Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) researcher Dr Ahsan Waqar has received further international recognition, once again being included among the world's top 2% most-cited scientists. He has also been ranked 6th worldwide and 1st in Lithuania in his research field by the “Top 1000 Scholar” ranking. These achievements are complemented by significant funding from the Research Council of Lithuania (LMT), which has awarded over €270,000 to a research project led by Dr Waqar, aimed at harnessing artificial intelligence to improve the management of public buildings.
Dr Waqar, a full-time researcher at MRU's Human-Environment-Technology (HET) Systems Centre, is an internationally recognised scientist in construction management and engineering. His research focuses on digital infrastructure, risk analysis, AI-supported decision-making, digital twin technologies and sustainable construction solutions.
Artificial Intelligence to Predict Building Failures Before They Occur
Imagine a school or hospital whose management system can warn staff about an impending ventilation system failure, inefficient energy consumption or deteriorating indoor environmental conditions. Instead of responding only after problems occur, building managers could take preventive action, avoid costly repairs and ensure the continuity of essential public services.
This is precisely the type of solution that Dr Waqar aims to develop through his research project, “Explainable AI-Enabled Operational Digital Twin Architecture for Reliability-Aware Infrastructure Performance Assurance in Lithuanian Public Buildings”.
The project is funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (LMT) under the Impact-Driven Programme “Information Technologies for the Development of Science and Knowledge Society”. The two-year project began in September 2026.
At the heart of the research is the development of an operational digital twin – a virtual representation of a physical building that is continuously updated with data from its engineering and operational systems. Artificial intelligence will analyse this information, identify unusual patterns, predict potential failures and help determine their underlying causes.
However, the project's key innovation lies not only in predicting problems but also in explaining them. Unlike conventional AI systems that may generate alerts without revealing the reasoning behind them, the proposed technology will help building managers understand why a particular piece of equipment might fail or why a building is consuming more energy than expected.
“Public buildings serve people every day, but those responsible for them often have to make decisions with incomplete information. I want to develop tools that help them make better-informed decisions before problems occur. I believe this is important for our team at the Centre and for society as well. Making a building truly ‘smart’ is the first step towards smart cities. But this cannot be done well if we focus only on technology: a smart building has to work for the people who manage and use it,” says Dr Waqar.
Benefits for Society: From Lower Costs to More Reliable Public Services
The technology being developed could help address several challenges facing Lithuania, including more efficient use of public funds, reduced energy consumption, progress towards climate goals and greater reliability of public services.
Many buildings are still maintained through a reactive approach, with repairs carried out only after equipment has failed. By introducing predictive maintenance, building managers could identify potential problems earlier, reduce the need for emergency repairs and extend the operational lifespan of building systems.
Furthermore, real-time analysis of heating, ventilation and other systems could help reduce energy waste. This is particularly relevant to the public sector, where building maintenance and operating costs are covered by national and municipal budgets.
The social benefits could be equally significant. More reliable infrastructure would reduce the risk of unexpected disruptions in schools, hospitals and other public institutions that citizens depend on every day.
Although the project focuses on public buildings, its findings could eventually be applied to other critical infrastructure sectors, including energy grids, district heating systems, transport, water supply and wastewater management, advanced manufacturing and healthcare facilities.
The project also aims to contribute to scientific progress by advancing the application of explainable artificial intelligence to continuously changing, real-time data. By combining data science, reliability engineering and building physics, the researchers intend to develop a benchmark dataset and a validation framework that could also support smart infrastructure research internationally.
New Opportunities for Research and Studies at MRU
The project represents an important step towards strengthening interdisciplinary research at MRU and expanding the University's expertise in technological sciences.
While MRU has traditionally been recognised for its strengths in the social sciences, the development of research in technology and engineering creates new opportunities to address societal challenges by combining technological innovation with human needs, public governance and sustainability.
“The achievement of Dr Waqar is a welcome development for our Centre because it brings our research closer to the Lithuanian society and marks the beginning of a promising research line that will look further into the country's digital and green transformation,” says Dr Sergio Jofre, Director of MRU's Human-Environment-Technology Systems Centre.
The project will involve national and international researchers, as well as students from MRU's Sūduva Academy in Marijampolė. The resulting technologies are also expected to be applied to MRU buildings, allowing the University not only to conduct advanced research but also to benefit directly from its practical outcomes.
In the longer term, such research will strengthen MRU's capacity to develop expertise in informatics and informatics engineering, while supporting innovation in smart governance (GovTech), legal technologies (LawTech), educational technologies (EduTech), financial technologies and health technologies (HealthTech).
MRU Researcher Among the World's Leading Scientists
The funding awarded to Dr Waqar's research project adds to his growing list of international scientific achievements. The researcher has once again been included in the World's Top 2% Scientists list for 2025/2026.
This recognition reflects the visibility and influence of his research within the international academic community. Scientific citations are one of the indicators used to assess how widely a researcher's findings are referenced and applied by other scientists.
Another significant achievement is Dr Waqar's position in the “Top 1000 Scholar” ranking, where he ranks 6th worldwide and 1st in Lithuania in his research field.
These distinctions highlight not only the researcher's individual achievements but also the international reach of MRU's scientific activities and the University's potential to contribute to the development of technological solutions addressing global challenges.
The newly funded LMT project will provide an opportunity to translate this scientific expertise into practical solutions for Lithuanian society, contributing to safer, more efficient and more sustainable public buildings where advanced technologies help create better environments for the people who use them.