About

We develop practical AI solutions that help organizations explore, build, and apply artificial intelligence to real-world challenges.

About bAI Labs

AI for the Real World

bAI Labs was born from more than 40 years of engineering experience. Through our parent company, BAI Group, we've spent decades helping clients solve complex challenges in civil and environmental engineering, renewable energy, water systems, land development, geospatial analysis, and infrastructure.

We've designed treatment systems, supported renewable energy projects, evaluated environmental sites, managed complex permitting, and helped organizations make better technical decisions. That experience shapes everything we build. Rather than developing AI in search of problems, we apply it to the real challenges engineers, utilities, municipalities, and organizations face every day.

Whether developing GeoAI, building AI assistants, evaluating emerging AI tools, or helping clients adopt AI responsibly, our work begins with engineering and ends with practical solutions.

Today, bAI Labs operates from the historic Livery Building in downtown Annapolis, Maryland.

We develop AI platforms, custom solutions, consulting services, and educational programs that help organizations discover, build, test, and implement AI with confidence. Along the way, we collaborate with universities, government agencies, industry partners, and the open-source community to ensure our work remains transparent, trustworthy, and grounded in real-world experience.

A century ago, the Livery Building helped move people and goods throughout Annapolis. Today, it helps move ideas forward, bringing together engineers, researchers, educators, businesses, and innovators to explore what's possible when human expertise and artificial intelligence work together.

focused on the future

Our team, your advantage

We're a team of technologists, educators, strategists, and innovators united by a shared mission: helping organizations discover, build and apply AI.

Deep Industry Experience

Decades of experience solving complex engineering and business challenges.

Responsible AI

Putting governance, transparency, and people at the center of AI.

Applied AI Solutions

Building AI products and solutions for real-world organizations.

Beyond Technology

Helping organizations turn AI into lasting business capabiltiy.

Partnering With Global Innovators for Smarter Solutions

bAI Labs

Our Team

Davar Ardalan
Co-Founder | Director of AI

Davar helps bridge artificial intelligence and innovation by building AI assistants and advancing practical AI solutions for real-world infrastructure challenges. At bAI Labs, she leads partnerships and applied research, fostering collaborations across academia, government, industry, and the open-source community. Previously, she served as Deputy Director of the White House Presidential Innovation Fellows Program and held leadership roles at National Geographic and NPR. She is the co-author of AI for Community.

John O. Smith, P.E., BCEE
Co-Founder | Director of Operations

John brings more than 30 years of experience delivering complex water, wastewater, corrosion, and infrastructure projects for municipal, federal, and international clients, including DC Water, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Air Force. A graduate of The Ohio State University, he is co-author of the forthcoming Smart Water (Taylor & Francis, 2027). At bAI Labs, he helps transform decades of engineering expertise into practical AI platforms and workflows, including the John Smith GPT engineering assistant.

James Echard, P.E.
Co-Founder | President, BAI Group

Jim brings more than 30 years of leadership in civil, environmental, renewable energy, and infrastructure engineering. As President of BAI Group, he has served as engineer of record for numerous complex environmental and solid waste facilities, leading projects from planning and permitting through construction and long-term operations. A graduate of Penn State University, he helps ensure every AI initiative at bAI Labs is grounded in sound engineering judgment and real client needs.

Tahiya Tarranum , Ph.D., EIT
Civil & Environmental Engineer

Tahiya is a civil and environmental engineer with expertise in water resources, hydrology, GIS, stormwater management, and environmental systems. She earned her Ph.D. from Penn State University, where her research examined greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient cycling in ecologically engineered stormwater and dairy wastewater treatment systems. At bAI Labs, she helps evaluate emerging AI technologies to ensure they support practical, scientifically grounded solutions.

Borna Rahnamay Farnod
AI Research Intern

Borna is helping build bAI Labs' GeoAI capabilities through research in Human + AI collaboration, agentic AI, computer vision, and intelligent engineering workflows. His research focuses on developing observable AI systems that support complex engineering analyses and transform field observations into reliable, decision-ready information. With a background in architectural and civil engineering, he helps bridge AI research with practical engineering applications.

Temitope Akinboyewa
GeoAI Research Intern

Temitope is helping build bAI Labs' GeoAI capabilities through research in GIScience, intelligent geospatial systems, Human + AI collaboration, and spatial decision-making. His work explores how large language models and geospatial AI can help engineers better understand landscapes, infrastructure, and environmental systems through more intelligent, transparent analysis. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Geography at Penn State University.

Work with bAI LAbs

Let’s explore what’s possible

Connect with us, and we'll help you identify where AI can create value, evaluate what's possible, and build a practical roadmap tailored to your organization.