The Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering is proud to announce that Engineering Professor Jing “Eric” Du, Ph.D., has been awarded the prestigious Steve and Wendy Blum Endowed Professorship for Industrialized Construction Engineering.
The three-year appointment recognizes Du’s outstanding contributions in advancing industrialized construction, an area that integrates robotics, automation and artificial intelligence with next-generation construction methods. Established through the generosity of UF graduates Steve and Wendy Blum of software giant Autodesk, the endowed professorship reflects the Blum family’s commitment to innovation and education in this rapidly evolving field.
“I am honored to receive this recognition,” Du said. “The support from the Blum family underscores the importance of advancing industrialized construction to improve safety, quality and efficiency in our built environment.”
As part of the professorship, Du will facilitate a new degree program in industrialized construction engineering. This undergraduate program is a collaboration between the College of Engineering and UF’s College of Design, Construction and Planning.
“Dr. Eric Du is leading the world’s first industrialized construction engineering program and proving that when you break down silos and bring disciplines together with a common goal, anything becomes possible,” said Steve Blum, chief operating officer of Autodesk. “This kind of multidisciplinary collaboration is hard to achieve, whether in academia or business, yet Dr. Du is showing it can be done.”
UF Interim College of Engineering Dean Warren Dixon agrees.
“Eric’s work exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking scholarship and interdisciplinary collaboration this professorship was designed to support,” Dixon said at the Sept. 11 award presentation. “His leadership in construction and informatics and systems engineering has always made a significant impact, and we are excited to see how his role will evolve and make even more contributions.”
Dixon called the professorship a milestone that reflects the strength and shared vision of the college’s partnership with Autodesk.
“This professorship represents more than just a title,” he said. “It is a commitment to advancing the field of industrialized construction, a discipline that is reshaping how we design, build, and sustain our built environment.”
Blum said the partnership makes him proud to be a Gator. He graduated in 1987 from what was then the college’s Department of Electrical Engineering. His wife, Wendy, graduated from UF with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1986.
The professorship also will provide resources to further Du’s teaching and research, strengthening UF’s leadership in shaping the future of construction engineering. Du’s Informatics, Cobots and Intelligence Construction Lab (ICIC) is working to transform the future of construction by developing technologies that bridge human expertise and AI-driven automation.
“You are doing something that is incredibly impactful, important and needed in the industry,” Blum told Du at the presentation.