Zhao honored with 2026 CANR Camden Endowed Teaching Award
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EmailDong Zhao, Ph.D., of the School of Planning, Design and Construction, will receive the Howard and Lili Camden Endowed Teacher/Scholar Award on May 6.
Dong Zhao, Ph.D., of the School of Planning, Design and Construction, will receive the Howard and Lili Camden Endowed Teacher/Scholar Award on May 6.
The Howard and Lili Camden Endowed Teacher/Scholar Award recognizes individuals with five or more years of teaching service in CANR who have developed innovative teaching methods, mentored in and out of the classroom and demonstrated instructional excellence, scholarly achievement and professional linkages.
Zhao, an associate professor and the graduate director of construction management, is known for advancing human-centered digital and smart construction through both teaching and applied research. Since joining Michigan State University, he has built MSU’s digital construction program and developed cornerstone courses in building information modeling and virtual design and construction. Over the past decade, these courses have prepared more than 700 students for the construction industry’s growing use of digital tools.
As a teacher-scholar, Zhao integrates his National Science Foundation-funded research on virtual collaboration, AI and data-driven computing into his curriculum and advising. His work connects digital data to real-world built environments, helping students understand how technology can improve energy efficiency, construction productivity, worker well-being and occupant health.
Students and alumni consistently describe Zhao as a career-shaping mentor. Many now working as BIM engineers and virtual design and construction managers credit his courses with giving them both the technical foundation and agile learning mindset needed to lead the industry through rapid technological change.
Beyond the classroom, Zhao directs the Human-Building Systems Laboratory and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers. His research is supported by agencies including the NSF, U.S. Department of Transportation, USDA, Economic Development Administration and Department of Defense. An NSF CAREER Award recipient, he also serves as chair of the ASCE Data Sensing and Analysis Committee and contributes widely as a reviewer for national and international research organizations.