Engineering professor honored for distinguished scientific research
Civil engineer directs Center for Smart, Sustainable & Resilient Infrastructure
In 2019, Munir Nazzal, Ph.D., joined the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science as a professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management.
At UC, he has received various accolades for his advancements in transportation research, including the UC George Rieveschl Jr. Award for Distinguished Scientific Research for 2024.
Munir Nazzal, Civil Engineering Professor and Director of the Center for Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient Infrastructure. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
In addition to teaching, Nazzal is director of UC's Center for Smart, Sustainable & Resilient Infrastructure.
He is co-author of more than 160 peer-reviewed publications supported by more than $14 million in research funding. His work focuses on novel methods and technologies to advance sustainable transportation-related infrastructure.
In 2023 the Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials selected his project for the High Value Research Supplemental Award.
“Dr. Nazzal’s work has a tremendous impact,” said Richard Miller, professor and head of UC's Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management.
“His work on studying infrastructure materials has also resulted in better, higher quality paving materials which is saving money, providing longer service life and improving the infrastructure construction industry. This work has the potential to have a huge impact on the ability of state departments of transportation to manage infrastructure.”
Nazzal’s work has focused on translating recent progress in nano-scale science and engineering to transportation infrastructure design practice. To accomplish this, Nazzal and his team have used nano-scale techniques to characterize nano-structural properties of various infrastructure materials that can be used to interpret their macro-scale responses and optimize their performance.
“Dr. Nazzal is considered to be one of the pioneers in using nanotechnology to study the behavior and performance of infrastructure materials,” said Walaa Mogawer, Commonwealth Professor and Director of Highway Sustainability Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Nazzal and his team focus their research on the use of connected and autonomous (self-driving) vehicles for road assessments, with preparation of infrastructure for next-generation transportation. Recently, Nazzal developed an artificial intelligence system that uses connected and autonomous vehicle sensor data to assess damage in infrastructure assets, such as potholes. This research has established a new direction for using vehicle sensors data for infrastructure asset evaluation, and is one the first efforts to prepare roadways for future mobility needs including autonomous vehicles.
Nazzal is partnering with Honda, the infrastructure engineering firm Parsons Corp., the consulting firm i-Probe and the Ohio Department of Transportation on the first project in the world to use sensors in production-level vehicles to examine assets of transportation infrastructure. The results of this project will have major impacts in the transportation sector, aiming to reduce costs, improve public safety by reducing accidents, and facilitate the safe, widespread deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles.
“This partnership with Professor Nazzal will result in a paradigm shift in road infrastructure asset evaluation, management, and maintenance, by enabling drivers to contribute to building a safer and smoother roadway. In addition, it will proactively prepare roadways for future mobility needs (such as connected and autonomous vehicles)," said Sue Bai, chief of data business at American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
Munir Nazzal receiving the 2024 George Rieveschl Jr. Award for Distinguished Scientific Research. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC
Alongside his acclaimed research work, Nazzal is a member of Ohio State Transportation Innovation Council and is an editor for ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering and Buildings Journal. He continues to teach as a professor of civil engineering, and has mentored 35 graduate students.
“Dr. Nazzal’s work is of the highest quality, and it has a tremendous impact beyond Cincinnati,” UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Dean John Weidner said.
Featured image at top: Munir Nazzal presents his transporation research. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
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