Revolutionize Civil and Infrastructure Engineering!
Delve into challenging research problems using technology that’s revolutionizing the profession. Our PhD in civil and infrastructure engineering represents the highest academic attainment for a civil engineer. Our doctoral students select from five concentration areas, which align with current faculty research expertise. Our students:
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Work beside world-renowned researchers who are experts in building sustainable and long-lasting infrastructure, monitoring structural conditions, and anticipating and reducing the impact of natural hazards.
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Conduct research in one of our advanced labs, such as the Flood Hazards Research Lab, the Sustainable Geotransportation/Geoenvironmental Infrastructure (SGI) Lab, and the Advanced Infrastructure Monitoring (AIM) Lab.
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Benefit from our connections with local industry and government agencies, which provide research experiences and career opportunities.
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Benefit from our Consortium status. Our graduate program is part of the Washington Consortium of Universities, which permits students to cross-register at other participating universities. More information can be found at Washington Consortium of Universities.
Doctoral Resources
Advisor for Graduate Programs
Dr. Laura Kosoglu, Director for Graduate Programs
Nguyen Engineering Building
Room 1300
Phone: (703) 993-5319
Email: lkosoglu@gmu.edu
For information on graduate admissions, please contact the office of graduate admissions at (703) 993-9700 or via e-mail at masongrad@gmu.edu.
We offer competitive research or teaching assistantships to PhD students. Contact our faculty in your research area to find out more about available positions.
Graduate Concentrations
Construction Engineering and Management
Investigate the best ways to prevent construction injuries on work sites. Use the latest building information modeling and infrastructure asset-management tools to monitor, repair, and retrofit existing infrastructure, as well as ensure an on-time and cost-effective delivery of lean and green construction.
Research Faculty:
Dr. Sam Salem
Infrastructure and Construction Management
Dr. Wenying Ji
Construction Informatics and Simulation
To learn more about research in this area follow this link: Construction and Engineering Management Research
Environmental Engineering
Improve the understanding and resolution of complex environmental engineering problems related to air, soil, water quality, pollution, and human health.
Research Faculty:
Dr. Kirin Emlet Furst
Drinking Water Quality and Treatment
Disinfection and Disinfection Byproducts in Drinking Water Distribution Systems
Advanced Treatment of Wastewater for Potable and Non-Potable Reuse
Dr. Lucas Henneman
Atmospheric Modeling
Air Pollution Health Impacts and Environmental Justice
To learn more about research in this area follow this link: Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Research
Geotechnical Engineering
Use digital elevation models (DEM) and geographic information systems (GIS) to predict landslides. Experiment with the best new building materials, including geosynthetics for geo-environmental design and recycled aggregate for long-lasting, cost-effective highways.
Research Faculty:
Dr. Burak Tanyu
Forecasting Landslides in Transportation Corridors
Geosynthetics in Reinforced Soil/Bridge Systems
Recycled Asphalt-Highway Systems
To learn more about research in this area follow this link: Geotechnical Engineering Research
Structural Engineering
Improve decision-making using data-driven approaches to assess the condition of ships, bridges, and buildings. Use the latest technology, such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and drones.
Research Faculty:
Dr. Girum Urgessa
Response of Structures Subjected to Explosions
Dr. David Lattanzi
Virtual Robotic Bridge Inspection
Structural Evaluation through Computer Vision
Extracting Finite Element Models from Images
To learn more about research in this area follow this link: Structural Engineering Research
Transportation Engineering
Explore the power of big data to increase the performance, potential, resiliency, and sustainability of transportation systems. Use GIS/GPS in transportation modeling, sustainable transportation, and transportation economics.
Research Faculty:
Dr. Elise Miller-Hooks
Disaster Planning and Response
Intermodal Passenger and Freight Transport
Multi-Hazard Civil Infrastructure Resilience Quantification and Infrastructure Protection Investment
Dr. Mohan Venigalla
Travel Demand
Transportation Air Quality
Dr. Shanjiang Zhu
Demand and Traveler Behavior
To learn more about research in this area follow this link: Transportation Engineering Research
Water Resource Engineering
Explore natural and nature-based defenses for coastal resiliency. Use remote-sensing techniques to develop land surface models to forecast changing weather patterns to predict droughts and floods.
Research Faculty:
Dr. Viviana Maggioni
Advanced Modeling and Remote Sensing Techniques to Estimate and Monitor Hydrological Variables
Dr. Celso Moller Ferreira
Field-based monitoring of Hurricane Storm Surge
Numerical Modeling of Coastal Hazards
Natural and Nature-based Defenses for Coastal Resilience
To learn more about research in this area follow this link: Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Research
