Our People
Faculty
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Dr. Charles J. Kibert - Professor & Director of Powell Center for Construction & Environment Office/Bldg: 342 RNK |
Charles J. Kibert is a Professor and Director of the Powell Center for Construction and Environment at the University of Florida. He is co-founder and President of the Cross Creek Initiative, a non-profit industry/university joint venture seeking to implement sustainability principles into construction. He is co-chair of the Curriculum and Accreditation Committee of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and helped create the first ever student chapter of the USGBC for which he serves as faculty advisor. His research interests include sustainable development and construction, deconstruction, environmental impacts of construction, construction and demolition (C&D) debris recycling, and construction ecology and metabolism . He was the lead author of the first edition of the highly successful publication "Greening Federal Facilities" available on the website of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (www.eren.doe.gov). He is the author of Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery (John Wiley & Sons, 2005). He was the editor of Reshaping the Built Environment (Island Press, 1999) and lead editor of Construction Ecology (Spon Press, 2002).
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Dr. Kevin Grosskopf - Center Affiliate Office/Bldg: 316 RNK |
Dr. Grosskopf is Director of the Center for Collective Protection, an organization dedicated to the protection of the built environment from natural and human-caused hazards. His research interests include mold, mycobacteria and biological IAQ hazards, windload and airblast protection, all-hazard building codes and technologies, offendor and societal response to anti-terrorism measures, hurricanes and manufactured housing, and ultra high pressure fire suppression. He is the author of over 40 articles, papers, and other publications on hazard mitigation, sustainable construction and related issues.
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Dr. Abdol Chini - Center Affiliate Office/Bldg: 306 RNK |
Dr. Chini is the Director of the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction and Is responsible for the strategic planning and all day-to-day operational aspects of the School. Teaches a graduate course in construction estimating. Also works to obtain research grants and perform research in deconstruction and materials reuse, sustainable construction, and concrete properties.
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Dr. Paul Oppenheim - Center Affiliate Office: RNK 315 |
EDUCATION: Ph.D., University of Maryland; MS and BS, University of Florida; Licensed Professional Engineer, Refrigeration Contractor and Home Building Contractor. SPECIAL FIELDS: Heating and Air Conditioning; Home- building. EMPLOYERS: North Carolina State University; Western North Carolina Refrigeration Service; National Association of Home Builders Research Center. MEMBER: American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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Dr. Esther Obonyo - Center Affiliate
Office: RNK 329 |
EDUCATION: Engineering Doctorate, Loughborough University, UK, 2004: Masters in Architectural Technology, University of Nottingham, UK, 2000; Bachelors Degree in Building Economics, University of Nairobi, Kenya, 1998. SPECIAL FIELDS: Construction Informatics, Building Technology, Quantity Surveying, Business Improvement, Innovation and Low Cost Housing Technology EMPLOYERS: Balfour Beatty Group, UK; Building Information Warehouse, UK; Loughborough University, UK; Dillingham International, Kenya; Nyara Consults, Kenya; Jabbal & Associates, Kenya. PUBLICATIONS: Several conference and refereed journal papers. MEMBER: BSC and BIAT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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Dr. Svetlana Olbina - Center Affiliate Office: RNK 322 |
EDUCATION: B. Arch., School of Architecture, University of Belgrade, 1990 M.S. Arch., School of Architecture, University of Belgrade, 2000 Ph.D. Building Construction, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2005 SPECIAL FIELDS: Performance of building envelopes, Curtain wall systems, Shading devices, Daylighting, Sustainable design and construction, Computer-aided design EMPLOYERS: Industry of Metal Constructions "Belgrade" in Belgrade, Yugoslavia; School of Architecture, University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. PUBLICATIONS: Various papers on performance of the building envelopes, curtain-wall systems, and sustainability. MEMBER: Sigma Lambda Chi, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Society of Building Science Educators ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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PhD Students
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Jim Sullivan Ph. D. Student in Building Construction, University of Florida Master in Building Construction, University of Florida 2001 Master of Arts in Mass Communications, University of Florida 1990 Bachelor of Science in Advertising, University of Florida 1988 |
Jim is currently a fulltime Ph. D. student in the M.E. Rinker, Sr., School of Building Construction at the University of Florida. Jim's area of interest is sustainable development and construction. He is also a USGBC LEED accredited professional. His construction experience includes project management for Clark Construction and Hines, Inc.
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Nye Grant Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning, University of Florida (2003) Bachelor of Arts in Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine (1999) |
Nye is a full-time PhD student in the school of Building Construction. His research interests are geared toward lessening the environmental impact of buildings in connection with the flows of energy, materials and waste.
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Donna Isaacs
Office/Bldg: 341 RNK |
Donna is a research assistant majoring in construction management. She is executive director of The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, Inc. in East Gainesville, which is restoring a World War II structure moved to Gainesville in 1946. The Cotton Club was used as a movie theatre and social club for African Americans during the period of segregation. Donna is president of the US Green Building Council's UF chapther and a member of the Society of Leaders in Construction and the National Association of Women in Construction.
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Grad Students
Coming soon!
