Faculty and Staff Directory
Theresa M. Ahlborn
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director, Center for Structural Durability
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Prestressed Concrete
- Reinforced Concrete Design
- Structural Analysis
Research Interests
- Concrete materials related to prestressed concrete bridges, including high performance and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) applications
Bernie D. Alkire
Professor Emeritus, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Effects of cold weather on performance of transportation materials
- Geophysical methods applied to transportation problems
Martin T. Auer
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Surface water quality engineering
Research Interests
- Limnology
- Engineering approaches to lake and river management
- Mathematical modeling of surface water quality
Brian D. Barkdoll
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Dam Decommissioning
- Environmental Engineering
- Hydraulic Structures
- River Mechanics
- Sediment Transport
- Stream Rehabilitation
- Sustainability
F. William Baxandall
Adjunct Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
fwbaxand@mtu.edu
Dow 802
Dow 802
Jennifer Becker
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Water and wastewater treatment
- Biological treatment processes
Research Interests
- Bioremediation of Contaminated Groundwater Environments
- Microbial Ecology and Kinetics of Chlorinated Aliphatic Solvent Biodegradation
- Conversion of Organic Solid Wastes and Cellulosic Feedstocks to Electricity via Microbial Fuel Cells
William M. Bulleit
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Structural Reliability
- Probabilistic Analysis and Reliability in Civil Engineering
- Finite Element Analysis
- Advanced Timber Design
- Advanced Structural Analysis: Energy Methods and Structural Stability
- Advanced Reinforced Concrete Design
Research Interests
- Structural Reliability/Probabilistic Modeling
- Agent-Based Modeling
- Computational Intelligence Applications in Civil Engineering
- Philosophy of Engineering
- Wood Structures and Elements
- Structural Wood Engineering
- Load-Duration Behavior of Wood Members and Connections
Qingli Dai
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Computational analysis for material research: multiscale modeling, finite element analysis, discrete element analysis, constitutive modeling, fracture simulation and molecular dynamics
- Properties and performance of asphalt mixtures
- Cement microstructure and concrete durability
- Self-healing construction materials, alternative asphalt materials
- Active piezoelectric materials, structural damping control
- Acoustic emission damage detection, X-ray tomography, imaging processing
George R. Dewey
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Faculty Advisor, Transportation Enterprise
Teaching Interests
- Civil Engineering Materials
- Statics
- Structural Analysis
- Structural Steel Design
- Senior Design
Research Interests
- Pavement Friction and Aggregate Polishing
- Blended Learning - Strategy and Technology
- Project-Based and Discovery-Based Learning
Paul V. Doskey
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Teaching Interests
- Environmental chemistry
- Atmospheric organic chemistry
- Atmosphere-biosphere exchange
Research Interests
- Environmental chemodynamics
- Biogeochemistry
John S. Gierke
Chair, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Professor, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Hydrogeology
- Ground water Engineering
- Contaminant Transport
- Subsurface Remediation
Research Interests
- Field performance of air sparging for removing volatile organic chemicals from ground water
- Volatile organic vapor transport in unsaturated soils
- Sulfur dioxide interactions with volcanic ash
Veronica W. Griffis
Donald and Rose Ann Tomasini Associate Professor of Water Resources Engineering
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Probability and statistics
- Stochastic hydrology
- Numerical methods
- Water resources
- Risk analysis and management
Research Interests
- Water resources
- Uncertainty analysis
- Flood frequency and analysis of extreme events
- Impacts of climate and land use changes
David Hand
Department Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research Interests
- Development and application of physical and chemical processes for the recovery, removal, or destruction of organic compounds from air and water streams in industrial processes and the environment
Robert M. Handler
Research Assistant Professor
Operations Manager/Senior Research Engineer, Sustainable Futures Institute
Links of Interest
Devin Harris
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research Interests
- Structural engineering, with a main focus on bridges and innovative materials for civil infrastructure
Andrea Munoz Hernandez
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Jacob Hiller
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Pavements
- Construction Materials
- Transportation-related topics
Research Interests
- Pavement mechanics and the interaction between materials, analysis and performance
