Iris D. Tommelein

Lean construction, supply-chain management, materials management, logistics, design management, construction product and process engineering, digital twins, simulation.

Office Hours:

• To schedule a visit in person or on zoom, email Prof. T with proposed times to meet.
• For urgent matters between 8 AM and 5 PM Pacific Time call her on her cell 510 334-1753.

We will meet in person on campus but the specific location is to be determined, e.g., in the 345 Davis computer lab or at the tables near the Macchi Bears (which are to the east of McLaughlin hall, number 16 on this map).

Biography

Iris D. Tommelein is Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Project Management, in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UC Berkeley. She has been developing principles and methods of project-based production management for the architecture-engineering-construction (AEC) industry, what is termed Lean Construction. Her pioneering research in Lean Construction includes teaming up with design specialists, general- and specialty contractors, owners, and suppliers to increase process and product development performance. Her current research focuses on takt planning and applications of Industry 4.0 technologies.

Professor Tommelein is an expert on Lean Construction, site logistics, layout, operations and methods design, materials management, and supply-chain management. Her work involves computer-aided design, planning, scheduling, simulation, and visualization of construction processes, She is involved in developing digital twins and related decision-support systems, enabled through the use of information technology systems that leverage sensor data, heuristic- and mathematical optimization as well as artificial intelligence (AI), and graphical and interactive user interfaces.

Professor Tommelein served 4 years on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) Technical Council on Computing and Information Technology (TCCIT). She was a member of the TCCIT's Database and Information Management Committee, TCCIT's Expert Systems and Artificial Intelligence Committee. She is a member of the Construction Division's Construction Research Council. Professor Tommelein served as the Secretary General of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) until 2017. She served on the Board of Directors of the Lean Construction Institute until 2017.

Professor Tommelein is the recipient of the 2012 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers for her research on civil engineering computing for managing project-based production systems in the engineering-architecture-construction industry."

She received the 2014 Peurifoy Construction Research Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers "for her contributions in developing Lean Project Production theory, methods and tools, and for successfully disseminating these theories, methods and tools into multiple large, complex projects in the US and worldwide."

She was recognized with the Lean Pioneer Award 2015 from the Lean Construction Institute (LCI), as an individual (or organization) who has moved the design and construction industry forward in embracing and implementing Lean tools and techniques on capital projects.

In 2019, she was inducted into the National Academy of Construction (NAC). The NAC is one of the nation’s esteemed construction industry institutions characterized by its extensive and diverse expertise, proven leadership, and trusted judgment. The Academy elects its members based on nominations of recognized construction industry leaders. The mission of the NAC is to recognize and honor individuals for their distinguished contributions to the industry and to share this reservoir of expertise as a service to the nation.

Iris received the 2022 PPI Technical Achievement Award recognizing significant contributions and thought leadership in the area of Project Production Management and Operations Science theories as well as leadership in delivering tremendous value through application. PPI mentioned her great contributions to Lean Construction and her work as one of the four founders of Lean Construction Institute along with the late Greg Howell, Glenn Ballard, and Todd Zabelle.

Education

PhD - Civil Engineering (Construction Engineering and Management), Stanford University, 1989
MS - Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), Stanford University, 1989
MS - Civil Engineering (Construction Engineering and Management), Stanford University, 1985
Civil Engineer-Architect (5 year degree) - Free University Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Brussels, Belgium, 1984