The Department of Technology (TEC) is excited to welcome two new faculty members for the upcoming fall 2025 semester. Dr. Heba Elgazzar will join the Computer Science Technology program, and Dr. Xi Hu will be part of the Construction Management program.
Elgazzar recently left her faculty position at Morehead University in Kentucky to bring her expertise in teaching and research to our community. She explains, “I chose Illinois State University (ISU) deliberately because it offers the ideal blend of teaching, scholarship, and community engagement that resonates deeply with my academic values.”
Elgazzar’s scholarship has diverse applications and is widely published, including works on improving road safety through the prediction of pedestrian movements and other hazards, improving predictions for various financial systems, facial recognition, and more. She has also worked on many lucrative grants, creating software to help the visually impaired identify emotions and recognize objects, and research on cybersecurity, among others.
Elgazzar has also been awarded many times in her distinguished career, including the following: winning the Dean’s Citation for Excellence in Research at Morehead State University; winning the Best Paper award at the Institute of electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) 2023 Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference and another Best Paper Award from IEEE at their World AI IoT Conference in 2022. IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology, and has also recently elevated Elgazzar to Senior Membership, an honor bestowed only on those who have made significant contributions to the profession, and is the highest grade for which IEEE members can apply.
Elgazzar is looking forward to contributing meaningfully to the intellectual and academic growth of her students. “I’m particularly excited about engaging with students in the classroom where I can foster critical thinking, curiosity, and a sense of scholarly rigor,” she said. She is also grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, noting, “I see great potential to build on interdisciplinary research initiatives with joint projects, publications, and perhaps even new curriculum development that reflects emerging trends in our field.”
Outside of work, Elgazzar is an avid reader on a variety of topics for both professional enrichment and pleasure. Most important to her, however, is her family. She has two sons, one currently in medical school and another a recent college graduate, both of whom make her incredibly proud. They stay in close contact with her, speaking every day. “Those conversations are some of the best parts of my day,” she adds, “They keep me grounded, inspired, and sometimes even teach me new things, which I love.”
Hu comes to us fresh from earning his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, but TEC staff and faculty remember him from when he was working on his M.S. in project management here from 2018 to 2020. Hu acknowledges the special connection: “ISU has cultivated and elevated me to who I am. Working at ISU is a privilege for me as it is my way of giving back to an institution that I deeply love.” Hu also chose ISU for practical reasons, wanting to work for a place that invests in STEM education and has a strong commitment to excellence in both teaching and research.
Hu’s research interests include construction automation, robotics, and data sensing and analytics, aiming to enhance and enrich the management of built assets (e.g., bridges, buildings, and pavements) and the construction workforce based on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, internet of things, and digital twins. He has won multiple awards, including his recent Doctoral Excellence Award and Honorable Mention in the Three Minute Thesis competition in 2025 from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
There are many things Hu is looking forward to in this position. “I am most looking forward to contributing to a collaborative and innovative academic environment at TEC,” he said, “I feel grateful and excited about the opportunity to engage with our talented students in the classroom, helping them connect theory with real-world applications and boost innovative mindsets.” Hu is also planning to expand and deepen his interdisciplinary research in Next-Gen Construction Automation by collaborating with faculty across many different TEC programs.
Outside of work, Hu loves to spend time with his dog, basketball, and fishing. He tends to go fishing once or twice a week with friends during the summer. He especially loves the ocean, having grown up in a coastal area.
