Prof. Nemkumar BANTHIA of The University of British Columbia, Canada, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Toward Carbon-Neutral Cities: Sensors and Cyber-Physical Networks for Green Infrastructure” on 17 December 2025. The event attracted over 90 in-person participants and an online audience of more than 17,900 across various social media platforms.
Prof. Banthia commenced his presentation by emphasising the contribution of construction and building operations to global carbon emissions, and the urgent need for data-driven mitigation strategies. He cited statistics indicating that the built environment accounts for at least 51% of annual global CO2 emissions. He warned that, if current practices persist and no action is taken, many regions—including Vancouver—could be submerged by 2100. He then explored how sensor networks underpin the digital economy and facilitate the transition towards smarter, greener, and more energy-efficient urban systems.
Prof. Banthia further highlighted the role of environmental and occupancy sensors in optimising building performance, enhancing user comfort, and reducing operational carbon. He discussed how advancements in machine learning, such as edge computing, data integration, and cloud platform updates, enable more accurate real-time detection. He explained that digital twins of building energy systems support data-driven modelling, operational forecasting and control, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, and multi-objective optimisation of building systems.
The lecture continued with an overview of sensor technologies for assessing structural integrity, extending service life, and reducing embodied carbon through informed maintenance and retrofitting. Prof. Banthia underscored the importance of real-time monitoring and predictive analytics for anticipating and mitigating both natural and human-induced hazards, citing a case study of damage monitoring to a university building in Chile following the 2010 earthquake. He proposed integrated frameworks that combine operational, structural, and resilience monitoring for holistic carbon management and enhanced infrastructure performance. He also reviewed significant datasets obtained from currently monitored structures, assessing their implications for carbon reduction, safety, and resilience.
In conclusion, Prof. Banthia introduced emerging approaches for leveraging sensor data, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twins to enable carbon-neutral, smart, and resilient infrastructure systems. He stressed that digital infrastructure equipped with Internet-of-things (IoT) enabled sensors represents the future—enabling minimised life-cycle costs, prudent asset management, and carbon neutrality. He noted that substantial data are essential for machine learning and AI to reach their full potential.
After the presentation, Ir Prof. POON Chi-sun, Director of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), moderated a dynamic question-and-answer session. The audience participated actively in a thoughtful exchange with Prof. Banthia.
Please click here for an online review.
| Topics | PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series |
|---|---|
| Research Units | PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research |
Prof. Nemkumar BANTHIA
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and Canadian Academy of Engineering
University Killam Professor, Distinguished University Scholar, and Senior Canada Research Chair of The University of British Columbia, Canada
CEO and Scientific Director, Canada–India Research Centre of Excellence
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Cement and Concrete Composites
Nemkumar (Nemy) Banthia is a University Killam Professor, Distinguished University Scholar and Canada Research Chair at The University of British Columbia. His primary area of research is in Carbon-Neutral Concrete Infrastructure and Use of Sensors for Infrastructure Management. A mentor to many, Dr Banthia has graduated over 75 doctoral and post-doctoral students. He holds 9 patents, has published over 500 refereed papers, and has edited 30 volumes. He serves on the Editorial Boards of nine international journals and is the Editor-in-Chief of the J. of Cement and Concrete Composites— a journal with a 2024 Impact Factor of 13.8. His awards include the Wason Medal of American Concrete Institute, Solutions Through Research Award of the BC Innovation Council, Wolfson Merit Award of the Royal Society of the UK, Killam Research Prize from the Killam Foundation, Horst Leipholz Medal of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, Mufti Medal of Excellence of the International Society for Health Monitoring of Infrastructure, and Global Citizenship Award of alumni-UBC. In 2020, IIT-Delhi recognized him with a Distinguished Alumni Award, and March 2022, Dr Banthia received the Jacob Biely Faculty Research Prize which is regarded as UBC’s premier award for research across all disciplines. Having received the Dean’s Medal of Distinction from the Faculty of Applied Science, UBC, in January 2023, UBC appointed Dr Banthia as the University Killam Professor, which is the highest honor UBC can confer on a member of its faculty.
Prof. Banthia has Distinguished Visiting Professor appointments at Princeton University, USA; Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India; and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong.
Prof. Banthia is a fellow of the American Concrete Institute, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, Indian Concrete Institute, Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), and the Royal Society of Canada.
You may also like
