David Ward

Yunping Liang, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering

Research areas: Infrastructure Investment, Construction Analytics, Sustainability & Resilience in Infrastructure System, Engineering Decision-Making, Construction Management and Economics, Project Delivery System, Project Finance

Contact information

Email:

yunping.liang@concordia.ca

Biography

Bio

Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021
M.S., Operations Research, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020
B.Eng., Civil Engineering, Tongji University, 2017

Dr. Yunping Liang is Assistant Professor in Construction and Infrastructure System Engineering at Concordia University. Liang’s research interests are at the intersections of Civil Engineering, Operations Research, and Public Policy. Currently, Liang’s research strives to enhance infrastructure investment by improving accountability and effectiveness, promoting social equity in project development, and maximizing investments on sustainable facilities. Liang has experience working with structural engineers, construction workers, superintendents, business consultants, and transportation agencies in US and China.

word mapping

Teaching activities

BCEE478 Project Management; BLDG6571 Project Management for Construction (Summer 2022)
BLDG6561 Building Economics I (Summer 2022)

Research activities

Research Interests

Construction Management and Economics
Construction Analytics
Sustainability & Resilience of Infrastructure System
Engineering (Infrastructure) Decision-Making
Project Finance
Project Delivery System

Funded Graduate Student Positions

I temporally close my grad students recruitment until further notice.

I strongly commit myself on diversifying the demographic (race, gender, sexuality, disability, etc.) composition of my lab.

To apply, please email me a package including a CV, earned degree(s), transcript(s), an English test result, and a Personal Statement. Please be advised that only complete application will be reviewed. Shortlisted candidates are normally notified within 2 weeks.

Undergraduate Student Supervision

I have two openings for U/G students for each academic year. Please email me your CV and Concordia transcript if you want to get involved. Financial support is possible. Besides, I will work with the selected U/G students to develop competitive funding application packages.

Publications

Publications (as of 05/2022)

A. Referred Publications and Accepted Articles

A1. Published and Accepted Journal Articles

[J9] Liang, Y., Baral, A., Shahandashti, M., and Ashuri, B. “Availability Heuristic in Construction Workforce Decision-Making amid COVID-19 pandemic: Empirical Evidence and Mitigation Strategy.” ASCE Journal of Management in Engineering, accepted

[J8] Baral, A., Liang, Y., Li, M., Gonzalez, M., Shahandashti, M., and Ashuri, B. “Impact of COVID-19 on the Diversity of Construction Workforce.” ASCE Natural Hazard Review, 23(3): 04022015

[J7] Liang, Y., and Ashuri, B. 2021. “Challenges and enabling features of small and medium infrastructure public-private partnerships: a case study of the U.S. P3 infrastructure market.” Engineering, Construction, and Architectural Management, 29(1): 49-71.

[J6] Liang, Y., Ashuri, B., andLi, M. 2021. “Forecasting Construction Expenditure Flows for Transportation Design-Build Projects through Case-Based Reasoning Approach.” ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 147(6): 04021043.

[J5] Liang, Y., and Ashuri, B.2020. “The Option Value of Contingent Finance Support in Transportation Public-Private Partnership Projects.” Transportation Research Record: Journal of Transportation Research Board, 2674(7): 555–565.

[J4] Liang, Y., Ashuri, B., and Sun, W. 2020. “Analysis of the Variability of Project Cost and Schedule Performance in the Design-Build Environment.” ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management., 146(6): 04020060.

[J3] Ashuri, B., Amekudzi-Kennedy, Adjo, Amoaning-Yankson, S., Liang, Y., and Cao, Y. 2019. “Strategies and Resources for Utilizing Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in Transportation Design-Build Projects: the Perspective of State Department of Transportation.” ASCE Journal of Legal Affairs and Disputes Resolution in Engineering and Construction, 11(4): 04519022.

[J2] Liang, Y., Song, X., Lin, H., Su, H. 2018. “Experimental Research on Lateral Load Resistance of Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced Concrete Columns.” Structural Engineers, 34(1). (in Chinese)

[J1] Su, Q., Chen, S., Li, Y., and Liang, S. 2016. “The influence of corrosion with different connecting configuration on the shear bearing capacity of the stud.” Journal of Tongji University (Natural Science), 44. (in Chinese)

A2. Conference Presentation with Proceedings (Refereed)
[C3] Baek, M., Liang, Y., and Ashuri, B. 2022. “A Pattern-Recognition Method for Highway Construction Project Expenditure Cash Flows Using Clustering-Based K-Means Approach.” The 2022 ASCE Construction Research Congress (CRC), Arlington, VA, USA, March 9-12, 2022.

[C2] Liang, Y., and Ashuri, B.2020. “Analysis on the Obstacles of Implementing Small and Medium Public-Private Partnership for the U.S. Infrastructure Development.” The 2020 ASCE Construction Research Congress (CRC), Tempe, AR, USA, March 8-10, 2020.

