Nima Rahbar Named Head of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering Department

From WPI Dean of Engineering John McNeill:

It’s my pleasure to announce that the new head of WPI’s Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) Department is Nima Rahbar, an accomplished scholar and teacher in the area of advanced materials, especially bioinspired design of materials with an emphasis on mechanical and thermal properties. Professor Rahbar’s term as department head, which begins immediately, follows that of Carrick Eggleston, who has led the CEAE Department since 2019. 

The CEAE Department is responsible for three undergraduate majors and is a key contributor to student experience in the School of Engineering. The challenges facing our world need faculty and graduates who can deliver impact in advancing climate technology, making the built environment more sustainable, and ensuring clean air and water for future generations. With his broad knowledge and visibility in the research community, and his high level of energy and enthusiasm, I know Nima will be a strong advocate for the CEAE Department.

Nima earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in 1998, and his PhD in Mechanics, Materials, and Structures in the Department of Civil Engineering at Princeton University in 2008. He joined WPI in August 2012 as an assistant professor after starting his career at UMass Dartmouth.

Nima has won several awards, including a National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2012, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) Young Leader’s Award in 2013, the Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Award in 2013, the Consecutive ASCE 2015 and 2016 Outstanding Reviewer, 2018 Sigma Xi Outstanding Junior Faculty Research Award, and the 2020 and 2022 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Summer Senior Faculty Fellowship. He was a visiting associate professor at the MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department in 2019 and at the Cornell CEE in 2020. His latest work is focused on enzymatic self-healing concrete, carbon negative structural materials, and zero-friction metallic surfaces. Details can be found on his group’s website, www.nrahbar.org.

John McNeill

Bernard M. Gordon Dean of Engineering