Alumnus James R. Martin named dean of engineering at University of Pittsburgh

James. R. Martin, who earned his M.S. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech in 1987 and his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 1990, was named the dean of University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering. He will begin his role on August 15.

Martin served on the CEE department faculty at Virginia Tech from 1990 to 2013 when he became the Bob Benmosche Professor and Chair of the Glenn Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Clemson University. At Clemson, he led the recently endowed civil engineering department of 28 faculty, 475 undergraduate and 125 graduate students. His major accomplishments include leading a new strategic initiative to develop top-ranked national CEE program and establishing a dual Ph.D. civil engineering program with Tongji University. He also conceptualized and led new university-level corporate partnership with 40th ranked Fortune 500 corporation to develop a new research instititute.

He has received significant recognition for this work, including being inducted as a member of the Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2015. He has also received many certificates of teaching excellence, NSF Young Investigator Award, State Council of Higher Education of Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award, the American Society of Civil Engineers Norman Medal and numerous others.

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