The Polytechnic University of Timișoara, Romania, will award an honorary doctorate to Lehigh University civil and environmental engineering professor Dan M. Frangopol prior to CESARE 2024, the 4th International Conference on Coordinating Engineering for Sustainability and Resilience.
During the May 29-31 conference, Frangopol, the inaugural Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture in Lehigh’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, will present a keynote lecture on “Life-Cycle Risk, Resilience, and Sustainability of Individual and Spatially Distributed Structures.”
This will be the fifth honorary doctorate bestowed on Frangopol, who is a pioneering researcher and educator and leading authority in the fields of life-cycle civil engineering and life-cycle cost optimization. He holds honorary doctorates from the Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy), Technical University of Iaşi (Romania), University of Liège (Belgium), and Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest (Romania).
During the May 28 ceremony, in the presence of the University Senate and faculty members, Frangopol will deliver a speech of acceptance and discuss “Climate Change Effects on Civil Infrastructure.”
The Polytechnic University of Timișoara, which is a co-organizer of CESARE 2024, has previously awarded the doctor-honoris-causa to distinguished recipients including King Michael I of Romania.
Frangopol is a highly accomplished researcher and educator whose interests lie in the development and application of probabilistic and optimization concepts to civil and marine structures under various hazards. Throughout his career, he has mentored scores of graduate students and colleagues and stepped forward as a leader, serving as the Founding President of both the International Association for Bridge Maintenance and Safety (IABMAS) and the International Association for Life-Cycle Civil Engineering (IALCCE).
His prolific body of work includes 4 books, 64 book chapters, over 470 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including 14 award-winning papers, and more than 700 papers in conference proceedings. Further underscoring his distinguished career are 4 honorary doctorates and 14 honorary professorships.
He is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Structure and Infrastructure Engineering, a well-respected international peer-reviewed journal launched in 2005.
He has achieved membership in eight academies: the National Academy of Construction (USA), the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Academy of Engineering of Mexico, the Academia Europaea (Academy of Europe, London), the Engineering Academy of Japan, the Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, the Romanian Academy, and the Academy of Technical Sciences of Romania.
In 2023, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) established the Dan M. Frangopol Medal for Life-Cycle Engineering of Civil Structures, honoring his legacy and contributions to the field.
Read more about Frangopol’s research and achievements here.
