An expert in using advanced smart structural technologies for the monitoring and protection of civil infrastructure systems, Assistant Professor Yang Wang joined the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) faculty at Georgia Tech in 2007.  “The safety and reliability of infrastructure systems are essential for human societies” says Dr. Wang, “and the condition of these systems may deteriorate rapidly due to material aging, improper usage, harsh environment, and damages resulting from natural or man-made hazards.”

Professor Amekudzi studies systems problems related to the integrated built and natural environment to understand how we can make better decisions on built systems to promote sustainable development.  Her current research focus is on the development and application of sustainability evaluation methods for built systems in substantially different environments.

Raised near the River Rhine in Germany, Dr. Thorsten Stoesser defined his career goals early on. “The river was a part of daily life,” he says. “It was frequently in the news for one reason or another and I lived near a tributary.” So it is hardly wonder Stoesser became a river engineer. In fact, the hobby-triathlete and avid outdoorsman says it’s his dream job.

Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Professor Aris Georgakakos realized the importance of sustainable water resources management while an undergraduate student at the National Technical University of Athens in his native Greece. Fascinated by the great variety of environmental, ecological, economic, and social factors affecting water resources management, he saw an exciting career path.

Structural designers have relied on web-tapered I-sections – sections on a structure of which web depth (or width) is varied throughout – since the 1950’s. Still widely used in metal structures today for their efficient stability, Ph.D. student Yoon Duk Kim is working with industry organizations to standardize them.

This fall, civil engineering students at Rice and Texas A&M may get some Yellow Jacket TLC from their professors. Jamie Padgett and Monique Hite earned Ph.D.s from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering this year, and have begun tenure-track faculty positions at Rice University and Texas A&M, respectively.

After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, Kelly Fletcher went to work at URS Corporation as an environmental consultant. There, Fletcher enjoyed the challenging atmosphere in the firm as she helped industry clients remediate contaminated sites, but opportunities to pursue new technologies were sparse. Planning her next career move, Fletcher searched for an academic program that would foster her passion for environmental research.

Hydrogeology expert Dr. Jian Luo joined the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Georgia Tech as an Assistant Professor in spring 2006. A native of Beijing, China, Luo obtained his Ph.D. from Stanford University. His body of research spans groundwater, surface water, hydrogeology, environmental engineering and earth sciences, adding to a strong interdisciplinary team in the Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Water Resources area.

Professor DesRoches’ research, service, and professional interests center on development of mitigation strategies to reduce the risks from earthquakes, particularly, earthquakes in the central and southeastern United States. His specific research interests include seismic resistant design and retrofit of bridges, protective systems for buildings and bridges, performance of transportation networks, and structural applications of smart materials.