Rebecca Kassa earned her BSc in civil engineering in 2016 from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and her master’s degree in civil engineering in 2019 from Pan African University, Kenya. Currently, she is a PhD student in construction engineering and management at the University of Kansas, where she is studying optimization of team dynamics on design and construction projects and also is pursuing a graduate certificate in educational psychology. Her work seeks to optimize team performances by assessing human personality, behavioral diagnostics, and emotional intelligence appraisals. She looks forward to contributing research that improves project outcomes, increases productivity, and reduces risks in the construction industry. Her ambition is to build an internationally known research program for construction team studies. At Kansas, she is president of the Architectural Engineering Institute, delivering an invited presentation at the organization’s annual conference as well as at the Associated Schools of Construction Conference. Along with her team, she has prepared eight journal articles and seven conference proceedings. Nine of them have been published, accepted, or publicized, and the remaining six are under review. Kassa believes diverse opinions contribute to vibrant academic dialogues, encourage creativity, and improve problem-solving abilities, and she is excited to create an inclusive curriculum that represents various perspectives.

Research Interests

Teamwork Optimization in Design and Construction