Dr. Agarwal is an adjunct faculty in Civil and Coastal Engineering Department. He is also the Director for UFTI T2 Center. His research interests is in the field of signal systems, traffic operations, and highway safety. Dr. Agarwal manages the Transportation Safety Center and other resources Centers for FDOT at T2 Center. Dr. Agarwal is the current chair of the TRB Signal Timing Manual Subcommittee and a member of the Traffic Signal Systems Committee.…
Dr. Aghdashi’s areas of expertise include traffic operations on surface streets, simulation analysis, software development, and mathematical optimization. He has over ten years of professional experience focusing on research in transportation engineering. He was involved in several funded NCHRP, SHRP 2, FHWA, NCDOT, STRIDE, and University of Maryland projects. Dr. Aghdashi serves as a member for TRB Committee on Highway Capacity and Quality of Service (AHB40).…
Born in Puerto Rico, grew up living in four countries (Panama, Philippines, Spain, and Turkey), and have traveled to many others while my father served as an doctor in the U.S. Air Force. After moving back back to Puerto Rico and settling into a lovely beach house overlooking the Caribbean, I completed my bachelor’s degree on the island and graduated with a master’s degree from Michigan State University.…
Shirish Bhat is a professional water resources engineer. Shirish earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in Civil and Coastal Engineering with Hydrologic Sciences Academic Concentration (HSAC). His research expertise is experimental hydrology. His teaching experience at the University of Florida includes undergraduate courses in hydraulics and groundwater.
Education
M.S., Civil Engineering, South Dakota State University
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Florida
I joined UF in December 2017 after receiving my Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Padova, Italy, and after two post-docs, at Boston University and Penn State University. My primary research focus is on the numerical modeling of coastal and estuarine hydrodynamics and morphodynamics. My ultimate goal is to understand the mechanisms governing the evolution of natural and man-influenced environments.…
Primary Research Area
Wind Engineering
Other Research Area
Structural Engineering
Research Interests
Bluff Body Aerodynamics, Turbulent Boundary Layers, Data Analysis, Experimental Methods
Education
B.S., Civil Engineering, 2011, University of Florida
M.E., Civil Engineering, 2017, University of Florida
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, 2019, University of Florida
Awards & Distinctions
Richard Marshall Award, 2021, American Association for Wind Engineering
Primary Research Area
Structural Engineering
Research Interests
Bridge structures, structural dynamics, impact loading, finite element simulation
Education
B.S., CE, University of Florida, 1989
M.E., University of Florida, 1990
Ph.D., University of Florida, 1995
Using the latest advances in technology, my research program primarily focuses on the theory and technological development necessary to advance science, education, and observation of the coastal and estuarine environment.
US Patent No. 10,436,625: Interferometric doppler radar and method for wave and water level measurement
Duties
Numerical modeling, Sensor networking, cyberphysical laboratory testing, ESSIE/Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering IT Support: Networking, Unix/Linux System Administration, HPC Cyberinfrastructure Manager, UF NHERI Experimental Facility.…
Dr. Eric Jing Du is a professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at UF. Before joining academia, he was a senior data analyst at Zachry Industrial. Dr.Du received his PhD degree in construction from Michigan State University (2012) and bachelor degree in Civil Engineering (2004) from Tianjin University in China. His current research interests focus on the development of the next generation Intelligent Information Systems for future Civil Engineering works.…
Dr. Lili Du a Professor in the Civil and Coastal Engineering Department, University of Florida. She received her Ph.D. degree in Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems with a minor in Operations Research and Statistics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2008, MS degree in Industrial Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2003, and her BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University, China in 1998.…
Dr. Elefteriadou is the Director of the UF Transportation Institute (UFTI) and the Barbara Goldsby Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Florida. Her research focus is traffic operations, traffic flow theory and simulation. She is the principal investigator of the US DOT-funded Regional University Transportation Center for Region 4 (Southeast Transportation Research Innovation Development and Education, or STRIDE).…
the design, construction, evaluation, modification and supervision of engineering systems. He has been involved in all aspects of design and construction of systems in concrete, prestressed concrete, steel, masonry, and timber.
Dr. Fagundo has been in professional practice since 1972. He has served as Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority.…
Christopher Ferraro specializes in the development sustainable, high-performance cement-based materials & carbon-dioxide produced as part of the construction involving portland cement concrete. The concrete materials research group conducts research on a wide variety issues and include efforts across cross disciplinary research efforts within civil engineering as well other departments including; Environmental, Materials, Industrial and Mechanical Engineering.…
I am from Pensacola, FL. I am a UF Alum. I started my career in Student Financial Aid and Scholarships working in several departments (advising, verification, UF OneStop, and Student Employment).
