Traugott Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Bing Dong is splitting his time between Syracuse and Cambridge, Massachusetts, this fall. Professor Dong is spending the semester as a Visiting Scholar in Electrical Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).
An expert in grid-interactive efficient buildings and building energy performance, Dong is working with Harvard faculty to research AI agents for future smart buildings. AI technologies can optimize HVAC, electrical, lighting, and other building systems, lowering energy bills while ensuring the health and comfort of occupants.
Dong will be collaborating with Dr. Na Li, Winokur Family Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics at SEAS. Professor Li’s research focuses on the interplay between control and learning, studying potential applications of agentic and physical AI for engineering. Dong and Na will explore future opportunities for collaborative engineering research between Syracuse University and Harvard University.
Dong was also an invited speaker at the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities, a multidisciplinary research center affiliated with the Harvard Graduate School of Design. His lecture, Human, Cities, Nature: Zen and Engineering Nexus, explored the idea of buildings as living interfaces. Applying concepts of Zen philosophy to building science, Dong encouraged an occupant-centric approach to building design, operation, and optimization.
“It is my great honor to work with the world’s top engineers and mathematicians at Harvard University,” says Dong. “Using agentic AI, we will work together to advance the fields of building design and operation.”