The following position is now available in BCT:

• Title: Assistant Professor – Construction Management / Advanced Building Technology
• Executive Area: Academic Affairs
• College/School/MBU: College of Natural Sciences
• Department: Environmental Conservation
• Work Location: Amherst
• Schedule: Full Time
• Work Arrangement: Onsite

Job Summary

The Building and Construction Technology (BCT) program in the Department of Environmental Conservation (ECO) at UMass Amherst (https://www.umass.edu/bct/) seeks applications for a full-time (9-month academic-year) tenure-track appointment as Assistant Professor in Construction Management with an appointment breakdown of 40% research, 40% teaching, and 20% service.

We are seeking talented applicants qualified for an assistant professor position. Under exceptional circumstances, highly qualified candidates at other ranks may receive consideration. The earliest start date is September 1, 2027.

The position emphasizes rigorous research approaches and active learning strategies. Candidates must care deeply about educating about the sustainable built environment and be a teacher, mentor, and scientist whose broad interests support pedagogies that help students analyze and solve complex problems in the built environment and in a global context.

Essential Functions

Candidates with backgrounds and research experience in any of the following (or related) areas are encouraged to apply:

• Construction automation and robotics
• Advanced digital construction management systems
• BIM and data-driven construction
• Digital twins for the built environment
• Drones, photogrammetry, VR/AR
• Integrated building design and construction execution
• Construction risk assessment
• Construction project controls and economics
• Construction safety management
• Construction cost and estimating
• Lean construction
• AI and machine learning in construction

These topics supplement our current research and teaching directions that center on building materials and structures, building science and energy, and construction processes. Across these areas, candidates may also demonstrate how construction management and digital tools can support sustainable and high-performance project delivery, including applications such as material tracking, construction verification, performance monitoring, and data-informed decision-making. As a result, the applicant will have many opportunities to collaborate with other BCT faculty, as well as faculty from engineering, architecture, business, and other groups like UMass Air (for drones) or the VR/AR group.

The successful candidate will teach at least two three-credit courses per year, including relevant courses such as:

• Construction project control
• Construction cost management
• Construction risk management
• Construction automation and robotics
• Construction heavy equipment
• Construction safety management
• Preconstruction management
• Lean construction
• Artificial intelligence applications in construction
• VDC/BIM for construction management
• Plans and specifications

Service responsibilities include student mentoring and supervision; maintaining student academic record files; interacting with the Registrar’s Office and the honors program to manage degree requirements; and related activities, as well as student recruiting. Work outside of regular hours (2-3 times per semester) may be required to assist with recruitment and other student-focused activities.

Other Functions

Work collaboratively and effectively to promote teamwork, equality and inclusiveness.

Work in partnership with colleagues within the CNS community and across the campus to support the Dean’s strategic priorities.

Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and goals of the College of Natural Sciences.

Minimum Qualifications

Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in Construction Management, Construction Engineering, Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering (applied to Construction Management), or a closely related discipline by the appointment start date. Proficiency in information technology and construction software is essential, as well as a passion for environmental stewardship in the built environment.

Candidates should have relevant research experience and a publication record. Although a proven ability to secure funding is preferred, it is not required. Candidates must be willing to pursue external funding and collaborative proposals with agencies such as NSF, DOTs, DoE, NIST, state agencies, and industry consortia, and to assemble multidisciplinary research teams. A candidate should demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills, preferably with university teaching experience, along with an aptitude for interdisciplinary problem solving.

Strong applicants will demonstrate depth in one or more areas, an ability to integrate emerging digital approaches with core Construction Management workflows, and a clear trajectory for future research and teaching. This may be reflected through how candidates connect these strengths to project controls, coordination, quality, performance, and other construction-management decisions in both their teaching and research.

The successful candidate will be creative and demonstrate a team-player attitude. They must have an understanding and interest in the sensitive integration of built and natural environments. In addition to serving Building and Construction Technology, the candidate will also interface with the departments of Architecture, and Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning, and the College of Engineering, so an interdisciplinary mindset is important. The successful candidate will serve, as do all other faculty, as a mentor to minorities and other underrepresented groups within the Department. UMass Amherst places special emphasis on faculty-student interaction and a commitment to teach and attract a diverse student body.

Additional Details

Building and Construction Technology (BCT) is one of the programs in the Department of Environmental Conservation (ECO) within the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) and the School of Earth and Sustainability at UMass Amherst. We are co-located with the Departments of Architecture, and Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning in the UMass Olver Design Building, a nationally acclaimed sustainable mass-timber building on the Amherst campus.