Duties
Responsible for: -Originating ePAF hires for Grad Assistants, OPS, Student Assistants, etc. -Tracking the completion of Exit Checklists for terminating employees -Generating electronic LOA’s for Graduate Assistant hires and reappointments -Provide support and assistance for time and labor processing -Ensure bi-weekly payroll is processed and that time/leave are approved -Process, approve or review various HR forms/requests for accuracy -Track new hires and communicate with supervisor when need
Education
Liberal Arts & Sciences, 2017, University of Florida
Areas within ESSIE
Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering and Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences
Dr. Gurley’s primary areas of research are wind effects on residential structures and stochastic modeling of extreme winds and structural resistance. He couples field data with post-storm residential damage assessments, laboratory evaluations of component capacities, and wind tunnel studies to model the vulnerability of residential structures to hurricane wind damage.
Primary Research Area
Structural Engineering
Education
B.S., Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, 1991, University of Illinois
M.S., Civil Engineering, 1994, University of Notre Dame
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, 1997, University of Notre Dame
Research Interests
Wind engineering, stochastic modeling
A native of Gainesville, FL. Served in the US Air Force for 8 years as an Avionics Technician on F-15E Strike Eagle and F-22 Raptor aircraft. Returned to Gainesville to be close to family and attend graduate school at UF. Worked in Health Administration since 2012, first at the VA Medical Center, then in the College of Medicine with the Division of Gastroenterology.…
Dr. Kirk Hatfield is the Director of the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment at the University of Florida, the Director of the Florida Water Resources Research Center, and a Professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering. Dr. Hatfield received his BS and MS degrees from the University of Iowa and his PhD degree from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.…
Originally from Jamaica, Paula moved to Florida when she was very young and lived in the South Florida area until moving to Gainesville for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After her master’s program, she decided to pursue a career in academic support services due to her passion for helping individuals. She has been in Gainesville for 10 years and in the last 3 years, she has been fortunate enough to be able to serve UF as a professional, assisting students in their goals!…
I am an Advising professional with over 17 years of experience dedicated to assisting students with reaching for and finding their success. In my personal life, I am a massive fan of the transformative properties of travel. One of the things I love to do most is explore new cultures while visiting new and exciting places.…
Primary Research Area
Structural Engineering
Education
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, 1979, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Shuai Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida. He leads the DREAMX Lab, where breakthroughs in Data Science, Robotics, Environmental Transformation, AI, and Manufacturing are harnessed to tackle humanity’s most pressing challenges. Before joining the University of Florida, Dr. Li was the David Goodpasture Endowed Associate Professor and Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.…
Research Areas:
- Human Factors and Driver Behavior
- Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) infrastructure
- Traffic Simulation
- Intelligent Transportation Systems
- Traffic Operations and Signal Control
Biography:
Pruthvi Manjunatha is the I-STREET Living Lab Manager and a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering.…
I have been privileged to work in Higher Education for over 30 years.My career started at the community college-level and I held positions in Student Affairs at three different institutions over a 17 year period. I have worn many hats throughout the years some of which include: International Advisor, Interim Honors Program Director, Counselor, Instructor, Coach and Cheerleading Sponsor.…
Primary Research Area
Geosystems Engineering
Other Research Area
Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics
Primary Research Area
Coastal & Oceanographic Engineering
Other Research Areas
Coastal and estuarine hydrodynamics, sediment transport
Education
Ph.D., 1973, University of Florida
Education
B.S., Universidade Federal do Paraná
M.S., Universidade de São Paulo
Ph.D., Universidade de São Paulo
Dr. Motz is Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida. His research has included investigating saltwater intrusion and the recirculation of seawater in coastal aquifers, including studying the impacts of sea-level rise and other aspects of global climate change. Project sponsors for his research have included NSF, the U.S.…
Dr. Najafi, received his BS, MS and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a UF professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering. He has published and presented more than 300-refereed publications nationally, and internationally. He has received numerous awards: a Senior Fulbright Scholar, teaching, and best paper awards, He specializes in transportation planning, construction management, legal aspects, and renewable energy.…
Dr. Nemer received his two Masters in Civil / Environmental Engineering and PhD degrees from the University of Florida. He has extensive experience in the areas of contracting and site development. He taught in many universities and contributed in research and development in water resources engineering.
