Bio

B.S. Civil Engineering, Universidad Industrial de Santander, 2013M.S. Civil Engineering, Universidad Industrial de Santander, 2016Ph.D. Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2020

"The construction industry demands professionals and leaders that make substantial contributions to the field in both research and practice. Thus, the learning environment should adapt to today’s generation and should guarantee that students will gain the knowledge and skills they need as future professionals. "

Diana Franco Duran is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Systems and Environment. She directs the newly initiated Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) program.

Dr. Franco Duran received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Universidad Industrial de Santander (Colombia).  

Her primary research interest is in engineering education, focusing on teaching and learning. Specifically, she is interested in:

  • Evaluating the impact of contemporary pedagogy on enhancing students’ learning process.
  • Understanding how to promote effective learning environments that help students to develop the competencies required by the construction industry.
  • Developing assessment forms that constitute evidence about the knowledge acquired and skills developed by students.

Awards

  • ASCE, JCEM Feature Paper: Review of Resource-Constrained Scheduling Algorithms. 2019
  • 1st Place ACOFI Award: Engineering Teaching is Stuck in the Past: How to Move Forward from the Traditional and Obsolete Approach? 2018
  • 3rd Place University Synchro Software Challenge: Improving Road Infrastructure and Minimizing Mobility Impacts by Accelerated Bridge Construction. 2018
  • Outstanding PhD Student: Vecellio Construction Engineering and Management Program. 2018

Research Interests

  • Teaching and Learning
  • Competency Development
  • Contemporary Pedagogy
  • Scheduling and Project Controls

Selected Publications

  • Performance of Resource Constrained Scheduling Heuristics (2020). Journal of Construction Engineering and Management,146 (4), pp 1-12. ABS Franco Duran, D.M., de la Garza, J.M.
  • Review of Resource-Constrained Scheduling Algorithms (2019). Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 145 (11), pp 1-16. ABS Franco Duran, D.M., de la Garza, J.M.
  • Phantom Float in Commercial Scheduling Software (2019). Journal of Automation in Construction, 103, pp 291-299. ABS Franco Duran, D.M., de la Garza, J.M.
ResearchGate

Courses Taught

  • Construction Planning, Scheduling, and Control Fall 2020