Christopher Ferraro, Ph.D. P.E., an assistant professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, is the recipient of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s 2022-2023 Pramod P. Khargonekar Junior Faculty Award.
The Pramod P. Khargonekar Junior Faculty Award was created by Dr. Khargonekar, former dean of the College. It is awarded each spring to the most outstanding junior faculty member among those reviewed for tenure and promotion in the previous fall. The recipient has a record that demonstrates excellence in teaching, outstanding mentorship of students, impact in their research field and exceptional potential for growth as a leader in scholarships.
Dr. Ferraro is active in mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. He is the faculty advisor for the ACI student chapter, and the former faculty advisor for the American Society of Civil Engineers/American Institute of Steel Construction’s Steel Bridge team. Under his leadership, the teams have had exceptional performances, winning ACI’s national pervious cylinder competition in 2012 and the steel bridge national championship in 2016. He was named a Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering Undergraduate Faculty Advisor/Mentor in 2016.
Dr. Ferraro is recognized for his research on Portland cement and durable concrete in sustainable construction engineering. During his time at the university, he had research funded by the Department of Energy, National Academy of Science – National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Electric Power Research Institute, U.S. Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Space Grant Program, and the Rural Railroad Safety Center, along with partners from the concrete industry.
He has also been recognized for his service contributions to sustainable construction engineering. In 2017, he was elected as a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and last year he won the Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award from ACI. Beyond his appointment, he was chair of the Mass Concrete Committee, and he is the current vice chair for the Low Carbon Code Committee, Secretary of the Mass Concrete Subcommittee for Specifications, and a voting member on other committees. He currently serves as the secretary of the Concrete Durability Committee for the Transportation Research Board.
Reba Liddy
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