Team Members

Principal Investigators

Avatar for Dr. Jennifer Lather
Dr. Jennifer Lather
Assistant Professor

Jennifer Lather is an assistant professor in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She holds a Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University with a graduate minor in Computational Sciences, specializing in the use of technology and simulation in integrative design. Dr. Lather’s work focuses on process-layout simulation and optimization in the healthcare and temporary systems using hybrid modeling with layout optimization and discrete-event simulation. Her previous work was based on interactive workspaces and their use cases in the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction industries. Currently, her research interests are in modeling stochastic systems, developing methods in generating optimal layouts, and understanding how technology impacts communication and collaboration. Her email address is lather@unl.edu.

Avatar for Dr. Andrew Harms (Co-PI)
Dr. Andrew Harms (Co-PI)
Assistant Professor

Andrew Harms received the B.S. degree (summa cum laude) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2008 and the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 2013. In the Fall of 2016 he begins a position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

Previously, he was a post doctoral researcher at Duke University working with Prof. Jeffrey Krolik from 2013 to 2016. He has also spent time at the Air Force Research Labs (AFRL) working on non-linear estimation problems and at AT&T Labs working on detection of wireless television signals. His research interests include statistical signal processing, efficient sampling and processing of signals, information theory, and signal processing for radar systems.

Graduate Research Assistants

Avatar for Nelson Akindele
Nelson Akindele
Graduate Research Asst

Nelson is a Ph.D. student in Construction Engineering and Management at the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction. He had his Master’s degree in Construction and Real Estate from Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2021. He had his Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate from Nigeria in 2012 and 2018, respectively. His area of research interest are:

  • Virtual Reality
  • Interactive Workspaces
  • Mixed Reality
  • Construction Health and Safety
  • Healthcare Facilities Design
  • High-Performance Facilities

Avatar for Yasaman Ahmadi
Yasaman Ahmadi
Graduate Research Asst

Yasaman is a Ph.D. student in Architectural Engineering. She joined the UNL in January 2021. Her areas of research and professional interest are:

  • Infrastructure and community resilience
  • Simulation (DES & ABS)X Reality (VR, AR, & MR)
  • Building Information Modelling (BIM)
  • Structural evaluation of the structures and structural elements.

Before joining the UNL, Yasaman obtained working experience as a structural engineer for computing and structural designing of buildings structures and licensed supervisor engineer and structural operating engineer (Professional Engineer license) in the building engineering and construction sites. She also gained academic experience as a part-time University Lecturer in Civil Engineering Department. She has an MSc and a BSc in Civil Engineering.

Avatar for Golnoosh Adbolahzadeh
Golnoosh Adbolahzadeh
Graduate Teaching Asst

Golnoosh is a graduate research student in construction engineering and management at the Durham school of architectural engineering and construction. Her master's and bachelor's degrees in architectural engineering were both obtained in Iran in 2014 and 2010, respectively. She got an official engineering license in design, building execution, and building supervision in 2014 and obtained professional working experience as a registered architect in Iran Construction Engineering Organization, Guilan Branch (IRCEO) for 8 years. She also gained academic experience as a part-time university lecturer in architectural departments from 2010 to 2020. Golnoosh joined UNL in January 2022.

Her research Interests:

  • Simulation Modelling (DES & ABS) for Healthcare facility design
  • Quantitative Layout Planning and Optimization
  • Building Information Modelling (BIM)
  • Architectural Design (Computational & Sustainable Design)