Kunhee (KC) Choi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Construction Science (COSC)
Assistant Research Scientist, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI)
Texas A&M University
429A Langford
College Station, TX 77843-3137
Tel: 979-458-4458
Fax: 979-862-1572
Email: kchoi (at) tamu (dot) edu
Dr. Kunhee (KC) Choi joined Texas A&M University as a faculty
member in September 2010. He is currently an assistant professor of the
Construction Science Department while also serving as an assistant research
scientist at Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Prior to joining the
faculty at Texas A&M University, he was a researcher for six years in the UC Berkeley Institute of
Transportation Studies. He holds a
Bachelor of Engineering in Architectural Engineering from Korea University and a Master of Science in Construction Management
from Texas A&M
University. He received his Ph.D. in
Civil and Environmental Engineering (Engineering and Project Management) from the University of
California at Berkeley. Dr. Choi serves as Assistant Specialty Editor of Cost and Schedule for the ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. Dr. Choi’s outstanding contribution to
the journal by providing critical and thoughtful reviews on numerous manuscripts has recently been
recognized as the recipient of the 2013 outstanding reviewer award by the journal. Also,
he has been a frequent member of the highly selective research proposal review panels for
National Science Foundation. Recently, his teaching has been recognized by receiving two prestigious awards for teaching excellence. Dr. Choi named the recipient of the 2013 'Fluor Educator of the Year', earned by having the highest teaching evaluations in 2012. In addition, Dr. Choi received the prestigious 'Montague-CTE Scholars' award given annually to a tenure-track faculty member, one selected from each College, by the University's Center for Teaching Excellence to promote further development of undergraduate teaching excellence.
A member of Texas A&M’s faculty since 2010, Dr. Choi is interested in transportation infrastructure construction and project management. His work investigates unique building challenges facing state transportation agencies and the business sector focusing on infrastructure modeling, optimization and informatics to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the U.S. transportation system.
Dr. Choi directs i2dEAS LAB with a clear vision to research, create, test, and validate tools, methods, and strategies to optimize the efficiency of the transportation systems. Dr. Choi’s research interests fall into five key areas that address unique spectrum of challenges and issues facing state transportation agencies, daily commuters, and business enterprises, such as (1) integrated transportation informatics utilizing sensored big data, (2) decision-support computerized models for the better assessment of infrastructure sustainability, (3) context-aware construction visualization techniques and technologies, (4) performance analysis of different types, sizes and complexities of projects built under various project delivery systems (DBB, DB, CMR, PPP, IPD, Bridging, A+B, I/D, etc), and (5) construction economics, financing, and valuations.
"Most of the basic methods and tools for transporting goods and passengers have been around for centuries. Therefore, dramatic progress may be possible by developing groundbreaking decision-support tools or smart systems. For example, advances in transportation informatics that make increased automation possible can result in significantly improved mobility and safety in and between construction work zones." In the area of transportation informatics, he has created, tested, and validated a decision-support model, dubbed “SWAT" (Spatiotemporal Work zone Assessment for Transportation management plan). The SWAT model fully automates and optimizes impact assessments of construction work zones (CWZ) for critical highway infrastructure projects. Once successfully completed, the SWAT model with its novel analytical framework would represent a radical movement forward in the ability of planners to much quickly and efficiently produce accurate CWZ impact assessments for incorporation into transportation management plans. The benefits are in the potential savings of millions of taxpayers’ dollars, and in the development of a reliable method of CWZ impact assessment that would be smarter (producing better mobility, less travel time during lane closures, and less road user cost) and greener (producing less vehicle operating costs and less global warming) than any in existence today.
Dr. Choi's research has been funded by a combination of federal and state funding agencies, including the U.S. Department of Transportation UTC Program, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program and the Texas Department of Transportation. His work advances existing knowledge and provides practical solutions to the research communities in academia and practitioners in industry. Dr. Choi's research work has also created significant new knowledge in several critical areas, including spatiotemporal data summarization/characterization, construction work zone impacts assessment, alternative technical concepts for accelerating highway rehabilitation, sustainability models for life-cycle assessments and life-cycle cost analysis, etc. His research is ground-breaking and of utmost significance to multiple key areas related to the renewal of nation’s aging transportation infrastructure systems. Dr. Choi’s innovative and imaginative mind has given way to more than 35 original peer-reviewed publications.
<A full CV is available upon request>
