# Ali Khaloo

> Ali Khaloo is a structural engineer turned AI founder who builds software that reads the health of bridges, dams, runways and cooling towers the way a doctor reads an X-ray. As CEO and founder of Aren, the New York company he spun out of Cornell Tech's Runway Startup program, he fuses computer vision, machine learning and civil engineering into an AI-powered digital twin platform that turns drone images, laser scans and sensor data into 3D condition maps and predictive maintenance plans. He holds a PhD in structural engineering, has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed papers cited over 1,000 times, and owns several patents for AI analysis of large infrastructure systems.

- **Role:** CEO & Founder at Aren
- **Organizations:** Aren, Cornell Tech, Cornell University
- **From:** Iran
- **Nationality:** Iranian-American
- **Education:** BS, Civil/Structural Engineering, University of Tehran, MS, Structural Engineering, Tufts University, PhD, Structural Engineering, George Mason University, Postdoctoral Associate, Runway Startup Postdoc program, Cornell University / Cornell Tech
- **Known for:** Founded Aren, an AI-powered civil infrastructure management platform spun out of Cornell Tech., Raised $2M seed funding (2021) plus ~$277K pre-seed via Cornell's Runway Startup Postdoc program., Authored 20+ peer-reviewed papers with 1,000+ total citations and an h-index of 12.

## Career timeline

- **2015** — Published work on automated finite element model updating of bridge models using measured test data (151+ citations).
- **2017** — Published robust point cloud segmentation methods for infrastructure 3D models (136+ citations).
- **2018** — Published landmark study on UAV inspection of the Placer River Trail Bridge via image-based 3D modeling (280+ citations).
- **2019** — Joined Cornell Tech's Runway Startup Postdoc program in NYC; received ~$277,000 pre-seed to spin out Aren.
- **2021** — Aren secured $2M seed funding to build its AI civil infrastructure management platform.
- **2023** — Named to xyHt Magazine's '24 Young Geospatial Professionals to Watch in 2024.'
- **2024** — Aren named Demo Day winner at BuiltWorlds' Infrastructure Conference; team won Abertis' inaugural Drone Challenge.

## Achievements

- Founded Aren, an AI-powered civil infrastructure management platform spun out of Cornell Tech.
- Raised $2M seed funding (2021) plus ~$277K pre-seed via Cornell's Runway Startup Postdoc program.
- Authored 20+ peer-reviewed papers with 1,000+ total citations and an h-index of 12.
- Holds several patents on automated generation and AI analysis of 3D models of large civil infrastructure.
- Won Abertis' inaugural global Drone Challenge for AI-powered roadway inspection.
- Aren named Demo Day winner at BuiltWorlds' Infrastructure Conference.
- Named to xyHt's '24 Young Geospatial Professionals to Watch in 2024.'
- Applied his technology to bridges, dams, airport runways and cooling towers worldwide.

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Featured in xyHt Magazine's '24 Young Geospatial Professionals to Watch in 2024.'
- **2024-11** — Aren recognized as Demo Day winner at BuiltWorlds' Infrastructure Conference and won Abertis' inaugural Drone Challenge.

## Links

- Website: https://aren.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-khaloo-phd-24595654

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ali-khaloo
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-25