Ali Keyvanfar, Ph.D

Associate Professor (Tenured) · Department of

Construction Management

Kennesaw State University · Marietta, Georgia

STEM faculty leader with 13 years of post-PhD experience in higher education spanning AI-enhanced pedagogy, student success systems, accreditation, curriculum governance, international program development, and industry partnerships. Architect of a scalable AI-powered formative learning ecosystem serving 300+ students across 7 programs — complemented by browser-based simulation platforms, 100+ AI-generated course materials, and faculty mentorship in AI adoption.

Governor's AI Teaching Fellow ABET Program Evaluator NSF Game Changer Academy Fellow APEX Outstanding Research Award GitHub Education Faculty ElevenLabs Faculty Program 3,000+ Citations · h-index: 29
ALI KEYVANFAR
Research

Research Interests

Current Focus

AI-Enhanced Pedagogy & Formative Learning Systems

Designing scalable, accountable AI tutor ecosystems for engineering education — including course-specific AI assistants, browser-based simulation platforms, voice-guided learning (VoxProfessor), and responsible AI assessment frameworks. Building tools that make learning data-rich, user-friendly, and effective for student success.

Current Focus

Transparency & Ethics in Architecture and Construction

Creating nonprofit, accessible tools that support impacted scholars, practitioners, and civil society — advancing transparency, strengthening ethical reporting pathways, and enabling communities to respond to misconduct within the built-environment sector.

Past Focus

Computer-Aided Decision-Making & Sustainable Assessment

Developing analytical techniques and assessment tools for material selection, construction processes, and sustainability-driven planning across the lifecycle of the built environment.

Latest News

Current Highlights

  • Feb 2026Invited by the UK Government Metascience Unit and the University of Sussex to provide expert assessments on publication novelty
  • Nov 2025Completed 5-year ABET Program Evaluator review of the CET program at Missouri Western State University
  • Oct 2025Invited to join the McGill University Sustainability Academic Network (45 academic leaders advancing AI and sustainability research)
  • Sep 2025Invited to the UN Association of the USA Educators Affinity Group — contributing to an AI/SDG memorandum for the UN General Assembly
  • Jul 2025Invited by Fulbright for the 2026–27 U.S. Scholar Award (Multi-country ASEAN Research Program)
  • Jul 2025Invited by Springer Nature to serve as Guest Editor for Discover Civil Engineering — "Generative AI in Construction"
  • Jun 2025Springer Nature accepted peer-reviewed Handbook of Using Virtual Exchange Across Disciplines; co-authoring "Harnessing Generative AI for Task Design in Virtual Exchange Programs"
  • May 2025Concluded $3.05M U.S. Department of State programs (IREX GSC & IIE HIVER), graduating 150 students with DOS Alumni Certificates
  • May 2025Inaugural CM 6901 Generative AI in Construction cohort graduated — 18 AI agents with startup business models, posters & pitch decks unveiled at Capstone Day
  • Apr 2025Hosted EDT, Inc. in CM 6901 for AI-in-construction recruitment and internship engagement
  • Mar 2025Hosted Joachim Herz Foundation research seminar on GenAI models and binational student research posters
  • Feb 2025High-impact publication in Journal of Buildings with CEE faculty and graduate student co-authors — Read paper
  • Jan 2025Launched CM 6901 — Generative AI in Construction Management, supported by Department Chair Dr. Moore — Listen to podcast
  • Dec 2024Joined the Louisiana Board of Regents Grant Review Panel ($20M annual research fund)
  • Nov 2024Received APEX Outstanding Research Award at KSU Presidential Reception
  • Nov 2024Panelist for "Teaching with AI" at KSU Celebration of Teaching Day
  • Sep 2024Elected Associate Chair of KSU Graduate Policies and Curriculum Committee
  • May 2024Completed Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program (AI in education), nominated by Provost, endorsed by Governor Kemp
  • 2024Accepted into NSF-CMMI Game Changer Academy — deliberative democracy in NSF review processes
  • 2024KSU team won 1st place in Sustainable Demolition Competition (ahead of Florida State, FIU, Georgia Tech)
  • Apr 2024Session on Generative AI in the Built Environment at Emory University
  • Mar 2024Joined MassChallenge Venture Capital Expert Network — mentoring early-stage startups
  • Feb 2024Tenure and promotion to Associate Professor approved by President, effective Fall 2024
  • Feb 2024Facilitated campus-wide workshop on Harnessing AI for Research Communication
  • Jan 2024Partnered with $3M U.S. Department of State programs (IREX & IIE) for international leadership and entrepreneurship education
  • Dec 20232 PCT patent filingsPatent #1 · Patent #2
  • 2023Launched AI Chatbot for personalized educationTry XYZ EduOwl
  • 2023Featured in Georgia Newsbreak
Scholarly Impact

