Reachsak Ly

Assistant Professor | Ph.D. | Applied AI/ML Researcher



Reachsak Ly

I am currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Construction Management at Eastern Illinois University 's School of Technology. I received my Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's Myers-Lawson School of Construction.

Research Interest

Find out more about my research at BUILT Lab

Funding

Current Funded Projects

2026 · Grant
Early Career Grant
Eastern Illinois University
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Generative AI-Augmented Extended Reality (XR) System for Spatial Learning in Construction Education Active
[arXiv] Coming Soon [Project Page @ Github Coming Soon]
This project aims to explore how multimodal large language models (LLMs) and extended reality (XR) can help students learn complex concepts in construction education. Through the integration of LLMs, XR, and digital twins, students will be able to explore 3D building systems, assembly concepts, and safety training with the help of a multimodal AI assistant, all through lightweight XR glasses.
2026 · Grant
Redden Grant
Eastern Illinois University
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Generative AI-Powered Human-Robot Collaboration Demonstration for Construction Technology Education Active
[arXiv] Coming Soon [Project Page @ Github Coming Soon]
This project aims to develop a Human-Robot Collaboration demonstration that integrates Multimodal Generative AI, robotics, and Mixed Reality to advance undergraduate instruction in construction management. Using the LeRobot robotic arm, students will interact with a physical robotic system through voice commands powered by a multimodal AI assistant, including LLM, VLM and Vision-Language-Action models. A digital twin of the robotic arm will also be available inside the Meta Quest 3, where students can visualize and teleoperate the robotic arm within a mixed reality environment.
Background

Education & Appointments

Eastern Illinois University
Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Construction Management — School of Technology
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Ph.D., Myers-Lawson School of Construction
Zhejiang University
B.Eng. Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering specialization
Undergraduate Research Assistant — deep learning for structural health monitoring
IP

Intellectual Property

2025 · Approved
Decentralized Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical System (DAB-CPS)
Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei — Virginia Tech IP Disclosure · Invention ID: INV2025-123
2025 · Approved
LLM-Based Autonomous Building Operations and Virtual Assistants for Smart Buildings
Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei — Virginia Tech IP Disclosure · Invention ID: INV2025-121
Research

