Successfully Passed Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam

Civil EngineeringUAVArtificial IntelligenceResearch

An overview of my Ph.D. comprehensive exam in Civil Engineering, focusing on integrating UAV technology and artificial intelligence for optimized infrastructure inspection and evaluation.

Group photo taken immediately after successfully passing the Ph.D. comprehensive exam, featuring the committee and presenter.
Celebrating the successful Ph.D. comprehensive exam with my advisory committee.

Successfully Passed Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam

📅 May 13, 2025 | 🏛️ Civil Engineering, New Mexico State University

Overview

On May 13, 2025, I successfully passed my Ph.D. comprehensive exam in Civil Engineering.
My presentation, entitled “Integrating Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Artificial Intelligence for Optimized Infrastructure Inspection and Evaluation,” focused on bridging modern drone-based data collection with artificial intelligence for efficient, reliable, and safe infrastructure inspection.

Presentation Highlights

  • Objective: Develop an integrated UAV–AI framework for bridge inspection and condition evaluation.
  • Methodology:
    • UAV-based data acquisition for visual and infrared imagery.
    • UAV flight path optimization for infrastructure inspection.
    • Multi-drone collaboration for bridge inspections.
    • AI-driven segmentation and damage detection using deep learning models.
    • Real-time data processing for bridge condition assessment.
    • Data fusion for comprehensive NBI-based bridge health evaluation.
  • Outcomes:
    • Reduced inspection time and cost.
    • Improved accuracy in damage localization.
    • Enhanced repeatability and digital documentation for asset management.

Committee Members

NameTitleDepartment
Dr. Qianyun (Gloria) ZhangAssistant Professor (Advisor)Civil Engineering
Dr. Craig NewtsonFull Professor & Department HeadCivil Engineering
Dr. Ruinian JiangFull ProfessorEngineering Technology
Dr. Christabel WayllaceAssistant ProfessorComputer Science

Reflection

This milestone represents not only academic progress but also the culmination of years of interdisciplinary research bridging civil engineering, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
I am deeply grateful to my committee for their guidance and feedback, which have shaped the next phase of my dissertation work toward intelligent infrastructure systems.

#PhDJourney #UAV #ArtificialIntelligence #InfrastructureInspection