Francis Baek

Dr. Francis Baek joined the faculty of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in August 2025. He completed his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, specializing in Construction Engineering and Management, at the University of Michigan in 2025. Baek earned an M.S. in Electrical Engineering, focusing on Intelligent Systems, Robotics, and Control (ISRC), from the University of California, San Diego, and a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Arizona.

Baek's research focuses on advancing construction operations through the human-centric integration of robotic technologies to enhance both task performance and worker well-being. His research leverages robotics, human-sensing technologies such as wearable biosensors, and artificial intelligence. Baek has explored human nervous system-based human-robot collaboration, where robots understand and adapt to physical, cognitive, and emotional human responses—regulated by the nervous system—to foster desired worker responses and improve task performance while teaming with workers.