- Sustainable transportation infrastructure
Ralph J. Hodek
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research Interests
- Soil mechanics and foundational engineering, concentrating on deep foundations
- Behavior of mine tailings during deposition and consolidation
Neil J. Hutzler
Professor Emeritus, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director, Center for Science and Environmental Education
Research Interests
- Groundwater contaminant transport
- Biological and physical processes for aquifer and soil restoration
- Risk assessments
- Management of household wastewaters
- Hazardous waste management
- Water distribution system analysis
Pasi Lautala
Assistant Research Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director, Rail Transportation Program
William Leder
Roland A. Mariucci Distinguished Practitioner in Residence
Research Interests
- Public transportation planning and engineering
- Airport planning and design
- Railroad engineering
- Design-build contracting for large transportation projects
- Project management
Yue Li
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Structural reliability analysis and probabilistic design
- Multi-hazard risk assessment and mitigation
- Resilient civil infrastructure and sustainability
- Effects of climate change on infrastructure risk assessment and climatic adaptation
- Earthquake engineering
- Wood engineering
- Wind engineering
Jeffrey Lidicker
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research Interests
- Sustainable Transportation
- Asset Management
- Alternative Fuels/Drive Economics
- Railroad Systems Engineering
- Discrete Choice Models
- Road Ecology
Zhen Liu
Assistant Professor
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Soil mechanics and labs
- Foundation engineering
- Numerical simulations (FEM, FDM)
- Other courses in classical mechanics
Research Interests
- Multiphysical phenomena: soil freezing, cement hydration, gas hydrate dissociation, carbon sequestration, shale gas recovery, processes in geothermal practice
- Development and application of innovative sensor techniques
- Innovative characterization (acoustic, electromagnetic) and advanced mechanics of porous materials (unsaturated soil mechanics, poromechanics)
- Climatic effects on infrastructure
- Numerical simulation techniques: Multiphysics and Multiscale, XFEM, SPH
Alex S. Mayer
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Teaching Interests
- Groundwater flow and transport and subsurface remediation
Research Interests
- Numerical and Experimental Investigations of Contaminant Transport in Groundwater Vadose Zones
- Mathematical Optimization of Groundwater Remediation Systems: Multi-Objective and Uncertainty Problems
- Surfactant-Enhanced Dissolution of Nonaqueous Phase Liquids in Subsurface Systems
- Groundwater Flow in a Fault Zone in the Vicinity of Desert Hot Springs, California
- Simulation of Saltwater Intrusion in the Guaymas Valley, Sonora, Mexico California
Daisuke Minakata
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Physical-Chemical Treatment Processes
- Environmental Process and Design
- Computational Environmental Engineering and Chemistry
Research Interests
- Sustainable water and wastewater treatment and management
- Development of assessing and predicting tools for water treatment technologies
- Innovative water and wastewater treatment technologies for energy saving and harvesting
- Systematic and integrated understanding of water and wastewater reuse
- Application of computational chemistry and molecular modeling
Amlan Mukherjee
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Planning and decision making in infrastructure system management
- Develop models and implements simulations that can aid decision makers assess design alternatives and explore what-if scenarios
Thomas Oommen
Assistant Professor, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Judith A. Perlinger
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Environmental engineering
- Transport & transformation of organic chemicals in the environment
- Boundary layer meteorology
- Sustainability
Research Interests
- Air and water quality
- Atmosphere/biosphere exchange of chemicals
- Micrometeorology
- Environmental analytical chemistry
David L. Perram
Research Engr./Scientist II
Adjunct Lecturer
Laboratory Director
L. Bogue Sandberg
Professor Emeritus, Civil and Environmental Engineering
906-48-2124
lbsand@mtu.edu
lbsand@mtu.edu
Teaching Interests
- Timber
- Reinforced concrete
- Steel design
Research Interests
- Behavior of elastomeric sealants
- Behavior of structural glazing curtain wall systems
- Traditionally connected timber frames
- Molded wood strand composites
- Durability of pavement crank and joint sealments
Eric Seagren
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Environmental biotechnology, including in situ bioremediation of contaminated subsurface environments, monitoring and evaluation of the performance of biological treatment processes, development of in situ biological treatment systems for urban storm water runoff, innovative reuse of waste materials, and in situ improvement of soils properties via microbially-mediated processes.
