Smart Cities Reimagined

Koorosh Gharehbaghi, BC(Eng), MEng, PhD, MEd, MIEAust, FITE, MCIAust, MATSE, MWSST, has cultivated a distinguished dual career as an academic and professional engineer in transportation and civil infrastructure. His professional trajectory spans public agencies and major private-sector organizations, where he has contributed to complex, large-scale construction and transport initiatives. As a practitioner across municipal authorities and leading engineering firms, Koorosh has played central roles in major construction projects and has received multiple industry accolades for excellence in project delivery and technical leadership. His professional portfolio encompasses a wide range of infrastructure undertakings, including high-rise structural developments, major road and bridge works, and multidisciplinary civil engineering programs. In his professional role as a senior technical advisor to Transport for NSW and the Department of Transport, he provides strategic and technical guidance on major state infrastructure initiatives. These include the Sydney Metro program and the recently launched Suburban Rail Loop, two of Australia’s most substantial contemporary transport investments. Beyond his advisory roles, Koorosh actively contributes to field-expert capacity building. He has delivered specialized short courses for organizations such as John Holland and VicRoads, offering advanced training in construction engineering and transport systems. He also serves as a reviewer for numerous international journals and conferences, supporting scholarly rigor within the global engineering research community. His academic engagement further extends to guest lecturing in postgraduate engineering programs across several Australian universities. Koorosh’s recognized areas of expertise include transportation infrastructure engineering and management, heavy construction engineering, steel engineering and fabrication, composite materials in construction, structural analysis and design, and the seismic rehabilitation of existing structures. These domains collectively reflect a comprehensive and technically sophisticated professional profile that bridges research, industry practice, and advanced engineering education.

Dr. Kong Fah Tee, BEng (Hons), PhD, PGCert (HE), MBA, DIC, FHEA, is an Associate Professor at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), appointed under the STAR Faculty Program. He previously served as a Professor at INTI International University and as a Reader at the University of Greenwich. His research expertise spans structural system identification and health monitoring, structural reliability and failure analysis, artificial intelligence applications in structural engineering, experimental stress analysis, fatigue and fracture mechanics, structural dynamics, and construction materials. He has authored five books and published more than 300 research papers, including over 230 articles in refereed international journals. His publications have attracted more than 6,000 citations, with an H-index of 40 and an i10-index of 130. In recognition of his sustained research impact, he has been included in Stanford University's World's Top 2% Scientists ranking for seven consecutive years (2020–2026). He has secured more than SAR 7 million in research funding and supervised over 50 researchers, including postdoctoral fellows and Master's and PhD students. His international distinctions include the President's International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) awarded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the International Research Collaboration Award from the University of Sydney, and an appointment as a foreign expert at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In addition to his academic work, he serves as an expert witness and forensic engineering consultant to industry. He has contributed extensively to the international research community through peer review of books and research proposals, external examination of research degrees, and assessment of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at universities. He also serves on editorial boards and as a guest editor for international journals. His professional service includes participation in conference organising committees and international scientific committees, as well as chairing technical sessions at international conferences. As an invited speaker, he has delivered a short course, four keynote speeches, and more than 40 seminars and conference presentations, sharing his expertise with academic and professional audiences internationally.