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Project manager discussing building plans with team on the main campus.
Glenn Department of Civil Engineering

Research

The Glenn Department of Civil Engineering is located primarily in Lowry Hall and houses graduate and undergraduate laboratories, graduate student offices, and teaching and research labs. Labs and facilities extend beyond the main campus to include thousands of square feet devoted to the different research areas. Our Wind Load Test Facility laboratory houses one of the largest boundary layer wind tunnels in the nation. The Civil Engineering Department had 5.4 million in research expenditures for the academic year 2020-2021.

Focus Areas

The Department is subdivided into the six traditional areas within civil engineering. Each area is represented by faculty, who serve as members of the Graduate Program Committee, and are also the primary point of contact for their respective areas.

  • Construction Engineering and Management

    The program fills the need for construction managers who have the ability to respond to the changing environments within the industry: sustainable construction, restoration and system analysis and modeling. The faculty includes world-class experts in creating cutting-edge theories, methods and tools, and devising workflows for greater efficiency and better collaboration during construction projects.

    Construction Engineering Research

    Primary Contact

    Kalyan Piratla
    Associate Professor
    kpiratl@clemson.edu

  • Construction Materials

    The much-needed reconstruction and replacement of an aging infrastructure places increased emphasis on developing new and/or improved construction materials. In addition to construction materials courses, students can select courses in other civil engineering areas; other branches of engineering such as ceramic, chemical, mechanical and textile; and forestry. The faculty are involved in cutting-edge research in construction materials, including materials for sustainable infrastructure.

    Construction Materials Research

    Primary Contact

    Amir Poursaee
    Associate Professor
    amire@clemson.edu

  • Geotechnical Engineering

    The primary emphasis is on the investigation of soil liquefaction, earthquake ground response, braced excavation systems, pile foundations, and soil dynamics. Geotechnical Engineering research in the Department of Civil Engineering at Clemson University includes both experimental and analytical investigations. Faculty are involved in computational, analytical as well as experimental and field studies.

    Geotechnical Engineering Research

    Primary Contact

    Nadarajah Ravichandran
    Associate Professor
    nravic@clemson.edu

  • Risk Engineering

    Risk Engineering and System Analytics is an emerging field with rapid growth and is interdisciplinary in nature. It draws on understanding structural engineering, natural catastrophe modeling, human error, data, business risk, and supply chain to effectively model and manage risk profiles. This area of specialization provides a foundation for those individuals intending to pursue careers as risk managers, risk engineers, underwriters, researchers, or data scientists.

    Risk Engineering Research

    Primary Contact

    Abdul Khan
    Professor
    abdkhan@clemson.edu

  • Structural Engineering

    This field deals predominantly with structural systems in the built environment. It has become increasingly specialized, and advanced study is nearly always required for more interesting and challenging employment opportunities and advancement. The emphasis of both the teaching and research activities within the Structural Engineering Program provides a good foundation for those individuals intending to pursue careers in design practice, research, or academics.

    Structural Engineering Research

    Primary Contact

    Brandon Ross
    Associate Professor
    bross2@clemson.edu

  • Transportation Systems

    Mobility systems are essential for the efficient movement of people and goods. Air, land and marine transportation systems play a vital role in ensuring a strong economy and a good quality of life. The transportation graduate program at Clemson focuses on the planning, design, operation and maintenance of transportation systems.

    Transportation Systems Research

    Primary Contact

    Mashrur Chowdhury
    Professor
    mac@clemson.edu

  • Water Resources Engineering

    The Fluid Mechanics and Water Resources program emphasizes the flow of common, natural fluids - water and air - the forces they create, and the movement of materials - suspended or dissolved - within those fluids. Faculty conduct research in environmental fluid mechanics, sediment transport and scour, turbulent jets, plumes, contaminated sediments, coastal engineering, dredging-related operations, raindrop physics, and others.

    Water Resources Research

    Primary Contact

    Abdul Khan
    Professor
    abdkhan@clemson.edu

Collage of different research events

The Glenn Department of Civil Engineering encourages undergraduates to participate in department research or Creative Inquiry projects. About 25 percent of our students are involved in research throughout the year and work closely with faculty, peers, and industry on hands-on research projects.

The graduate program focuses on convergent research related to global grand challenges involving infrastructure and the environment. The degree programs emphasize engineering practice and the advancement of engineering knowledge through research.

Sam Dodd on bridge with hard hat

“The summer before my freshmen year at Clemson, I had the privilege to start work as an undergraduate research assistant under both Brandon Ross and Thomas Cousins. The research was interesting, but it was Dr. Ross’ and Dr. Cousins’ leadership that cemented my desire to pursue structural engineering. Since that summer, I have continued to perform research under both professors. As a result of my work, I will have a paper I authored presented during an engineering conference in Portugal next summer.”

Sam Dodd
Structural Engineering
Glenn Department of Civil Engineering
Glenn Department of Civil Engineering | Lowry Hall, Clemson, SC 29634