BCT provides undergraduate and graduate education in construction management, sustainable building systems, advanced building products, and building science. Our program conducts research in these fields and has physical labs for wood mechanics, building science, and construction technology. We also host the world’s first Trimble Technology Lab.

The ECO department hosts a multi-disciplinary group of faculty with nationally ranked programs in Building and Construction Technology, Natural Resources Conservation, Environmental Science, and Sustainability Science. Our department has an established culture of collegiality and collaboration between faculty, students, staff, industry, and industry/government partners. We commonly teach interdisciplinary classes and share a fundamental commitment to serving a diverse student body and the broader public.
UMass Amherst is part of the Five College Consortium in the beautiful Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, with excellent social, cultural, and recreational amenities in a town and rural setting. We are 2 hours from Boston, 3 hours from New York City, and 4.5 hours from Montreal.

At UMass Amherst and in CNS, we strive to be a community where every individual feels a sense of belonging, where every individual is included, and where every individual is valued. These values and goals are reflected in the College of Natural Sciences’ Inclusive Excellence framework and in the UMass Amherst’s For the Common Good: 2024–2034 Strategic Plan.

This position is subject to final budgetary and administrative approval.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in a standard office or indoor university environment and involves minimal physical exertion.

Work Schedule and Work Arrangement

Anticipated start date of September 1, 2027.

Monday – Friday, 40 hours a week.

Salary Information

The University expects to pay within an approximate range between $79,350 and $119,014 for this position. Please note:

The low end of this range is based on the minimum salary for the rank included in the collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Massachusetts Society of Professors, UMass Amherst/MTA/NEA. The high-end of the pay range reflects an increase above the median salaries at this rank within the department for faculty who may have multiple years of faculty experience. The specific pay for this position will be determined by the University based on consideration of all relevant factors, including faculty rank and required relevant certifications, when and if it decides to extend an offer of employment.

Special Instructions for Applicants

Applicants must submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research and teaching statements, along with the contact details of three references. They are also encouraged to include a list of courses they are interested in teaching.

Search questions can be addressed to: Ho-Sung Kim, Search Chair, kimhs@umass.edu. Applicants should apply by the priority deadline of December 1, 2026, to ensure consideration.

This position will remain open for the time period required by any applicable collective bargaining agreement and will continue until a suitable candidate pool is identified. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early.

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The series begins on September 21 with Edward Godek, Director of Marketing at Rex Lumber Company, presenting From UMass to the Hardwood Industry: Markets, Materials, and a 30-Year Journey. Drawing on three decades of experience, Godek will discuss the evolution of hardwood markets and the role of wood products in today’s industry. 

On October 19, Charles D. Myers, Vice President of Construction at HYM Investment Group, will present Construction Management: The Ultimate Team Sport, highlighting the collaborative nature of managing large-scale construction projects. 

The November 2 lecture will feature Tolya Stonorov, author and professor of architecture at Norwich University, who will explore Design Build: A Framework for Material Craft & Community Engagement. Her presentation will examine how design-build approaches can strengthen connections between construction, craftsmanship, and community impact. 

The series concludes on November 23 with Ted Mendoza, Capital Project Manager at the University of Massachusetts, presenting Decarbonizing UMass: A Facilities-Based Perspective. Mendoza will discuss campus efforts to address sustainability and reduce carbon emissions through facilities planning and infrastructure improvements. 

All events will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. and are free and open to all students, faculty, professionals, and community members interested in the future of the built environment. Additional information is available at umass.edu/bct/lectures. 

Attendees can get continuing education credits (AIA/USGBC). Zoom options will be available, too.

Want to get notified when these are? Sign up for our email list.

Lectures are free and open to all.

You can find the calendar entries for these also on our Calendar page.

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Congratulations to our newly minted Building and Construction Technology graduates in the #UMassAmherst #ClassOf2026!

Graduates of the Building and Construction Technology (BCT) program at UMass Amherst have demonstrated exceptional resilience, creativity, and a strong commitment to advancing sustainable and innovative practices in the built environment. Through rigorous academic work and hands-on field experience, this year’s graduates are well prepared to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving industry. The department takes great pride in their accomplishments and looks forward to the meaningful contributions they will make as professionals, leaders, and agents of change.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026, and welcome to a growing and dynamic network of BCT alumni.

For more images and a full class listing, visit the page linked below. We also have more images and videos posted on Facebook.

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The annual Environmental Conservation awards picnic is traditionally where we honor the current year’s group of BCT award and scholarship recipients. This is always an exciting part of the academic year because we can shine a light on outstanding student achievements and provide scholarship support for our well-deserving students.

The complete list of the 2025-26 award and scholarship winners is shown below the image and more pictures from the event can be found at the end of this post and here.