Primary Research Area
Water Systems
Other Research Area
Geosystems Engineering
Research Interest
Water Resources Engineering
Education
B.S., Civil Engineering
M.S., Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering
Ph.D., Civil Engineering
Certifications
EI, CGC, CUC
Education
B.S., Civil Engineering, 1993
Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Water Resources), 2001
Certifications
PE
Maitane Olabarrieta received her doctorate in marine science and technology from the University of Cantabria in Spain in 2006. Her research interests cover diverse oceanographic and long-term morphodynamic evolution problems that affect our coasts. She studies processes such as atmosphere and ocean momentum exchange processes during hurricanes and extreme storms, the generation mechanisms of meteotsunamis, storm impacts and longer-term evolution of estuaries and coastal areas.…
Dr. Ou’s research is inspired by the community-centered informed hazard-oriented decision-making, which lead to the development of high fidelity and computational efficient regional-scale simulation platform. Her research experience includes physical and surrogate modeling of complex civil infrastructure systems, machine learning, information theory, advanced experimental testing, model updating, and the integration of data analytics with physical-based modeling.…
Dr. Phillips’s research aims to deliver resilient and sustainable infrastructure through technological advances and the integration of cyber and physical systems. His research areas include structural dynamics, experimental methods, optimization, protective systems, wind engineering, and earthquake engineering.
Primary Research Area
Structural Engineering
Research Interests
Structural Dynamics, Experimental Methods, Optimization, Protective Systems, Wind Engineering, and Earthquake Engineering.…
Prior to joining UF, Isabela worked as an Administrative Assistant for financial planning practice.
Duties
Isabela provides fiscal support to T2 Center’s grants programs.
Education
Bachelor’s Degree, 2016, University of Florida
For over twenty years, Dr. Prevatt’s research addresses the widening gap between poor performance of residential structures in high wind events and the limited structural engineering within these structures. His research identifies engineering solutions that reduces wind damage to buildings from tornadoes and hurricanes. Through field assessment after events, laboratory experimental research and analysis Dr. Prevatt is advanced knowledge for resilient and sustainable structures.…
Taylor Rawlinson, Professor of Practice in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering
Dr. Taylor Rawlinson joined UF in 2016 with industry experience in structural design and finite element analysis of dams and dam appurtenant structures. He is the Director of the Weil Hall Structures and Materials Laboratory, supporting funded research in civil engineering, with projects in materials, construction, structural, geotechnical, industrialized construction, and environmental engineering.…
Kyle A. Riding is a Professor of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida. He is active in concrete durability research including early-age concrete behavior, mass concrete construction, ultra-high performance concrete, and concrete electrical tests and transport test methods. He is chair of the Precast/ Prestressed Concrete Institute Concrete Materials Technology committee and ACI 231 Properties of Concrete at Early Ages and a voting member of ACI committees 201, 207, 236, and 318A.…
Dr. Karla Rodrigues-Silva is Postdoctoral Associate in University of Florida, integrating McTrans and T2 team. She earned her Master’s and Doctorate’s degrees in Transportation Engineering from University of São Paulo and bachelor’s in Civil Engineer from Federal University of Minas Gerais with an exchange program from ENPC in France. Karla has over 15 years of working in the transportation industry in many areas such as road safety, traffic engineering and urban planning.…
Research Interests
Traffic Safety, Traffic Operations, Ped & Bike Safety and Big Data Analysis
Education
B.S., Civil Engineering, 2015, University of Kerala
M.S., Civil Engineering, 2017, University of Kentucky
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, 2020, University of Kentucky
Certifications
EI
Primary Research Area
Coastal & Oceanographic Engineering
Other Research Area
Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics
Dr. Simmons passionately pursues workforce research that bridges the space between understanding the future of work in civil engineering in the United States and characterizing, measuring, and evaluating the competencies, learning technologies, and ecosystems that equip and sustain an inclusive workforce for that future. She is concerned first about the human condition and driven and inspired by what an organization can achieve by attending to the needs of its people.…
Xiaoyu Song,Ph.D., M.ASCE, is an Associate Professor at the University of Florida. His research experience includes theoretical and numerical modeling of strain localization in unsaturated soils triggered by multiphysics processes, computational modeling plasticity and failures of geomaterials from the nanoscale to the continuum scale, and high-performance computing in geotechnical engineering.