[C1] Liang, Y., Ashuri, B., and Sun, W. 2019. “Identifying Patterns in Design-Build Projects in Terms of Project Cost Performance.” The 2019 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering, Atlanta, GA, USA, June 17-19, 2019.

A3. Other Refereed Material
Research Reports and Guidebooks
[R4] Ashuri, B., Liang, Y., Baek, M., Li, M.,and Zeng, S. 2020. “Developing a New Cash Flow Expenditures Model Considering the Flexibilities Offered by the Design-Build-Finance (DBF) and Public-Private Partnership (P3) Project Delivery Methods.” Georgia DOT Research Project RP18-13,Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta, Georgia, December 2020, 111 pp.
[R3] Ashuri, B., Moradi, A., Baek, M.,Kingsley, G., An, H.Y., Zhang, L., Liang, Y., and Bahrami, S. 2018.“Enhancement of the Comprehensive Risk Assessment for Transportation Projects.”Georgia DOT Research Project RP16-28, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta, Georgia, September 2018, 159 pp.
[R2] Ashuri, B., Moradi, A., Baek, M.,Kingsley, G., An, H.Y., Zhang, L., Liang, Y., and Bahrami, S. 2018. “Risk Mitigation Strategies to Enhance the Delivery of Highway Projects.” Georgia DOT Research Project RP16-40, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta, Georgia, September 2018, 168 pp.

[R1] Ashuri, B., Moradi, A., Baek, M.,Kingsley, G., An, H.Y., Zhang, L., Liang, Y., and Bahrami, S. 2018. “Guidebook of Risk Mitigation Strategies to Enhance the Delivery of Highway Projects.” The Office of Program Delivery, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta,Georgia, September 2018.

B. Other Publications and Creative Products
B1. Software

[S1] Ashuri B., Zeng, S., and Liang, Y.(2020). “Expenditure Cash Flow Forecasting for Design-Build Transportation Projects.” An Excel Visual Basic for Application (VBA) Tool developed for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).

B2. Refereed Posters

[P1] Liang, Y., and Ashuri, B. “Saving Refinancing Cost under Cash Flow Shortage: The Option Value of Contingent Finance Support in Transportation Public–Private Partnership Projects.” Transportation Research Board (TRB) 99th Annual Meeting, Washington DC, January15, 2020.

B3. Non-refereed Posters
[NP3] Liang, Y., Ashuri, B, and Zeng, S.“Developing a New Cash Flow Expenditure Model Considering the Flexibilities Offered by the Innovative Project Delivery Methods.” The 8th Annual Transportation Research Expo Jointly Hosted by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Georgia Transportation Institute (GTI), Atlanta,GA, October 19, 2020.
[NP2] Liang, Y., and Ashuri, B. “Using Analytics and Partnerships to Advance Smart Cities and Smarter Engineering and Construction Decisions.” 2019 Engineering Project Organizations Conference (EPOC), Vail, CO, June 26, 2019.

[NP1] Ashuri, B., Moradi, A., Baek, M.,Kingsley, G., An, H.Y., Zhang, L., Liang, Y., and Bahrami, S. “Comprehensive Risk Assessment for Functional Offices during Plan Development Process (PDP).”The 6th Annual Transportation Research Expo Jointly Hosted by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Georgia Transportation Institute (GTI), Atlanta, GA, September 6, 2018.

C. Presentations
C1. Invited Conference/ Workshop Presentations
[CP3] Liang, Y., 2021. “Variability analysis of project performance and expenditure flow forecasting for design-build projects: a data-driven approach.” 9th Research Conference, International Project Management Association, June 12, 2021.
[CP2] Liang, Y., and Ashuri, B. 2019. “The use of Public-Private Partnerships to facilitate the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructures in the Unites States.” Inaugural Georgia Tech Sustainability Showcase, Atlanta, GA, October 28, 2019.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rSRS23iVVs

[CP1] Liang, Y., and Ashuri, B. 2018. “Option value of risk-sharing mechanisms in highway public-private partnership projects: the perspective of refinancing.” 2018 Associated Schools of Construction(ASC), Southeast Region, Peachtree City, GA, October 25, 2018.

C2. Invited Seminars and Lectures
[L5] Liang, Y. 2022. “Investing in Sustainable Infrastructure System.” Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia, February 3, 2022.
[L4] Liang, Y. 2021. “Analyzing critical construction economic indices: a time series approach.” School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and School of Building Construction, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA November 15, 2021.
[L3] Liang, Y., Guensler, R., and McKinnon,Y. 2021. “Thriving in a virtual learning environment.” The Graduate Student Journey Workshop Series, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, January 8, 2021.
[L2] Liang, Y. 2020. “Time series analysis and its applications in construction research.” BC School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and School of Building Construction, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, November 30, 2020.
[L1] Liang, Y. 2020. “Things I wish I’d known when I started my PhD: capacity-building advice for strengthening academic skills and maintaining mental health.” McWhorter School of Building Science, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA, October 12, 2020.