Expertise

Topics:  Artifical Intelligence, Climate-resilient Environmental Systems and Technologies, Grid-interactive, High-performance, and Electrified Buildings, Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Cyberphysical Systems (CPS), Energy, Computer Vision, Advanced Infrastructure Systems, Civil Engineering, Smart Infrastructure, Information and Communication Technology (ICT)‎, Intelligent Engineered Systems and Society, Construction & Building Technology, Sustainable Energy and Transportation Systems, Emerging Energy Technologies

Industries: Construction - Commercial, Education/Learning, Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing, Energy

Burcu Akinci is the Dean of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research interests include development of approaches to model and reason about information-rich histories of facilities, to streamline construction and facility management processes. She specifically focuses on investigating utilization and integration of building information models with data capture and tracking technologies, such as 3D imaging, and embedded sensors and radio-frequency identification systems to capture semantically-rich as-built histories of construction projects and facility operations.

She earned her B.S. in civil engineering (1991) from Middle East Technical University and her M.B.A. (1993) from Bilkent University at Ankara, Turkey. After that, she earned her M.S. (1995) and her Ph.D. (2000) in civil and environmental engineering with a specialization in construction engineering and management from Stanford University.

Akinci has one patent, two patent applications, more than 60 referred journal publications, and 80 refereed conference publications. She co-edited a book on CAD/GIS integration and another book on embedded commissioning. She has graduated more than 16 Ph.D. students and 15 M.S. thesis students, and is currently advising/co-advising four Ph.D. students.

Media Experience

Akinci Appointed Dean of College of Engineering  — CMU News
Burcu Akinci, head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), has been appointed as the next dean of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

CMU Experts at the Intersection of Energy and Innovation  — CMU News
Carnegie Mellon University experts are developing practical solutions for a fast-changing energy system. "In my work, we are continuously monitoring complex HVAC systems and pairing AI with digital twins so we can detect faults, reduce waste and empower engineers to focus on higher-level problem-solving," says Burcu Akinci, head of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. "AI won’t replace human expertise — it will serve as a smart apprentice, helping us make better, faster decisions, build better systems and operate them more efficiently.

Western Pa. utilities use drones and other robots to make inspections safer, more efficient  — 90.5 WESA
Drones are an ideal technology for utility inspections, according to Burcu Akinci, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. With poles and wires distributed over miles, human inspection takes time. With drones, “you get this bird’s eye view with data and imagery. And data that is very difficult to get in any other way.”

How Carnegie Mellon University champions women in engineering  — Study International
Burcu Akinci attributes her interest in engineering to several factors, but being raised by a woman engineer is undoubtedly high on the list. Today, Akinci is the Paul Christiano Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where she guides the next generation of women in engineering.