Primary Research Area
Geosystems Engineering
Research Interests
Computational Geomechanics, Multiscale and Multiphysics Modeling, Geohazard Modeling and Prediction, High Performance Computing
Education
Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Geomechanics), Stanford University
Awards & Distinctions
National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award 2020 – 2025
2018 Springer Best Paper Award, Acta Geotechnica (Springer)
John A.…
Thomas Sputo is Master Lecturer Emeritus, having retired from active teaching in 2015. He does continue to mentor student activities and maintain a small research presence. He is presently a consultant with Sputo and Lammert Engineering, LLC in Gainesville, FL, designing and investigating buildings and other structures, and the Technical Director of the Steel Deck Institute.…
Dr. Siva Srinivasan is an Associate Professor in Transportation Engineering with an affiliate appointment in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. His research expertise is in the areas of travel demand forecasting, transportation safety, and transportation analytics. He was the former chair of the TRB committee on Effects of Information and Communication Technologies on Travel Choices and is a current member of the editorial advisory board of the journal Transportation Research Part B.…
Nina Stark is the faculty lead of the coastal & marine geotechnics research group. Nina has received her MS (Diploma) in Geophysics in 2007 from the Westphalian Wilhelms University Muenster, Germany, and her PhD in Marine Geotechnics in 2011 from the University of Bremen, Germany. She worked as a postdoc at the University of Bremen (2011-2012) and at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada (2012-2013).…
Dr. Subgranon’s research involves the general area of structural engineering with emphasis on performance-based design, structural optimization, natural-hazard mitigation, and multicriteria decision analysis. She aims to expand her research efforts to areas that contribute to the resilience and sustainability of the built environment, such as life-cycle engineering, post-hazard recovery, and data-informed optimal design and maintenance of infrastructure systems.…
Dr. Robert Thieke has worked at the University of Florida for over 29 years in the areas of coastal engineering and civil engineering hydraulics. He served 9 years as the Graduate Coordinator of the Coastal & Oceanographic Engineering program, and has for the last 12 years been the Undergraduate Coordinator and major Advisor of the Civil Engineering program.…
Dr. Mang Tia is Professor of Civil Engineering at University of Florida, where he has been actively engaged in teaching and research since 1982. His areas of specialties include (1) Asphalt and Concrete Materials, (2) Asphalt, Concrete, and Composite Pavements, (3) Accelerated Testing of Full-Scale Pavements, and (4) Instrumentation for Pavements and Materials Testing.
Primary Research Area
Materials & Pavements
Research Interests
Asphalt and Concrete Materials, Asphalt, Concretee, and Composite Pavements, Accelerated Testing of Pavements, and Instrumentation for Pavements and Materials Testing.…
Dr. Khiem Tran is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida. His primary areas of research are geophysical and nondestructive testing, and foundation design and capacity assessment. He mostly focuses on seismic and ultrasonic techniques for nondestructive evaluation of transportation and civil infrastructure, as well as foundation dynamics and monitoring for integrity and capacity assessment.…
Primary Research Area
Coastal & Oceanographic Engineering
Research Interests
Coastal hydrodynamics, sea-level rise, data analysis, models
Education
B.S., University of Baja California, Mexico
M.S., Stony Brook University
Ph.D., Stony Brook University
Dr. Waisome is a Lecturer in the Department of Engineering Education where she conducts research on broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, mathematics. She is interested in understanding how mentoring impacts student trajectories and self-efficacy. In her teaching, she utilizes the learner-centered approach to instruction. She is passionate about science-communication and participates in several activities to bridge the gap between the public and higher education research.…
Dr. Washburn’s areas of expertise include traffic flow theory, traffic operations analysis, traffic simulation model development, and development of traffic analysis and level of service computational methodologies. Dr. Washburn is also co-author of a leading textbook and develops software tools for professional practice, education, and research.
Primary Research Area
Transportation Engineering
Education
B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Washington, 1991
M.S., Civil Engineering, University of Washington, 1993
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Washington, 1999
Certifications
PE
Xiang Yan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida. He directs the Just & Green Transportation lab. His work focuses on using data science and AI (machine learning) to make transportation more equitable and sustainable. Bridging transportation engineering, data science, and urban planning, He takes an interdisciplinary approach to transportation research that connects technological innovations with community needs.…
Dr. Xiao Yu is assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida. He joined UF in 2017 after receiving his Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering from the University of Delaware. His primary areas of research are turbulent mixing and transport in estuaries and coastal ocean, sediment transport, and physical-biological coupling in ecosystems.…
Dr. Xilei Zhao is an assistant professor in Transportation Engineering at the University of Florida, where she leads the Smart, Equitable, Resilient Mobility Systems (SERMOS) Lab. She received a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. Zhao’s work focuses on developing and applying data and computational science methods to tackle challenging problems in transportation and resilience.…
Dr. Jian Zou is interested in experimental characterization and constitutive modeling of asphalt mixtures and methods for mitigating traffic and environment deterioration of asphalt pavements. He has completed eight FDOT research projects and one NCHRP project. Dr. Zou consistently produces high-quality journal publications in civil engineering and transportation infrastructure materials. He serves as a member in the Editorial Board of International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology.…