Research specializations

The Engineering Education program is a group of faculty who conduct research around all aspects of engineering formation. Research ranges from fundamental studies on the engineering education ecosystem to implementation of new approaches for the education of environmental and civil engineering students.

This interdisciplinary postgraduate research program targets eco-friendly geo-environmental solutions through collaborative efforts of a team in four interdependent and mutually reinforcing areas: geo-environmental multiphase multiphysics, smart waste management, advanced waste recycling, and energy-efficient geo-structures.

Focus is devoted to promoting sustainable practices in pavement engineering, enhance understanding of distress mechanisms and failure modes, develop testing and conditioning procedures to improve material characterization, and develop design approaches for pavement systems that optimize performance.

Smart cities, community solar, smart meters, Cyber-security, and data protection. New techniques to mitigate the impacts of wastewater inflow and infiltration. Electric vehicles and Charging stations. High-speed rail, Climate Change, Facilitative decision making, Computerized new technology application in infrastructure management, New techniques for work zone safety for horizontal and vertical construction, In-situ pipe repair, Oil spill, Radon mitigation, Flowable fill, quality control, and quality assurance.

This program includes infrastructure system response to extreme-event loading, durability of infrastructure and materials, health monitoring, evaluation and strengthening of existing structures, and the development of construction methods to improve long-term sustainability of new infrastructure.

Students are prepared to plan and manage the construction of highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, reservoirs, building systems, and provide engineering support on heavy civil projects.

Transportation engineers continue to pursue innovative solutions to meet urban and regional mobility needs. Current research initiatives focus on autonomous and connected vehicles, big data in transportation, safety analysis, and infrastructure. UFTI provides extensive and transdisciplinary research opportunities related to transportation.

The Water Systems group develops the science and engineering for conveyance, treatment and reuse of urban waters including potable, wastewater and stormwater, manage water resources, model and measure the fate and transformation of chemicals, particulate matter and pathogens impacting water resources, and assess the human and environmental health impacts from these constituents while modeling the components of the hydrologic cycle and the impacts of climate on water resources, human and environmental health.

This program is composed of world-renowned faculty with a wide range of federal and state funded research interests in coastal physical processes that implements state-of-the-art pedagogic methods.

The Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics (CESD) program contains students with an interest in coastal hydrodynamics, geo-mechanics, and ecology. The goal is to advance fundamental science, provide solutions for resilient coastal communities, and train the next generation of scientists and engineers to succeed.