Tarek Rakha

Tarek Rakha is an Associate Professor of Architecture and Director of the High Performance Building Lab (HPBL) at Georgia Tech's College of Design. He also serves as Co-founder and CEO of Lamarr.AI, a startup commercializing his research. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Building Technology from MIT (2015) and prior faculty roles at Syracuse University before joining Georgia Tech in 2019. Rakha's work focuses on sustainable design, urban modeling, and building performance simulation, with a strong emphasis on underserved communities. His research, totaling $4M+ in federal/state funding, explores aerial data robotics for building diagnostics, urban energy sensing, and thermal comfort modeling.

Education Background:

• Ph.D. in Building Technology, MIT (2015)
• M.S. and B.S. in Architecture, Cairo University (2010, 2007)

Research Interests: He pioneers interdisciplinary approaches combining AI, drones, and computational methods to address environmental challenges. Key areas include:
- Thermal anomaly detection via capsule networks and YOLO models
- Inclusive urban energy modeling with socioeconomic data integration
- Climate-resilient native architectures and heritage preservation
- Energy efficiency in healthcare environments and retrofit programs.

Recent Projects: His work spans $7M+ in funded projects from NSF, DOE, ARPA-E, and corporate partners like Coca-Cola. Notable outputs include an open-source decarbonization framework and thermal comfort analysis tools for chemotherapy spaces. His drone-based envelope diagnostic systems have advanced non-destructive testing practices.

Awards & Impact: Recognized nationally with IBPSA-USA's Emerging Contributor Award (2023). His teaching excellence earned the 2022 Class of 1934 Award at Georgia Tech. Mentored DOE Solar Decathlon Grand Winner (2022) and led award-winning design competitions (AIA/ACSA 2019).

Lab & Outreach: The HPBL develops innovative solutions for energy-efficient urban systems. Rakha co-edited SimAUD conference proceedings as General Chair (2018) and Program Chair (2019). Public engagement includes active social media presence and LinkedIn networking.