Background
I am Avtandil Svianadze from Georgia. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Aviation Engineering at Georgian Aviation University, during which I studied as an Erasmus exchange student at Rzeszów University of Technology in Poland. Immediately after graduation, I pursued the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Decentralised Smart Energy Systems (DENSYS) and was awarded a joint MSc degree from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona and the Université de Lorraine in Nancy, where I developed a strong foundation in simulation, optimisation, and techno-economic modelling. During my first year of DENSYS, I participated in an immersive spring school at the Montefiore Institute (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) of the University of Liège, Belgium, focused on digitalisation and artificial intelligence in energy network management. I also participated in the “Camp for Quants” summer school at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland, where I gained practical experience in Python programming for AI applications and data analysis. Additionally, my recent coursework in Vehicle Engineering in Budapest provides complementary knowledge in intelligent transportation systems, which I aim to apply towards the successful completion of the DC4 objectives.
Motivation
BRIDGITISE’s international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral environment aligns with my academic journey, which has been shaped by studying and conducting research across multiple countries and disciplines. As a Doctoral Candidate (DC4) of WIM – Advanced Bridge Weigh-in-Motion (B-WIM) Performance Using Vision-Based Data and Machine Learning, I will build upon my background in computational modelling, simulation, and optimisation while further developing the machine learning expertise gained through hands-on experience at the Montefiore Institute and Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. The project addresses a challenge by integrating strain-based B-WIM measurements with vision-based traffic camera data through machine learning to develop a next-generation vehicle classification framework suitable for enforcement applications. I look forward to conducting this research under the supervision of Professors Andrej Anžlin and Aleš Žnidarič, whose expertise in bridge engineering and structural health monitoring will guide my work, including the development of vision-based algorithms during my secondment at the University of Twente and the validation of the proposed methods with Cestel under real operating conditions. .