Congratulations to all the recipients!!! We are tremendously proud of you all!!!

2025-26 Award Recipients

BCT Outstanding Senior Award

Brennan Ibbitson

Associated General Contractors of Western Massachusetts: Building and Construction Technology Endowment

Ana Guaman, Cadighan Gladu

Building and Construction Technology Alumni Scholarship for Academic Merit

Lucas Oles

Building and Construction Technology Alumni Scholarship for Leadership

Brennan Ibbitson

Harry L. Folsom Award from the Donald B. Hyde Memorial Scholarship Fund

D’jackyna Celestin

Harry and Virginia Braconier Scholarship

Tom Peti

Henry E. Zottoli Memorial Scholarship

TJ Michel, John Bowler

Gallery

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Our BCT Summer 2026 online courses are now available on UMass University+. These are open to you whether you are a matriculated student or not and can provide valuable skills as well as credits towards your major or minor. Want to complete a BCT Minor? You can use these courses for that.

Available Courses:

Energy Efficient Housing (BCT 211)

Energy conservation in contemporary residential construction. Emphasis on: energy efficient building materials, products and construction technology; alternative energy sources; passive solar design; environmental concerns, regulatory issues and building codes.

Construction Estimating (BCT 314)

Any successful building construction project relies on accurate and consistent cost estimates. This course provides students with the skills and background to perform construction estimating, bidding, and cost management. Lectures will cover quantity take-off from construction documents and estimate costs for material, labor, equipment, overhead, and profit. Students are required to prepare and submit a formal bid which details an estimate for a building construction project. Furthermore, students will also be introduced to leading construction estimating software utilized in the construction industry.

Introduction to CAD & BIM in Construction & Architecture (BCT 320)

This course provides students with a broad introduction into Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) with a focus on construction- and architecture-specific applications. By using industry-standard AEC software (such as Autodesk AutoCAD, Trimble SketchUp, and Autodesk Revit) in hands-on exercises, assignments and projects, students gain the capability to model construction projects and create and distribute industry-standard architectural drawings.

Construction Project Management (BCT 353)

Introduces business concepts to students interested in design and fabrication of structures. Managing a project, contracts, marketing, scheduling, personnel, leadership, interpersonal communication, human behavior, finance, budgeting, ethical and legal considerations.

Sustainable Building & LEED Certification (BCT 414 & ECO 614)

The LEED Professional Credentials indicate professional excellence and a strong depth of knowledge as well as practical understanding of the LEED Rating Systems and how they apply to the high-performance design and construction of the built environment. Preparing to take the LEED Green Associate and AP exams requires more than taking one course; it is a process that involves acquisition of disciplinary knowledge and understanding of complex building and environmental systems. This course introduces core concepts of the USGBC LEED Rating Systems and assists students in study and preparation for the LEED Green Associate exam.

Construction Internships (BCT 398 & 498)

Matriculated BCT students can get credit for their internships by following the instructions on this page.

Enroll by May 8!

Find more information and enroll at: umass.edu/universityplus/classes/explore/summer-2026

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BCT is this year again offering a summer pre-college program for high-schoolers that are interested in construction and in finding out how to make buildings sustainable! Rising 10th–12th graders get a feel for what college is like while earning two (2) college credits that can be applied towards the Building and Construction Technology Program (BCT) at UMass, or others. Enroll NOW to save your child’s spot in these exciting programs!

BCT’s Sustainable Building Lab

Discover how buildings shape the world – and how to make them better!

Join us for two action-packed weeks at UMass Amherst where high school students will dive into the world of building design, construction, and sustainability. This isn’t just sitting in a classroom – it’s about designing, building, and exploring the future of the built environment.

This pre-college course is dedicated to investigating sustainability in the Built Environment with a series of hands-on activities that will explore: 

• Digital design using the computer-aided design (CAD) software Sketchup
• Energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings
• Water conservation strategies
• Sustainable material uses in contemporary buildings
• How the UMass campus incorporates elements of sustainability
• Analyzing buildings for sustainability and identifying solutions that address any shortcomings

Daily activities will include short field trips to a variety of locations, including sustainable material manufacturers, various recently built campus buildings, the UMass Power Plant, a Living Building, and the Trimble Technology Lab. Other locations on campus will illustrate energy efficiency, water conservation, and material use and disposal will be explored.

Throughout this program, we will explore the issues of sustainability and resilience from the perspective of the built environment. This will consist of a series of experiential learning exercises where students are exposed to examples of sustainability on campus and locations that are a short drive away. This program will examine the built environment and how humans interact with it.

