Qian Chen, University of British Columbia

Research

Building Information Modeling (BIM)Circular Economy Enablers Construction Planning and Control Construction Supply Chain Management Construction Supply Chain Process Optimization Digital Platforms Information Communication Technologies Material Flow Processes

Latest funding

Agile robotic fabrication approach to facilitate rapid delivery of housing in Canada
NSERC · 2025 · Principal investigator
$119,200
Digital and responsive systems for construction supply chain integration and construction circular economy
NSERC · 2023 · Principal investigator
$64,000
Digital and responsive systems for construction supply chain integration and construction circular economy
NSERC · 2023 · Principal investigator
$12,500

All 4 grants and awards

Agile robotic fabrication approach to facilitate rapid delivery of housing in Canada

Principal investigatorNSERC2025Advantage

Principal investigators: Chen, Qian

Keywords: Engineering; Construction methods

$119,200

Digital and responsive systems for construction supply chain integration and construction circular economy

Principal investigatorNSERC2023Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Chen, Qian

Keywords: building information modeling (bim); construction supply chain management; construction planning and control; supply chain visibility and responsiveness; material flow processes; digital platforms; circular economy enablers; construction supply chain process optimization; stakeholder integration; information communication technologies

$64,000

Digital and responsive systems for construction supply chain integration and construction circular economy

Principal investigatorNSERC2023Discovery Launch Supplement

Principal investigators: Chen, Qian

$12,500

MICRO-BODD: A Miniaturized Intelligent Construction Robot for Optimal Building Operations and Defect Detection

Co-investigatorNSERC2022Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Zou, Zhengbo Z

Keywords: building science; computer vision; construction robots; human-robot interaction; life-cycle assesment; neuroscience; reinforcement learning

$789,960

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Mention their NSERC grant from 2025

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Building Information Modeling (BIM) Dear Professor Chen, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. Your research on building information modeling (bim) connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Agile robotic fabrication approach to facilitate rapid delivery of housing in Canada" (2025), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]