Ivan Marović | Project Management | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Network Science

Dr. Ivan Marović | Project Management | Best Researcher Award

University of Rijeka, Faculty of Civil Engineering | Croatia

Dr. Ivan Marović, a distinguished academic at the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Civil Engineering, has dedicated over twenty years to advancing research and education in the field of civil engineering, progressing from research assistant to full professor. His expertise lies in Project Management, particularly in management information systems, multi-criteria decision analysis, and soft computing methods. A recipient of numerous prestigious awards-including the Best Doctoral Thesis Award from the Croatian Association of Civil Engineers, the Vera Johanides Award from the Croatian Academy of Technical Sciences, the UNIRI Foundation Award for young interdisciplinary scientists, several scientific and teaching awards from UNIRI and GRADRI, and the Global Peer Review Award (Clarivate Analytics) for ranking among the top 1% of reviewers globally in Environment and Ecology as well as Cross-Field-Dr. Marović has made remarkable contributions to both academia and research innovation. His current and past research projects span critical areas such as climate change adaptation for coastal structures, performance management in construction using soft computing, artificial intelligence applications in project planning, and sustainable urban management. Notable projects include COS, GAIA COFUND, PerfMAN, CRESCO Adria, and DSC4SUM, among others, all under the aegis of prestigious funding schemes such as Horizon Europe, INTERREG V-A Italy–Croatia, and the University of Rijeka’s Experienced Researchers Grant Scheme. Through his interdisciplinary research and leadership, Dr. Marović continues to shape innovative methodologies that enhance the resilience, efficiency, and sustainability of civil engineering practices.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

"Application of multi-criteria decision-making methods in the selection of a sustainable solution in urban planning"

"Hybrid urban block: The end outcome of the city's filling and extension"

"The Role of the Built Environment in Achieving Sustainable Development: A Life Cycle Cost Perspective"

"Making Informed Choices: AHP and SAW for Optimal Formwork System Selection"

"Understanding and Quantifying the Impact of Adverse Weather on Construction Productivity"

Esra Uray | Geotechnical Optimization | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Network Science

Dr. Esra Uray | Geotechnical Optimization | Best Researcher Award

KTO Karatay University | Turkey

Dr. Esra Uray is a civil engineering researcher currently serving as a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles since July 2024. She has been an Assistant Professor at KTO Karatay University in Konya, Turkey, since November 2020, following her tenure as a Research Assistant in the same department from 2013 to 2020. Dr. Uray has supervised numerous graduate theses on topics including machine learning applications in soil parameter estimation, retaining wall design optimization, and the effects of additives on cement-improved soils. Notable works under her guidance include studies on artificial intelligence-supported design tools, parametric investigations of groundwater effects on retaining walls, soil bearing capacity mapping, and the application of statistical and experimental methods to civil engineering challenges. Her research focuses on integrating advanced computational techniques with practical civil engineering solutions to improve design, safety, and sustainability in infrastructure projects.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

"Mathematical Approach Integrating Surrogate Models in Heuristic Optimization for Gabion Retaining Wall Design"

"SinkholeNet: A novel RGB-slope sinkhole dataset and deep weakly-supervised learning framework for sinkhole classification and localization"

"Investigation of Parametric Effect in Optimum Retaining Wall Design Using Harmony Search Algorithm"

"Parameters Optimization of Taguchi Method Integrated Hybrid Harmony Search Algorithm for Engineering Design Problems"

"Dynamic Loads and Different Soil Characteristics Examination on Optimum Design of Cantilever Retaining Walls Utilizing Harmony Search Algorithm"

Ali Nikoutadbir | Intelligent Transportation Systems | Young Researcher Award

Published on by Network Science

Mr. Ali Nikoutadbir | Intelligent Transportation Systems | Young Researcher Award

Tarbiat Modares University Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering | Iran

Ali Nikoutadbir is a motivated and results-driven MSc graduate in Electrical Engineering with over six years of research experience in securing cyber-physical systems (CPS), particularly focusing on multi-agent systems and intelligent transportation networks. His expertise lies in developing innovative graph-theoretic and optimization-based algorithms to tackle challenges in distributed coordination control, event-triggered control, and the resilience of industrial CPS. As a Research Assistant at the Control System Science Lab, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran (2020–2023), he designed and implemented a novel secure event-triggered control framework for vehicular platoons to counter dual deception attacks, including false data injection and global manipulation. He also developed static and dynamic event-triggering schemes ensuring secure consensus under stringent attack constraints and introduced a topology-switching strategy based on Schur stability to enhance system resilience. His theoretical advancements were validated through extensive MATLAB/Simulink simulations. Ali’s published work, including “Secure event-triggered control for vehicle platooning against dual deception attacks,” forms the foundation of his contributions to CPS security. His research expertise encompasses securing multi-agent networks against deception attacks using graph-theoretic and optimization-based methodologies, stability analysis, and end-to-end system modeling, design, and validation.

Profiles: Google Scholar

Featured Publications

"Secure event-triggered control for vehicle platooning in the presence of modification attacks"

"Secure event-triggered control for vehicle platooning against dual deception attacks"

"Estimation of the error caused by the vibration of the radar in the SAR radar aperture using the analytical condition empirical method"