Dr. Faria holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a Specialization in Operations Research and an M.S. in Systems Engineering, both from the University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA. He also earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello Caracas, Venezuela. Dr. Faria has been with Florida International University since 2006. Prior to his academic appointment at FIU, he served as Adjunct Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and Institute for Systems Research (ISR) at the University of Maryland College Park, MD USA and as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Kogod School of Business American University Washington D.C. USA. Dr. Faria’s portfolio of courses includes Estimating, Safety in Construction, Electrical and Mechanical Systems for Construction Managers, Management of Construction Projects, Productivity in Construction, Interdisciplinary Aspects of Housing, Quantitative Methods for IT Management, Multi-objective Optimization, Decision Analysis for Engineers, Life Cycle Cost Estimation, and Project Performance Measurements. Dr. Faria has served as Chair since 2018, prior to this appointment he served as Director of Industry Relations and faculty in the Construction Management Department at FIU. As the department leader, Dr. Faria believes in maintaining a positive collegial environment centered on trust and teamwork, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and individuals can express their opinions and beliefs without fear of retaliation. Since 2018 Dr. Faria has received over $4.7MM in a combination of grants ($3.5MM) and private funding ($1.2MM), $3.6MM of those as a PI. These grants include (2020) Rebuild Florida Workforce Recovery Training Program from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, PI (2019) Miami Community Ventures One Community One Goal Initiative The Beacon Council Economic Development Foundation, PI (2019) Florida Department of Education Pathways to Career Opportunities, Co-PI (2019) Dep. of Labor Susan Harwood Training Grant “Excavation & Trenching Hazards”, Co-PI (2018) Dep. of Labor Susan Harwood Training Grant “Electrical Hazards in Construction”, PI (2017) Dep. of Labor Susan Harwood Training Grant “Fall Prevention in Construction“ $150,000.