2026
Real-world evaluation of automated defect detection in masonry bridges using 360° imagery with machine learning.
Sen, A., Sun, Q., Wu, S. & Talebi, S. · Construction Innovation · doi:10.1108/CI-08-2025-0377
// profile
Professor Song Wu
Associate Dean for Research at Nottingham Trent University. Researching how reality computing, AI, and immersive technology reshape the way we design, build, and maintain infrastructure.
// about
Academic leadership grounded in industry experience.
Internationally recognised researcher in digital construction with a career spanning project quantity surveying in Shanghai and Singapore to professorial leadership in the UK. Currently Associate Dean for Research and REF 2029 lead for C13 (Architecture and Built Environment) at NTU; previously Professor in Surveying & IT and Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning at the University of Huddersfield.
Long-term research partner of Network Rail since 2019, having built the multi-phase Panoptic Bridge Management programme from pilot to national deployment. Established Phidias Lab (250 m² VR/AR/MR facility) at Huddersfield.
$ cat qualifications.txt
2007PGCert · Higher Education Practice & Research · University of Salford
2004PhD · IT tool for construction process management · University of Salford
2000MSc · IT in Construction · University of Salford
—FCIOB · Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building
—FHEA · Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
// focus
Where technology meets the built environment.
reality computing
ai for infrastructure
bridge intelligence
xr training
digital twins
uav capture
// projects · 2020–2028
Active and recent research grants.
Ten projects spanning bridge management, defect detection, digital twin deployment and immersive technology.
$ ls projects/ --since=2020 --sort=year --reverse
2026–28PI · Maritime Infrastructure Inspection by Autonomous Sensing & AI · Innovate UK · NTU £156,081
2025–26PI · Structure Health Management (Asset Visualiser Deployment) — Nest Integration · Network Rail R&D · NTU £150,000
2025–26PI · Panoptic Bridge Management (Phase 2) · Network Rail R&D · NTU £263,000
2025–26PI · Railway Lineside Cable Failure Prediction · Network Rail R&D · £63,824
2024–26PI · IDSES — Intelligent Digital Structure Examination · Innovate UK KTP · £212,249
2022–26PI · EPSRC Industrial Case Studentship · EPSRC + Network Rail · £114,485
2022–25PI · Panoptic Bridge Management (Asset Visualiser) · Network Rail R&D · £700,000 (NTU £383,000)
2022–23PI · In2Track3 — Bridge Health Monitoring (optical) · EU / Network Rail · £135,800
2021–22PI · Panoptic Bridge Management — surface defects detection · Network Rail · NTU £101,000
2018–22Co-I · None in Three Research Centre (WP3 lead) · AHRC · £900,000
// publications · 2020–2026
Ten selected outputs.
2025
Masonry bridge inspection using point cloud data and 360-degree images: a case study on railway bridges.
Sen, A., Wu, S. & Talebi, S. · J. Performance of Constructed Facilities (ASCE) · doi:10.1061/JPCFEV.CFENG-4871
2025
Infrastructure automated defect detection with machine learning: a systematic review.
Talebi, S., Wu, S., Sen, A., Zakizadeh, N., Sun, Q. & Lai, J. · Int. J. Construction Management · doi:10.1080/15623599.2025.2491622
2025
Systematic literature review of condition assessment of buried infrastructure: techniques and future direction.
Wu, S. & Talebi, S. · Built Environment Project & Asset Management · doi:10.1108/BEPAM-08-2024-0205
2022
Digitally enhanced visual inspection framework for masonry bridges in the UK.
Talebi, S., Wu, S., Al-Adhami, M., Shelbourn, M. & Serugga, J. · Construction Innovation 22(3): 624–646 · doi:10.1108/CI-10-2021-0201
2021
Blockchain and the Internet of Things for the construction industry: research trends and opportunities.
Elghaish, F., Hosseini, M.R., Matarneh, S., Talebi, S., Wu, S. et al. · Automation in Construction 132:103942 · doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103942
2021
Developing a new deep learning CNN model to detect and classify highway cracks.
Elghaish, F., Talebi, S., Abdellatef, E., Matarneh, S.T., Hosseini, M.R., Wu, S. et al. · J. Engineering, Design & Technology · doi:10.1108/JEDT-04-2021-0192
2021
Cost management-based BIM: skills, implementation and teaching map.
Talebi, S. & Wu, S. · Book chapter · BIM Teaching and Learning Handbook · Taylor & Francis
2021
Towards adopting 4D BIM in construction management curriculums: a teaching map.
Talebi, S. & Wu, S. · Book chapter · BIM Teaching and Learning Handbook · Taylor & Francis
2020
Indoor sound environments and visual media displays: a case study on canteens.
Ye, K., Luo, H., Kang, J. & Wu, S. · Building and Environment 176:106831 · doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106831
Full list on Google Scholar.
// contact
Let's collaborate.
For research partnerships, PhD supervision, or strategic consultations.
$ cat contact.txt
emailsong.wu@ntu.ac.uk
office50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ
orcid0000-0002-5633-2229
scholarQ2pxOhIAAAAJ
linkedinsong-wu-ba935453