Research Impact & Citation Metrics

3,000+
Citations
29
h-index
50
i10-index
100+
Publications
200,000+
Readers
$4.8M+
Career Grant Involvement 
12
Innovation Gold Medals
10
Intellectual Properties
30+
Research Projects
200+
Peer Reviews Completed
200+
Startups Mentored
12
Countries Engaged

Research cited in 100+ major funded projects by NSF, NIH, the European Commission/Horizon 2020, the Korean NRF, UKRI, and agencies in Brazil, China, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia.

Recognition

Selected Awards & Honors

🏆

APEX Outstanding Research Award

Kennesaw State University, 2024

🎓

Governor's Teaching Fellow

Louise McBee Institute, University of Georgia, 2024

🌍

CACM Distinguished International Achievement Award

Kennesaw State University, 2024

📗

Elsevier Order of Recognition — UN SDGs

Elsevier Publishing, 2023

📰

Editor's Selected Article of the Year

ASCE J. of Urban Planning & Development, 2022

🥇

International Gold Medal

iCAN 2020, Canada (KSU)

🥇

World Materials Science Grand Award

World Scientist Awards, Korea, 2016

🏅

15+ International Gold Medals & Special Awards

iCAN, CIGIF, ITEX, SIIF, MRC, INATEX (Canada, Korea, Malaysia, 2013–2020)

🎓

Best Ph.D. Graduate Award

Faculty of Civil Engineering, UTM, 2013

Leadership & Service

Institutional Service at KSU

University-Level Governance

  • • Associate Chair, KSU Graduate Policies and Curriculum Committee (2024–2025)
  • • Member, KSU Curriculum Executive Committee (2024–Present)
  • • Chair, KSU Institutional Review Board — IRB (2021–2023)

College-Level Leadership

  • • Chair, College Curriculum Committee — CACM (2022–2023)
  • • Chair, College Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee — CACM (2022–2023)
  • • Elected Secretary, College Faculty Council — CACM (2021–2024)
  • • Inaugural CACM Student Success Fellow (2023)
  • • Member, Dean Search Committee — CACM (2023)
  • • Member, Associate Dean of Research Search Committee — CACM (2022)

Departmental Service

  • • Chair, Department Curriculum Committee — CMD (2021–2022)
  • • Course Coordinator: CM 6901, CM 6600, CM 3400, CM 3910, CM 4512
  • • Faculty Advisor: AGC Student Chapter (2019–2023), NAHB Student Chapter (2019–2020)
  • • Faculty Advisor: AGC/ACS Commercial Competition, Roofing Alliance Competition, NAHB Competition
Professional Networks

External Affiliations

→ UN Association of the USA Educators Affinity Group (2025–Present)
→ McGill University Sustainability Academic Network (2025–Present)
→ AGC of America’s Highway Work Zone Safety Committee (2023–Present)
→ Louisiana Board of Regents Grant Review Panel (2024–Present)
→ Czech Science Foundation Grant Review Panel (2022–Present)
→ MassChallenge Venture Capital Expert Network (2024–Present)
→ ABET Program Evaluator — EAC & ETAC (2017–Present)
→ Georgia Academy of Science (2023–Present)
→ CIFAL Atlanta / UNITAR SDG Faculty Fellow (2020–2021)
→ Center for Energy Research, UC San Diego — Visiting Scholar (2018–2019)
→ MIT Sustainable Cities Program — Managing Editor, UTM (2015–2016)
→ Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial — Visiting Professor (2017–2019)
→ Korea Invention Academy — KiA (2016–2017)
→ Universiti Teknologi Malaysia — UTM (2010–2018)
Scholarly Service

Editorial & Review Roles

Editorial Board & Guest Editor

Journal Reviewer

  • Sustainable Cities and Society (IF: 7.6) · ASCE J. Architectural Engineering · Energy Policy (IF: 6.1)
  • Materials and Design (IF: 8.0) · Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy (IF: 3.6)

Selected publication: Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews (IF: 15.9) · Journal for Nature Conservation (2023) · KSU Distinguished Course Repository (2023)

Global Reach

International Engagement

Research collaborations and leadership experience spanning 12+ countries: Malaysia, South Korea, Australia, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Nigeria, Ecuador, Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia, and the USA. Developed patented and trademarked award-winning research products, published 100+ publications (50% in high-ranked journals), and involved in multi-disciplinary international research funds totaling over $4.8 million.

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