Biography
Dr. Girum Urgessa is Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) in the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA) at Howard University. Prior to joining Howard, he was Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of Student Leadership and Success in the College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University. He has industry experience from Jacobs, Thornton Tomasetti, and Dekker. Dr. Urgessa is a Fellow of the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He is also a licensed professional engineer in the State of Maryland.​
Dr. Urgessa teaches structural engineering and mechanics courses, and received the John Toups Presidential Medal for Faculty Excellence in Teaching (2022) at George Mason, the Chi Epsilon Cumberland District James M. Robbins Excellence in Teaching Award (2020), and the George Mason Teaching Excellence Award (2015).
Dr. Urgessa's research interests include infrastructure resilience against air-blast, impact, progressive collapse, and underwater explosions; sustainable concrete materials; & STEM workforce development and success. He has secured external grants from DoD, NSF, ASCE, 4-VA, SCHEV, BAF, and ITA. Dr. Urgessa has served on several professional committees, including ASCE/SEI Retrofit of Structures under Dynamic Loads, ASCE/SEI Blast, Shock, & Impact, ACI Blast and Impact Load Effects, and as a corresponding member on ASCE Committee on Accreditation. He is an Associate Editor of ASCE Practice Periodical in Structural Engineering and Construction, and ASCE OPEN: Multidisciplinary Journal of Civil Engineering.