Alex Donkers

Alex Donkers is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology, working within the Information Systems in the Built Environment group as part of the Design and Decision Support Systems research program. His research is conducted in close collaboration with KPN within the SmartTWO initiative and broader KPN+Universities collaboration.

Dr. Donkers obtained his MSc in Construction Management and Engineering cum laude in 2019, following his BSc in Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences in 2017, both from Eindhoven University of Technology. After professional experience at Sweco, he returned to academia for doctoral research on semantic web technologies and digital twins within the SmartTWO Flagship Telecom project. He currently works as a postdoctoral researcher in the ITEA4 FireBIM project focused on harmonizing fire regulations across European borders using semantic technologies.

His research interests span multiple interconnected domains within the digital transformation of the built environment:

• Linked building data and semantic web technologies
• Semantic digital twins for building environments
• Occupant-centric decision-making and indoor comfort modeling
• Sensors, IoT, and building performance analytics
• Neuro-symbolic AI applications in the built environment
• Smart cities infrastructure and urban mobility systems

Alex chairs the W3C Linked Building Data Community Group and co-organizes LDAC (Linked Data in Architecture and Construction). He teaches and supervises MSc and EngD students at TU/e and has served as a visiting researcher at Ruhr-University Bochum. His scholarly work has been published in high-impact journals including Automation in Construction, Semantic Web Journal, and Building and Environment.

As an open-source contributor, Alex has developed tools like LBDviz and ontologies including BOP and OFO. His Vertigo building case study demonstrates how integrated data from diverse sources can create knowledge graphs supporting advanced data mining for building performance optimization. His current research focuses on bridging the gap between theoretical building design and actual occupant experience through innovative digital twin applications that combine data integration, semantic technologies, and machine learning.