Role
Dr Ehsan Asnaashari is an Associate Professor in the Department of Construction Management at Nottingham Trent University, where he leads the MSc Construction Management and MSc Project Management (Construction) programmes.
He is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA) and has extensive experience in construction management education, academic leadership and international collaboration, developed through roles in both the United Kingdom and Iran. His work focuses on the integration of digital technologies and generative artificial intelligence in built environment education, alongside innovative pedagogical approaches that address emerging challenges in the construction sector.
Alongside his teaching and research, Dr Asnaashari chairs the ADBE Digital and AI Working Group, where he supports colleagues in the responsible and effective integration of generative AI into learning, teaching and assessment. He also leads and organises knowledge exchange activities, workshops and conferences on generative AI and digital transformation in the built environment.
Since 2026, he has served as Director of the Doctoral Programme within the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment (ADBE), supporting PhD researchers in achieving their full academic and professional potential.
Career overview
Dr Asnaashari holds a background in Civil Engineering and earned both his MSc and PhD in Construction Management. He began his academic career in Iran in 2012, working as an Assistant Professor. Before joining NTU, Dr Asnaashari gained practical experience in the construction industry, particularly within the housing sector. He also worked with the UN-Habitat Tehran office on a national disaster resilience programme focused on improving hospital resilience, contributing to applied research and capacity-building initiatives.
Research areas
Dr Ehsan Asnaashari's research interests include generative artificial intelligence, lean construction, digital construction, Building Information Modelling (BIM), project management, sustainability, construction logistics, and the application of virtual and augmented reality in construction and education. He supervises several doctoral researchers working across these fields.
External activity
- Judge for multiple categories of the Constructing Excellence East Midlands Awards.
- External Examiner for the BSc Construction Management programme at NMITE, UK.
- Host of the CIOB Student Challenge at NTU in 2026.
- Co-founder of Tehran’s Professional Association of Construction Engineering and Project Management.
- Member of scientific and review committees for several academic conferences and journals in construction management and digital construction.
Publications
Dehbandi, R., Shirpourasl, Z. and Asnaashari, E. (2026) ‘Digital transformation of construction quality management: Systematic review of adoption and governance’, Automation in Construction, 191, article 107166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2026.107166
Asnaashari, E. & Sagoo, A. (2025). Collaborative Online International Learning: a Catalyst for Advancing Lean Construction Education. In Seppänen, O., Koskela, L., & Murata, K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) (pp. 1516–1527). https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0186
Dini, A. and Asnaashari, E. (2025) ‘Evaluating the impact of Gen-AI on improving communications in construction projects’, in Thomson, C. and Neilson, C.J. (eds.) Proceedings of the 41st Annual ARCOM Conference, 1–3 September 2025, Abertay University, Dundee, UK. Association of Researchers in Construction Management, pp. 79–88.
Hosseinzadeh Moghaddam, M., Asnaashari, E. and Sagoo, A. (2026) ‘Advancing carbon reduction in construction hauling: An integrated simulation and collaborative strategy through the BASE model’, Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 15(4), pp. 1416–1441. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-06-2025-0327
Klous, J., Manu, E., Asnaashari, E. and Arab, Z. (2026) ‘Language Action Perspective (LAP) and its influence on communication in project teams’, in Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M. and Garcia-Lopez, N.P. (eds.) Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34), pp. 1229–1240.
Pourafshar, O., Barmayehvar, B., Esmaeilabadi, R. and Asnaashari, E. (2025) ‘An integrated FAHP-SD model to assess and allocate of critical risks for public-private partnership transportation projects’, International Journal of Construction Management, 25(6), pp. 605–623. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2024.2344889
Ebbs, P., Ward, S., Hour, N. A., Manu, E. & Asnaashari, E.. (2024). Systematic Approach to Making People, Processes & Projects Ready for Make-Ready. In Costa, D. B., Drevland, F., & Florez-Perez, L. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 32) (pp. 535–547). https://doi.org/10.24928/2024/0231
Asadollahfardi, G., Noghani, S., Panahandeh, A., Samadi, A., & Asnaashari, E. (2023). Evaluation of environmental sustainability of the construction and operation phases of man-made lakes: A case study of Chitgar Lake. Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy. https://doi.org/10.1002/ep.14160
Alipour-Bashary, M., Ravanshadnia, M., Abbasianjahromi, H. and Asnaashari, E. (2022), "Building demolition risk assessment by applying a hybrid fuzzy FTA and fuzzy CRITIC-TOPSIS framework", International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-08-2020-0063.
Alipour-Bashary, M., Ravanshadnia, M., Abbasianjahromi, H., Asnaashari, E. (2021). A Hybrid Fuzzy Risk Assessment Framework for Determining Building Demolition Safety Index. KSCE J Civ Eng 25, 1144–1162, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-021-0812-4.
