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Safety Innovation and Intelligent Infrastructure (SI³) Lab

Building Smarter Systems.
Creating Safer Futures.

What We DoSafety, workforce development, and intelligent infrastructure research.
Construction professionals using wearable safety monitoring technology
About SI³ Lab

Ambitious Research,Impactful Work

The Lab develops and deploys innovative technologies that enhance safety, improve infrastructure performance, and enable sustainable and adaptive built environments.

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0+Papers Published
$0M+Research Grants
0+Team Members & Alumni
0Industry Partners
Our Mission

To advance the science and practice of safe, resilient, and intelligent infrastructure systems through cutting-edge research, transdisciplinary collaboration, and transformative education.

Our Vision

To be a leading research lab advancing safe, resilient, and intelligent infrastructure systems through innovation, collaboration, and education.

Our Values

Core Values

The principles that guide our research methodology,
student mentorship, and industry collaboration.

01

Safety Always

We place human safety at the center of every study. Our work targets hazard reduction, risk awareness, and safer environments across construction and infrastructure systems.

02

Research Excellence

We uphold high academic standards in study design, data collection, and analysis. Every project follows ethical guidelines and produces reliable, peer reviewed outcomes.

03

Innovation

We adopt modern technologies and data driven approaches to address safety and infrastructure challenges. Our research integrates sensing systems, analytics, and intelligent tools.

04

Collaboration

We work closely with researchers, industry partners, and public agencies. These partnerships strengthen relevance, expand perspective, and support shared problem solving.

05

Impact

We focus on outcomes with clear practical value. Our research supports decision making, policy development, and real world improvement in safety and sustainability.

Research Areas

Our multidisciplinary approach tackles the most pressing challenges in the built environment.

Safety

Innovation in Safety and Health Management

This research area harnesses emerging technologies and intelligent systems to predict risks, enhance safety, and prevent injuries in high-risk industries....

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Innovation in Safety and Health Management
Our Projects

Featured Research

All Projects
Ongoing

Workplace Safety and Health Training on Extreme Temperatures and Heat Stress Prevention for Construction Workers

Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Labor Role: Co-PI Project Duration: 09/2024 - 03/2025

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Ongoing

Bulk Regolith Technologies for Landing/Launch Pad Site Preparation and Blast Shield Construction

Funding Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Astroport Space Technologies Role: Co-PI Project Period: 01/2024 - 02/2026

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Ongoing

FW-HTF-R: US-Ireland R&D Partnership: ARISE: Assembly and Robotics Innovation in Steel Building Erection

Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF) Role: Co-PI Project Period: 11/2022 - 10/2026

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Publications

Recent Publications

All Publications
2026

Hybrid Simulation Framework for Autonomous Robotics Lunar Launch and Landing Pad Construction

Okonkwo, C., Awolusi, I., Shafique, S., Ximenes, S., Gorin, B., Redfield, J., Petersen, C.

Automation in Construction

2026

Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Automated Planning and Scheduling of Lunar Launch Pad Construction

Okonkwo, C., Awolusi, I., Bin-Shafique, S., Bhaganagar, K., Ximenes, S., Redfield, J., and Johnson, J.

Acta Astronautica

2026

Aligning Construction Engineering Education to Industry Needs: A Computational Thinking Approach with Sensing Technologies and Data Analytics

Khalid, M., Akanmu, A., Yusuf, A., Awolusi, I., and Murzi, H.

Journal of Civil Engineering Education

2026

ECERI: A Context-Aware Extension of REBA for Elevated Construction Ergonomic Risk

Lan, R. and Awolusi, I.

Journal of Safety Research

2025

Gaze-directed UAV-UGV Coordination Framework for On-site Quality Inspection of Precast Bridge Construction

Cai, J., Du, A., Awolusi, I.

Transportation Infrastructure Precast Innovation Center (TRANS-IPIC)

Life at the Lab

More than a workplace — a community driven by curiosity, collaboration, and purpose.

Mentorship

Mentorship & Growth

We foster a culture of mentorship where experienced researchers guide emerging scholars, helping them navigate academic challenges and develop professionally.

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Mentorship & Growth
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Laboratory equipment and facilities

Facilities & Tools

State-of-the-art equipment supporting our experimental and computational research.

  • Wearable Biosensors
  • Wearable Heart Rate Monitor
  • Wearable Air Quality Monitor
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Drone)
  • Laptops
All Facilities

Teaching & Courses

Equipping the next generation of engineers with skills in construction safety, automation, workforce development, and intelligent infrastructure.

All Courses
CE 462/562

Vertical Construction Methods

Introduces topics of vertical construction equipment and methods, design of vertical construction systems, and construction operation analys...

University of Alabama
CE 463/563

Construction Cost Estimating

Addresses the estimating and cost control function from conceptual planning through project execution. Topics include productivity analysis,...

University of Alabama
CE 464/564

Safety Engineering

Introduces topics of safety management and accident prevention, including state and federal laws related to general and construction project...

University of Alabama
CE 366

Introduction to Construction Engineering

Applies engineering economic principles to construction and engineering problems; construction management processes and methods in planning,...

University of Alabama

Gallery

A glimpse into our research environment, fieldwork, and lab activities.

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Construction site overview
Structural inspection
Safety monitoring
Site operations
Field research
Ibukun Gabriel Awolusi, Ph.D. - Lab Director

Ibukun Gabriel Awolusi, Ph.D.

Lab Director • SI³ Lab

The SI³ Lab combines engineering expertise with emerging technologies to address critical challenges in construction and infrastructure.

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Careers

Join Our Team

We are looking for passionate researchers, graduate students, and postdocs who want to make a difference in construction safety, workforce development, and intelligent infrastructure. Shape the future with us.

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Collaborate With Us

We are always looking for industry partners, academic collaborators, and motivated students to join our mission. Let’s safely build the future of infrastructure together.

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