Ali Motamedi is an Associate Professor at École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS). He received his Ph.D. from an interdisciplinary Individualized program in 2013 at Concordia University. From 2014 to 2016, he conducted research in a world-renowned laboratory at Osaka University, Japan, where he explored the use of crowd simulation, natural processes modeling and immersive visualizations to create design feedback systems for architects and facility managers. He also collaborated in cutting-edge research on Diminished Reality for urban design applications.

His research investigates the application of sensor networks, ambient and artificial intelligence, and visual analytics for the design, construction and management of built facilities. His interests also reside in the cyber-physical interactions provided by “digital twins” of facilities through an integration of digital models and the Internet of Things (IoT). He is currently exploring the potential of the visual analytics of digital twins for engineers and architects to enable heuristics-based problem-solving and decision-making. By enabling cyber-physical interactions, enabled by Virtual/Augmented Reality (VR/AR), human reasoning can be used more effectively for various purposes, such as on-site problem-solving or personnel training.

Ali is the holder of several national and international scholarships, fellowships and awards including JSPS, FQRNT, NSERC, and the Merit Award. His research results have been published in several journals, such as Visualization in Engineering, Advanced Engineering Informatics, Building and Environment, Computational Design and Engineering, and Automation in Construction, presented in various conferences, and won multiple best-paper awards. He has also many years of consulting/design experience in the area of information technology and has participated in several large-scale IT projects.

Ali started collaborating with the Center for Sensory Studies in 2011, investigating the topic of how to extend human senses by using intelligent sensors.