Nolan W. Hayes

Nolan Hayes is a Research and Development Staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he’s helping redefine the future of building construction. His work focuses on transforming how buildings are designed and constructed, making the process faster, smarter, and more affordable through innovation-driven industrialization.

With a background in construction management and engineering, Dr. Hayes tackles some of the most pressing challenges in modern construction. His research spans a diverse and highly collaborative set of focus areas, including:

• Construction automation and robotics that boost productivity and streamline complex building tasks
• Prefabricated and modular construction strategies that accelerate project timeline and improve scalability
• Artificial intelligence tools that enhance building design, automate quality assurance and control, and enable data-driven decision-making
• Advanced materials and sensing technologies designed for high-performance, resilient building systems

Dr. Hayes earned both his B.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with support from the U.S. Department of Energy. He is passionate about translating cutting-edge science into real-world solutions to shape the future of industrialized construction.