When? July 12 – 25, 2026

Where? This course is offered at the UMass Amherst campus with commuter and residential options available.

Instructor: Michael McNally

The post Sign up now for our Summer 2026 Pre-College Program: BCT’s Sustainable Building Lab appeared first on Building and Construction Technology.

Invest one year into exploring a facet of sustainable construction that is most interesting and intriguing to you. Our professional, course-only Master’s program allows you to do that! Or consider our part-time graduate certificate if you are not ready to commit to a full graduate prgram. For those wishing to advance their academic career, we are also offering research M.S. and Ph.D. prgrams.

Professional Master’s (M.S.):

A professional Master’s (M.S.), which allows students to complete a graduate coursework-based direction of study that does not include research or a thesis. This degree usually takes 1-2 years to complete.

Learn More: Professional Master’s (M.S.)

Research Master’s (M.S.) or Ph.D.:

A research Master’s (M.S.), which centers on a research thesis project and combines it with graduate coursework. This degree usually takes 2-3 years to complete.

A doctoral degree (Ph.D.) with its main focus on an independent, advanced dissertation research topic. Course requirements are set mainly by the advisory committee. This degree usually takes 3-5 years to complete.

Learn More: Research Master’s (M.S.) and Ph.D.

All of these are offered through the “Sustainable Building Systems” concentration of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s graduate program.

Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Building Construction:

Not sure yet if a Master’s or PhD is for you? You can start in our Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Building Construction (one course at a time) and decide later whether you want to count all credits towards our Master’s program.

Learn More: Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Building Construction

Apply Now!

Applications are accepted until March 1st for the Fall semester. Deadline for Spring semester starts is October 1st.

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Peggi L. Clouston and Alexander C. Schreyer, professors in the Building and Construction Technology program at UMass Amherst and experts in wood engineering, have written a comprehensive new book, “Mass Timber: Materials, Design, and Construction,” an extensive 576-page volume that serves as a one-stop resource for the rapidly evolving field of mass timber construction.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, the book arrives at a critical time as the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry increasingly turns to sustainable wood products to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment.

Clouston and Schreyer’s book bridges the gap between traditional timber knowledge and modern engineering, covering a wide array of topics essential for students and professionals alike, including:

• Sustainability: Exploration of the climate-related benefits of wood and forest health
• Material Science: In-depth technical details on Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), Glulam, and structural composite lumber
• Practical Design: Guidance on building codes, gravity and lateral loads, and complex connection detailing
• Construction Excellence: Insights into procurement, risk management, and on-site hoisting and storage.

The book also features detailed case studies of pioneering projects, including the John W. Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst, one of the most technologically advanced CLT buildings in the United States.

“We designed this to be both a classroom companion and a valuable desk reference,” says Clouston. “It includes many illustrative examples to make the material relevant for current practitioners as well as the next generation of builders.

For more information about the book, or to order copies, visit the John Wiley & Sons website.

View the entire news item on the UMass News site…

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The start of a new semester brings with it a new series of public lectures. We are happy to announce the four speakers mentioned below, who will present on various current topics in the built environment as part of our Spring 2026 BCT Lecture Series.

All lectures are open to the public and are held on Mondays from 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm in the Olver Design Building Room 170. Attendees can get continuing education credits (AIA/USGBC). Zoom options will be available, too.

Want to get notified when these are? Sign up for our email list.

Speakers:

Consigli Construction: Applied Construction Fundamentals

Scott Drumm, Project Manager, Thomas Duszlak, Senior Project Superintendent
02.09.26 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170

CORA Structural: Curiosity, Collaboration, & Carbon-Conscious Thinking

Michael Gryniuk. P.E., Founder and Principal of CORA Structural
04.06.26 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170

Construction Challenges and Solutions in Polar Environments

David Malpas, Construction Manager, Antarctic Support Contract
03.30.26 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170

Tools of the Trade for Building Diagnostics

Kohta Ueno, Principal, Building Science Corporation
04.27.26 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170

Lectures are free and open to all.

You can find the calendar entries for these on our Calendar page.

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November 13 was moving day at the DesignBuild Site at UMass Amherst—which means that three giant flat-bed trucks and three enormous tow trucks, plus a crane and a crew of a dozen hard-hatted operators to manage it, were ready for work. Instead of people moving into a house, though, moving day for the undergraduate and graduate DesignBuild students means lifting the small, high-performance, high-efficiency house they built over the course of a year off its blocks, hoisting it 40 feet in the air, placing it gently on those flatbeds, driving it down to its final resting place in Holyoke, and then putting it back together so that it can become the permanent home of one of the many Holyokers currently facing housing insecurity.

Read the full UMass News story here…

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