KK, Dawood N. Cost-benefit analysis of BIM-enabled design clash detection and resolution. Construction Management and Economics 2021, 39(1), 55-72.
  • Mahamedi E, Rogage K, Doukari O, Kassem M. Automating excavator productivity measurement using deep learning. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Smart Infrastructure and Construction 2021, 174(4), 121-133.
  • Patacas J, Dawood N, Kassem M. BIM for facilities management: A framework and a common data environment using open standards. Automation in Construction 2020, 120, 103366.
  • Hu Z-Z, Yuan S, Benghi C, Zhang J-P, Zhang X-Y, Li D, Kassem M. Geometric optimization of building information models in MEP projects: Algorithms and techniques for improving storage, transmission and display. Automation in Construction 2019, 107, 102941.
  • Li J, Greenwood D, Kassem M. Blockchain in the built environment and construction industry: A systematic review, conceptual models and practical use cases. Automation in Construction 2019, 102, 288-307.
  • Ahmed AL, Kassem M. A unified BIM adoption taxonomy: Conceptual development, empirical validation and application. Automation in Construction 2018, 96, 103-127.
  • Kassem M, Succar B. Macro BIM adoption: Comparative market analysis. Automation in Construction 2017, 81, 286-299.
  • Rodriguez-Trejo S, Ahmad AM, Hafeez MA, Dawood H, Vukovic V, Kassem M, Naji KK, Dawood N. Hierarchy based information requirements for sustainable operations of buildings in Qatar. Sustainable Cities and Society 2017, 32, 435-448.
  • Patacas J, Dawood N, Greenwood D, Kassem M. Supporting building owners and facility managers in the validation and visualisation of asset information models (aim) through open standards and open technologies. Journal of Information Technology in Construction 2016, 21, 434-455.
  • Hafeez MA, Ahmad AM, Chahrour R, Vukovic V, Dawood N, Kassem M. Principles and recommendations for client information requirements for BIM enabled construction projects in Qatar. International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management 2016, 9(3), 198-218.
  • Hu Z-Z, Zhang X-Y, Wang H-W, Kassem M. Improving interoperability between architectural and structural design models: An industry foundation classes-based approach with web-based tools. Automation in Construction 2016, 66, 29-42.
  • Succar B, Kassem M. Macro-BIM adoption: Conceptual structures. Automation in Construction 2015, 57, 64-79.
  • Kassem M, Dawood N, Chavada R. Construction workspace management within an Industry Foundation Class-Compliant 4D tool. Automation in Construction 2015, 52, 42-58.
  • Kassem M, Kelly G, Dawood N, Serginson M, Lockley S. BIM in facilities management applications: A case study of a large university complex. Built Environment Project and Asset Management 2015, 5(3), 261-277.
  • Patacas J, Dawood N, Vukovic V, Kassem M. BIM for facilities management: Evaluating BIM standards in asset register creation and service life planning. Journal of Information Technology in Construction 2015, 20, 313-331.
  • Kassem M, Iqbal N, Kelly G, Lockley S, Dawood N. Building information modelling: Protocols for collaborative design processes. Journal of Information Technology in Construction 2014, 19, 126-149.
  • Kassem M, Dawood N. A framework for the integration and coordination of the construction supply chain. International Journal of Business Performance and Supply Chain Modelling 2013, 5(2), 115-130.
  • Kassem M, Dawood N, Mitchell D. A decision support system for the selection of curtain wall systems at the design development stage. Construction Management and Economics 2012, 30(12), 1039-1053.

• Book Chapters

  • Knobel M, Ahmed V, Saboor S, Gledson B, Kassem M. A Socio-cultural Perspective to BIM Adoption: A Case Study in South Africa. In: Syed M. Ahmed, Paul Hampton, Salman Azhar, Amelia D. Saul, ed. Collaboration and Integration in Construction, Engineering, Management and Technology: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Construction in the 21st Century. Cham: Springer Nature, 2021, pp.405-412.
  • Jowett BR, Hattab MA, Kassem M. Demystifying Collaboration in BIM-Based projects under Design-Build procurement: Clash detection as a use value. In: Kumar B, ed. Contemporary Strategies and Approaches in 3-D Information Modeling. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2018, pp.158-190.
  • Kassem M, Succar B, Dawood N. Building information modeling: Analyzing noteworthy publications of eight countries using a knowledge content taxonomy. In: Raja RA Issa; Svetlana Olbina, ed. Building Information Modeling: Applications and Practices. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2015, pp.329-371.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Jowett B, Kassem M. Field BIM: Establishing a Requirements Framework for Mobile BIM Technologies. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering (ICCCBE 2020). 2020, São Paulo, Brazil: Springer.
  • Knobel M, Ahmed V, Saboor S, Gledson B, Kassem M. A socio-cultural perspective to BIM adoption: A case study in South Africa. In: Collaboration and Integration in Construction, Engineering, Management and Technology : Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Construction in the 21st Century, London 2019. 2019, London: Springer.
  • Li J, Kassem M, Ciribini ALC, Bolpagni M. A proposed approach integrating DLT, BIM, IOT and smart contracts: Demonstration using a simulated installation task. In: International Conference on Smart Infrastructure and Construction (ICSIC 2019): Driving data-informed decision-making. 2019, Cambridge, UK: ICE Publishing.
  • Ahmed AL, Kawalek JP, Kassem M. A comprehensive identification and categorisation of drivers, factors, and determinants for BIM adoption: A systematic literature review. In: ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering 2017: Information Modeling and Data Analytics. 2017, Seattle, Washington: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
  • Hafeez MA, Chahrour R, Vukovic V, Dawood N, Kassem M. Investigating the potential of delivering employer information requirements in BIM enabled construction projects in Qatar. In: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology IFIP 12th IFIP WG 5.1 International Conference. 2016, Doha, Qatar: Springer New York LLC.
  • Munkley J, Kassem M, Dawood N. Synchronous building information model-based collaboration in the cloud: A proposed low cost IT platform and a case study. In: Computing in Civil and Building Engineering - Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering. 2014, Orlando, Florida: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
  • Dawood N, Miller G, Patacas J, Kassem M. Combining serious games and 4D modelling for construction health and safety training. In: Computing in Civil and Building Engineering - Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering. 2014, Orlando, Florida: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
  • Mhalas A, Crosbie T, Dawood N, Kassem M. Assessing energy improvement potential from efficiency and renewable interventions at neighborhood level. In: Computing in Civil and Building Engineering - Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering. 2014, Orlando, Florida: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
  • Zhang X-Y, Hu Z-Z, Wang H-W, Kassem M. An industry foundation classes (IFC) web-based approach and platform for bi-drectional conversion of structural analysis models. In: Computing in Civil and Building Engineering - Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering. 2014, Orlando, Florida: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
  • Kassem M, Al-Bazi A. Portfolio risk management: A simulation-based model for portfolio cost management. In: OR55 Keynotes and Extended Abstracts - 55th Conference of the Operational Research Society 2013. 2013, Exeter, UK.
  • Kassem M, Iqbal N, Dawood N. A practice oriented BIM framework and workflows. In: Computing in Civil Engineering - Proceedings of the 2013 ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering. 2013, Los Angeles, CA, USA: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

• Reviews

  • Li J, Kassem M. Applications of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and Blockchain-enabled smart contracts in construction. Automation in Construction 2021, 132, 103955.
  • Kassem M, Benomran L, Teizer J. Virtual environments for safety learning in construction and engineering: seeking evidence and identifying gaps for future research. Visualization in Engineering 2017, 5(1), 16.