William J. Sproule
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research Interests
- Transportation planning
- Traffic engineering,
- Airport planning and design
- Public transit
- Automated people movers
- Transportation planning for major activity centers
- Engineering education
Lawrence L. Sutter
Adjunct Professor, Michigan Tech Transportation Institute
906-487-2268
llsutter@mtu.edu
llsutter@mtu.edu
R. Andrew Swartz
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research Interests
- Application computationally efficient and robust embedded algorithms for monitoring and protection of civil infrastructure assets such as buildings, bridges, pipelines, wind turbines, roadways, and railroads.
Noel R. Urban
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Environmental cycles of major and trace elements
- Sediment diagenesis and stratigraphy
- Chemistry of natural organic matter
- Wetland biogeochemistry
- Environmental impact and fate of pollutants
- Influence of organisms on the chemical environment
- Role of chemical environment in controlling populations
Stanley J. Vitton
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Adjunct Professor, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Research Interests
- Mechanics of seismic signals generated from hydrodynamic phenomena such as the interaction of tornadoes with the ground
David Watkins
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Water resources planning and management
- Environmental systems analysis
- Hydrologic and hydraulic engineering
- Fluid mechanics
- Engineering economics
- Numerical methods
Research Interests
- Watershed modeling
- Hydrologic frequency analysis
- Extreme event (drought/flood) damage mitigation
- Seasonal hydro-climatic forecasting
- Climate change impact assessment
- Decision theory and information technology applications in water resources
Vernon Watwood
Professor Emeritus, Civil and Environmental Engineering
520 289 3710
vbwatwoo@mtu.edu
vbwatwoo@mtu.edu
Research Interests
- Finite Element Modeling
- Equilibrium Finite Elements with present emphasis on 3D applications
- Force Method Procedures
- Mining Machinery Structural Analysis
Christopher Wojick
Senior Research Engineer, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Faculty Advisor, Green Campus Enterprise
Shiliang Wu
Assistant Professor, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Interactions among climate, atmospheric chemistry, air quality, and land use/land cover
- Impacts of global change on atmospheric chemistry and long-range transport of air pollution
- Anthropogenic perturbations to the atmosphere and implications for environmental sustainability
- Atmosphere-biosphere interactions, especially in the context of global change
- Impacts of aerosols on the global hydrological cycle
Pengfei Xue
Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering
Research Interests
- Hydrodynamic modeling
- Coupled physical-biological modeling
- Dynamics of coupled ocean-atmosphere models
- Ocean data assimilation
- Estuary and coastal ocean circulation
- Bio-physical processes in the Great Lakes
Teaching Interests
- Introductory physical oceanography
- Numerical methods
- Marine ecosystem dynamics modeling
Zhanping You
Donald and Rose Ann Tomasini Associate Professor of Transportation Engineering
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Pavements and transportation materials
- Mechanical testing and constitutive modeling of asphalt binders and mixtures
- Analysis and control of thermal and reflective cracking in asphalt pavement and overlays
- Micromechanics
- Finite element analysis
- Discrete element analysis
- Constitutive model development, pavement fracture, and instrumentation
Kuilin Zhang
Assistant Professor
Links of Interest
Teaching Interests
- Transportation Network Analysis
- Operations Research Models for Transportation and Logistics Systems
- Traffic Flow Theory
- Travel Demand Analysis
- Transportation Systems Operations and Control
- Transportation Planning
Research Interests
- Dynamic network equilibrium and optimization
- Modeling and simulation of large-scale complex systems
- Multimodal transportation systems analysis
- Freight transportation and logistics systems
- Data-driven travel behavior analysis
- Impact of plug-in electric vehicles to smart grid and transportation network systems
- Vehicle systems dynamics and fuel-efficient driving behavior
- Railway systems
