Zahra Ghorbani

Zahra Ghorbani earned her Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering (Construction focus) from Penn State in August 2025, where her research focused on leveraging digital twins for facility operations and maintenance. While at Penn State, she also served as the BIM manager at the Office of Physical Plant. She is now a post-doctoral researcher at Georgetown University, continuing her work in advancing digitalization in the AECO industry. Zahra’s research interests include digital twins, automation and robotics, and immersive technologies aimed at improving processes and efficiency. She has received multiple honors, including the 2023 Future Leaders Award from the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). Zahra holds a B.E. in Architectural Engineering from Shahid Beheshti University and an M.S. in Construction Management from Texas A&M University. She is actively involved in digital twin industry initiatives in organizations such as NIBS and Coalition for Smarter Buildings (C4SB). You can connect with her through her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahraghorbaniae/