Dimitris Dais, PhD

Designing, evaluating, and delivering GenAI solutions for clients across financial institutions ◦ Building knowledge-driven chatbots and LLM workflows using RAG architectures ◦ Developing compliance and policy-checking pipelines for risk-sensitive processes with automated documentation generation ◦ Leading the conceptualization and technical design of new GenAI applications, defining architectures, evaluation protocols, and deployment requirements

Worked on real-time detection models and decision-support systems for defense and civil protection applications ◦ Enhanced detection performance across diverse real-world scenarios by developing case-specific solutions ◦ Defined evaluation datasets and benchmarking protocols for multimodal input (RGB, thermal, NIR) for scenario-specific optimization ◦ Designed and deployed a pipeline for automatic incident creation and verification using Vision-Language Models (VLMs) ◦ Evaluated performance, cost, and deployment complexity tradeoffs between self-hosted open-source and commercial API-based VLMs ◦ Collaborated within a cross-functional team to deliver robust, high-performance solutions

Delivered an end-to-end vehicle detection and classification system under real-world time, cost, and infrastructure constraints ◦ Designed a real-time, zero-shot classification strategy using open-source VLMs, avoiding the need for model training or data annotation ◦ Built a data collection pipeline to automatically curate datasets for future model fine-tuning and evaluation ◦ Owned full project lifecycle: from problem definition and proposal to design, implementation, and delivery

Reviewer of research papers regarding the implementation of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industry for the following Scientific Journals: • Automation in Construction • International Journal of Architectural Heritage • Sustainable Cities and Society

Utilized cutting-edge technologies (Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence and Photogrammetry) to automate the inspections for different industries and assets such as airport runways, quay walls, jetties, storage tanks, warehouses and shipping containers and increase their lifetime ◦ Trained AI models for object and damage detection (object detection, semantic segmentation, OCR, & pose estimation) ◦ Employed advanced computer vision techniques for post-processing and accuracy enhancement ◦ Developed a solution to project AI detections from images onto 2D maps (GIS) or 3D models/point clouds (photogrammetry) ◦ Orchestrated the entire product lifecycle, including data labeling, model training, and pipeline execution, evaluation and testing ◦ Managed and mentored a multidisciplinary team of AI and software engineers ◦ Liaised with stakeholders to translate domain knowledge into actionable decisions for AI systems

Utilized Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision solutions to automate the inspection of the built environment in order to deliver faster, higher quality inspection results with lower cost. Coordinating a team of Developers, Machine Learning Engineers and Inspectors • Dataset collection and preparation • Training of AI models for the automatic detection of different defects, such as cracks • Image post-processing for the quantification of the defects (measurements of length, width, etc.) • Generation of 3D scene reconstructed models and registration of the detected defects on the 3D model

🔸 PhD in Civil/Earthquake Engineering 🔸 Thesis Title: Monitoring, quantification, and modelling of accumulation of damage on masonry structures due to induced seismicity 🔸 Supervisors: Prof. İhsan Engin Bal, Assoc. Prof. Eleni Smyrou, Assoc. Prof. Vasilis Sarhosis 📌 Research Topics: • Monitoring of Fraeylemaborg, the most emblematic monument in the Groningen region • Automatic crack detection from photos using Deep Learning • Advanced micro-modelling of masonry structures with ABAQUS • Experimental campaign to identify accumulation of damage 📌 Attracted €30k funding from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), to lead and implement the “VIBRO-TEST” project and develop novel retrofitting options for masonry walls under induced seismicity 📌 Offered seminars for seismic assessment of masonry structures to engineers/non-technical audience 📌 Mentored students along their project/thesis 📌 Provided Python courses for processing of seismic data

Alongside with Master studies, I had the chance to work as a Design Engineer at "Senso Engineering". 📌 During that time I developed my skills in a wide range of projects such as: • Base-Isolation of existing or new structures • Ambient Vibration and Signal Processing for Historical Buildings • Assessment of Historical Masonry buildings following the Eurocode Regulations • Modelling of Historical Masonry Structures • Seismic Hazard Assessment

After obtaining my Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering, I had the fruitful experience of working as a Research Assistant at the Earthquake Engineering & Disaster Management Institute of Istanbul Technical University. This was possible after receiving a scholarship through the Erasmus+ Program which funded me during that period. 📌 Goal of the project was the testing for the first time of the main bearing frames of a scaled-down mosque structure designed and constructed to resemble the structural system and the material properties of some of the monumental classical Ottoman mosques located in the historical peninsula of Istanbul. The authentic techniques that were utilized during all the stages of the construction of the specimen and the monitoring of the testing procedure gave me a precious insight in these very interesting subjects. 📌 My main task was the simulation of the tested specimen with the use of the Finite Element Software ABAQUS in order initially to predict the nonlinear response of the tested frame and then to calibrate the model in accordance with the experimental results.

Acquired a 5-year Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering. My expertise was from the Department of Structural Engineering while I carried out my Thesis with the Department of Geotechnical Engineering. 📌 Master Thesis: Seismic Retrofit of a 5-storey Existing Building with Shear Walls: Conventional Design and Rocking Isolated Method; Supervisor: Prof. George Gazetas. 📌 The following Book Chapter was produced based on the results of my Thesis: Gazetas G., Dais D., Gelagoti F., Kourkoulis R. (2018) Multistory Building Frames and Shear Walls Founded on “Rocking” Spread Footings. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75741-4_13 📌 Some of the completed Assignments: • Design of a Composite Road Bridge, simply supported with 60 m length • Analysis of Seaside Wind Turbine taking into consideration geometrical nonlinearities and second-order phenomena 📌 Some of the courses that I attended are: • Soil Dynamics • Soil-Structure Interaction • Earthquake Engineering • Dynamics of Structures

Obtained a Master of Science in Earthquake Engineering from the Earthquake Engineering and Disaster Management Institute of Istanbul Technical University. During my studies at Istanbul Technical University I had the opportunity to specialize in an environment that is very familiar with the concept of the Seismic Design applied to numerous Mega Projects. 📌 Master Thesis: The response of unreinforced masonry to low-amplitude recursive loads: case of Groningen gas field; Supervisor: Prof. İhsan Engin Bal 📌 Received a scholarship from TÜBİTAK (Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) to visit the Newmark Structural Engineering Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA and to present my Thesis topic. Some of the courses that I attended are: • Seismic Behaviour of Tall Buildings • Displacement-based Design of Structures • Seismic Hazard Assessment • Engineering Seismology