![](https://filelist.tudelft.nl/_processed_/9/6/csm_m0v4d7_1bb5ededa4.jpg)
Dr. Ir. R. (Ranjith) Kuttantharappel Soman
Dr. Ir. R. (Ranjith) Kuttantharappel Soman
Profile
Dr Ranjith Soman is an assistant professor in Digital Construction within the Integral Design and ManagementSection of the Materials, Mechanics, Management & Design (3MD) department at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and GeoSciences. His research is all about helping computers make sense of construction so that computers can help us build and operate infrastructure better. He focuses on leveraging information technology to transition to sustainable and regenerative infrastructure by co-creating a future in construction that synergises human creativity with computational intelligence.
In addition to his current role, Dr Soman is the Dissemination chair for the 2024 EC3 Conference, an Honorary Associate Professor at University College London, UK, and an active reviewer for leading construction informatics journals such as Automation in Construction, the Journal of Management in Engineering, Advanced Engineering Informatics, and the Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering. He is also involved in the programme committees of key conferences such as ISARC 2024 and LDAC 2024.
Research interests
Dr Soman’s research vision is centred on leading innovation within the built environment, achieved through applied research in construction informatics, digital twins, systems engineering, artificial intelligence and complex systems modelling. The core of this vision is to initiate a significant shift in the civil engineering field by transforming the role of computers from mere tools into collaborative partners. To bring this vision to fruition, His research focuses on four key areas: Knowledge Modelling, Machine Learning, Human-Computer Interaction, and Digitally Augmented Processes. To realise the research vision, his expertise in areas such as knowledge graphs, advanced AI methods including deep learning and reinforcement learning, and human-computer interaction (HCI) with a focus on extended reality (XR) technologies is leveraged. Current research interests include developing intricate digital twins, knowledge graph integration in digital twins, graph machine learning, generative adversarial imitation learning, and digital twins informed by physical laws and principles. He is involved in the Smart Mobile Factories for Infrastructure project and the ResilientHydroTwin: Participatory Integrated Digital Twin for Adaptive Urban Resilience to Water Extremities project. He is also associated with DigiConstruct Lab.
Academic background
Before his tenure at TU Delft, Dr. Soman held the position of Post-doctoral research associate at the Future Cities Laboratory of ETH Zurich, where he contributed to the Circular Future Cities project. Prior to this, he also occupied the role of Postdoctoral research associate at the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation at Imperial College London, working on the AEC Production Control Room project.
Dr. Soman earned his Ph.D. in civil engineering, with a specialization in construction informatics, from Imperial College London. During his doctoral studies, he was selected as a Ph.D. enrichment scholar at The Alan Turing Institute. Preceding his Ph.D., he obtained his M.S. (by research) in Building Technology and Construction Management from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
Expertise
Publications
-
2024
Extended Reality as a Catalyst for Circular Economy Transition in the Built Environment
R.K. Soman / D. Nikolić / B. Sanchez
-
2022
Automating look-ahead schedule generation for construction using linked-data based constraint checking and reinforcement learning
Ranjith K. Soman / Miguel Molina-Solana
-
2020
Codification Challenges for Data Science in Construction
Ranjith K. Soman / Jennifer K. Whyte
-
2023
The evolution of ontology in AEC
A two-decade synthesis, application domains, and future directions
Karim Farghaly / Ranjith K. Soman / Shanjing Alexander Zhou -
2023
cSite ontology for production control of construction sites
Karim Farghaly / Ranjith Soman / Jennifer Whyte
-
Media
-
2024-03-04
Leveraging digital twins in water disaster management systems for flood mitigation
Appeared in: Smart Water Magazine
Ancillary activities
-
2024-01-01 - 2026-01-01
Education