Project and Publications

Journal Articles
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations in Built Environments: Applications, Potentials and Limitations
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations in Built Environments: Applications, Potentials and Limitations
Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei
Information Systems and eBusiness Management Journal · DOI:10.1007/s10257-025-00699-1
[DOI]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems Using Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, Digital Twins, and Large Language Models Under Review
Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei, Xinghua Gao, Philip Agee, Abiola Akanmu
Automation in Construction (Revision Submitted) · Preprint: arXiv:2410.19262
[arXiv] [Project Page @ Github 1] [Project Page @ Github 2]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
SmartHomeSecure: Automated Detection and Repair of Smart Home Configuration Errors Using Large Language Models Under Review
Yizhi Wang , Xinghua Gao, Reachsak Ly , Alireza Shojaei
Journal of Building Engineering · Preprint: arXiv:2607.06748
[arXiv] [Project Page @ Github]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Public and Private Blockchain for Decentralized Digital Building Twins and Building Automation Systems Under Review
Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei
Information Systems and eBusiness Management (Submitted) · Preprint: arXiv:2604.16534
[arXiv] [Project Page @ Github]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Data-Driven and Distributed Governance of Building Facilities Management Using DAO, Digital Twin, and LLMs Under Review
Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei, Abiola Akanmu, Xinghua Gao, Philip Agee
Frontiers of Engineering Management (Submitted) · Preprint: arXiv:2605.16298
[arXiv] [Project Page @ Github]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
DAO and Blockchain-Based Incentivization Framework for Community-Based Facilities Management Under Review
Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei, Xinghua Gao, Philip Agee, Abiola Akanmu
Information Systems Frontiers (Submitted) · Preprint: arXiv:2605.18773
[arXiv] [Project Page @ Github]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Faculty Development Program to Enhance Teaching Quality in Construction
Saeed Rokooei, Alireza Shojaei, Reachsak Ly
International Journal of Construction Management · DOI:10.1080/15623599.2024.2304475
[DOI]
Autonomous Construction Safety Incentive Mechanism Using Blockchain-Enabled Tokens and Vision-Based Techniques
Autonomous Construction Safety Incentive Mechanism Using Blockchain-Enabled Tokens and Vision-Based Techniques
Hossein Naderi, Alireza Shojaei, Reachsak Ly
Automation in Construction, Vol. 153 · DOI:10.1016/j.autcon.2023.104959
[DOI] [Project Page @ Github]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Virtual Site Visits in Construction Management Education: A Practical Alternative to Physical Site Visits
Alireza Shojaei, Reachsak Ly, Saeed Rokooei, Amirsamman Mahdavian, Ahmed AlBayati
Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon) · DOI:10.36680/j.itcon.2023.036
[DOI]
Conference Proceedings
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Smart Building Operations and Virtual Assistants Using LLM
Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei, Xinghua Gao
33rd ACM Symposium on Foundations of Software Engineering (FSE 2025), Trondheim, Norway · DOI:10.1145/3696630.3728706
[DOI]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
AVATAR: AI-Assisted Virtual Assistant and Augmented Twin for Advanced Real-Time Smart Building Facilities Management Accepted
Reachsak Ly
2026 ATMAE Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA · Oral Presentation · Submission ID 32
[Project Page @ Github] [Paper coming soon]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Edge AI for Human-Building Interaction and Smart Building Operations with Small Language Models Accepted
Reachsak Ly
2026 ATMAE Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA · Poster Presentation · Submission ID 33.0
[Project Page @ Github] [Paper coming soon]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
DT-DAO: Digital Twin and Blockchain-Based DAO Integration Framework for Smart Building Facility Management
Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei, Hossein Naderi
Construction Research Congress 2024, ASCE, Des Moines, Iowa · DOI:10.1061/9780784485262.081
[DOI]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
From Data to Value: NFT-Powered Framework for Data Exchange of Digital Twins in the AEC Industry
Hossein Naderi, Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei
Construction Research Congress 2024, ASCE, Des Moines, Iowa · DOI:10.1061/9780784485262.031
[DOI]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Assessment of Annoyance from Traffic Noise in a School and a Hospital
Hassan Azad, Alireza Shojaei, Reachsak Ly, Saleh Naseer, Laurie M. Heller
Inter-Noise 2024, Nantes, France · DOI:10.3397/IN_2024_4264
[DOI]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Continual-Learning-Based Framework for Structural Damage Recognition
Jiawei Zhang, Jiangpeng Shu, Reachsak Ly, Yiran Ji
10th International Conference on Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure, Porto, Portugal
[PDF]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Image-Based Structural Damage Recognition Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
Jiawei Zhang, Reachsak Ly, Weijian Zhao, Yunyi Liu
fib Symposium 2020 — Concrete Structures for Resilient Society, Shanghai, China
[PDF]
Ongoing Project
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Multimodal AI Assistant and Extended Reality (XR) Applications
Reachsak Ly
Ongoing Project
[Project Page @ Github]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Vision Language Model for Construction Site Progress and Safety Monitoring
Reachsak Ly
Ongoing Project
[Project Page @ Github]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
TwinGPT: LLM-Digital-Twins-Query-System
Reachsak Ly
Ongoing Project
[Project Page @ Github]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Chatbot for Construction Safety
Reachsak Ly
Ongoing Project
[Project Page @ Github]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Generative AI-Powered Human-Robot Collaboration Demonstration for Construction Technology Education
Reachsak Ly
Ongoing Project
[Project Page @ Github] Comming Soon
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Digital Building Twin Demo
Reachsak Ly
Ongoing Project
[Project Page @ Github] Comming Soon
Research Reports
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Investigation of Gender and Racial Diversity in U.S. Construction Higher Education
Reachsak Ly, Mohammad Hossein Heydari, Hossein Naderi, Josh Iorio, Alireza Shojaei
Research Report
[PDF]
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Industry Perspectives on the Role of Education Programs in Supporting Construction Diversity and Inclusion in U.S. Construction Under Review
MohammadHossein Heydari, Hossein Naderi, Reachsak Ly, Alireza Shojaei
Innovative Higher Education (Submitted)
Poster Presentations
Autonomous Building Cyber-Physical Systems
Autonomous Building Operations and Virtual Assistants Using Generative AI
Reachsak Ly
2025 Paul E. Torgersen Graduate Student Research Excellence Award, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
[PDF]
Teaching

Teaching

Eastern Illinois University
Virginia Tech (TA)