Rohani, M., Shafabakhsh, Gh., Haddad, A., Asnaashari, E. (2018) "Strategy management of construction workspaces by conflict resolution algorithm and visualization model", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 25 (8), 1053-1074, https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-08-2016-0183
Rohani, M., Shafabakhsh, Gh., Haddad, A., Asnaashari, E., (2017) 'Sensitivity Analysis of Workspace Conflicts According to Changing Geometric Conditions', Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, Vol. 7, No. 1, p. 1429-1435.
Karimi Mohammad Abadi, A., Asnaashari, E., (2017). Opportunities and challenges of women to take management roles in the Iranian Construction Industry, the 9th Conference of Construction in the 21st Century, Dubai, UAE.
Motamedpooya, S., Golabchi, M., Asnaashari, E., (2017). Identification of Iran's Road Construction project risks to implement sustainable development, the 9th Conference of Construction in the 21st Century, Dubai, UAE.
Rohani, M., Shafabakhsh, Gh., Haddad, A., Asnaashari, E., (2016) ‘Operation Planning of Concrete Box Girder Bridge by 4D CAD Visualization Techniques’, International Journal of Civil, Environmental, Structural, Construction and Architectural Engineering, Vol. 10, No. 6, p 774-780.
Zandi, R., Asnaashari, E., (2016). 'Identifying Success Factors of Healthcare Facility Construction Projects in Iran' Procedia Engineering, Volume 164, p. 409–415.
Alaghbandrad, A., Asnaashari, E., Preece, C. (2012). ‘Problems and barriers of ICT utilization on Iranian construction sites: A case study on the successful use of ICT in remote construction sites’, ITcon Journal, Vol. 17, p. 93-102, http://www.itcon.org/2012/6.
Asnaashari, E., Karam-Barangi, B., Karam-Barangi, S., (2011). Construction Logistics Management in Building Projects in Iran: the Warehousing Process, the 6th International Conference on Construction in the 21st Century (CITC-VI), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Alaghbandrad, A., Nobakht, M., Asnaashari, E., (2011). ICT Adaptation in the Iranian Construction Industry: Barriers and Opportunities, the 28th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC2011), Seoul, Korea.
Asnaashari, E., Karam-Barangi, B., Knight, A., Hurst, A., Alaghband-Rad, A., Karam-Barangi, S., (2010). Construction Materials Logistics Management in Building Projects in Iran: The Purchasing Process, COBRA (RICS) 2010 Conference (The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), Dauphine University, Paris, France.
Alaghband-Rad, A., Asnaashari, E., Knight, A., Hurst, A., (2010). ICT Utilization in Administrative Tasks in the Iranian Construction Organizations, The 26th Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting, Association of Research in Construction Management (ARCOM), Leeds, UK.
Asnaashari, E., Knight, A., Hurst, A., (2009). Delays in the Iranian Construction Projects: Stakeholders and Economy, The 5th International Structural Engineering and Construction Conference, University of Nevada Las Vegas, USA.
Asnaashari, E., Knight, A., Hurst, A., Shahrabi, S. F. (2009). Causes of Construction Delays in Iran: Project Management, Logistics, Technology and Environment. The 25th Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting, Association of Research in Construction Management (ARCOM), Nottingham, UK.
Asnaashari, E., Knight, A., Hurst, A. (2009). Organizations and Complexity: Challenging Newtonian Style of Thinking. Challenging Your Field Conference, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
Asnaashari, E., Shahrabi, S. F., Knight, A., Hurst, A., (2009). Causes of Delays in Iran Construction Industry. The 5th International Conference on Construction in the 21 Century, Istanbul, Turkey.
Asnaashari, E. (2009) Construction Material Management and RFID Application, the 3rd Conference on Projects' Procurement Systems, Sharif Technical University, Tehran, Iran.
Asnaashari, E., Hurst, A.G., Knight, A. (2008). Logistics Management in Construction Projects in Iran. BuHu (Research Institute for the Built and Human Environment) the 8th International Postgraduate Research Conference, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic, Czech Technical University in Prague.
Press expertise
- Generative AI and responsible AI adoption in higher education
- Digital construction and emerging technologies in the built environment
- Lean construction and project management
- Earthquake, disaster and infrastructure resilience
Course(s) I teach on
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Postgraduate taught | Full-time / Part-timehttps://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/architecture-design-and-the-built-environment/pg/msc-construction-management
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Postgraduate taught | Full-time / Part-timehttps://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/architecture-design-and-the-built-environment/pg/msc-project-management-construction
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Postgraduate taught | Full-time / Part-timeCOURSE
Quantity Surveying - MSc
https://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/architecture-design-and-the-built-environment/pg/msc-quantity-surveying