Email Template
͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­
 
 
 
 
 
Winter 2026 Newsletter
 
 
Update from our Chair
 
 
Department Chair Sarah Billington
 
 
 
Dear Stanford Civil & Environmental Engineering Alumni, Friends, and Community, 

I hope your new year is off to a great start! We are halfway through Winter Quarter, and we’re busy admitting our next cohort of graduate students.

As we wrap up last year’s celebration of the School of Engineering’s 100th anniversary, I’m happy to announce that our department is celebrating its 135th anniversary. We were among the founding departments of Stanford University back in 1891! We’ve come a long way I’m including “then” and “now” photos below. I'm truly curious what the department will look like 135 years from now!

In the highlights below you can catch up on our many activities and accomplishments from the fall as well as learn more about our community members. We are very appreciative of your continued engagement and support of our department.

Sincerely,
Sarah Billington
UPS Foundation Professor and Chair
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering 


 
 
osi;fhg.png
 
 
 
 
 
Research Spotlight
 
 
tfoe-rishee_jain_0.jpg
 
 
The future of the built environment 

The future, Rishee Jain says in this episode of The Future of Everything podcast, will be a place where everyone has a safe, comfortable place to live and work, and the built environment adapts in real time to our needs. We once believed that humans bent infrastructure to our needs, but now we understand how infrastructure changes us, too.


 
 
 
 
 
Other Department News
 
 
Sarah Billington and Eva Bianchi explore how the right amount of indoor nature can enhance well-being without overwhelming occupants.


Ram Rajagopal and his team examine the United States' power grid and its weaknesses.  


A new Stanford model from Erica Plambeck shows how grocery stores can reduce food waste by rethinking freshness and sales order.


Mark Jacobson and Amory Lovins contribute to an opinion piece that challenges the claims of a “golden age” of nuclear power.


How Natural Disasters Exacerbate Inequity

Tianyaun Huang and his team examine how natural disasters deepen existing social and economic inequalities.


 
 
 
 
 
Awards & Recognitions
 
 
Picture12.png
 
Hae Young Noh
 
Professor Hae Young Noh has been named the 2026 recipient of the A.J. Durelli Award by the Society for Experimental Mechanics. Professor Noh was honored for her research on adaptive vibration signal resolution and indirect, city-scale infrastructure monitoring.
 
 
Picture13.jpg
 
Iro Armeni
 
Assistant Professor Iro Armeni has been named a 2025 Google Research Scholar in the Machine Perception category for her project, “Beyond Boundaries: Advanced 3D Generation Physical and Digital World Merging.”
 
 
 
Picture14.jpg
 
Ronaldo Borja
 
Professor Ronaldo Borja was awarded the John Booker Excellence Medal from the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics (IACMAG).
 
 
Picture15.png
 
Anne Kiremidjian
 
Professor Emerita Anne Kiremidjian has been awarded the 2026 George W. Housner Medal by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) in recognition of her distinguished career transforming earthquake engineering through innovative science and practice.
 
 
 
 
William Tarpeh
 
William Tarpeh, assistant professor of chemical engineering and, by courtesy, of CEE, has been awarded a 2025 MacArthur Fellowship by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Student Spotlights
 
 
Picture8.jpg
 
Abhishek Vijayan
 
Second-year MS student Abhishek Vijayan focuses on seismic engineering and structural durability to help design safer, more resilient infrastructure.

 
 
Picture9.jpg
 
Yuanbei "Fred" Fan
 
PhD student Yuanbei "Fred" Fan is advancing fully renewable, off-grid microgrids by combining energy modeling, optimization, and intelligent control to deliver reliable, climate-focused power systems.
 
 
 
 
Emily Moore
 
Undergraduate - Sustainable Architecture + Engineering
Emily Moore, BS '26, shares how a sustainability design course reshaped her approach to engineering and climate-conscious design.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Alumni News
 
 
Picture5.jpg
 
Meghan Shea
 
BS '17

Meghan Shea
is featured in a story about Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station, where researchers are revisiting historic tidepool data to understand how coastal ecosystems are responding to climate change.
 
 
Picture6.png
 
Burcu Akinci
 
MS '95, PhD '00

Burcu Akinci is the new Dean of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. This story highlights Akinci’s distinguished research and strategic leadership during nearly 25 years at CMU.
 
 
 
Picture10.jpg
 
Shiran Victoria Shen
 
MS '17

For Shiran Victoria Shen, the interdisciplinary foundation she built at Stanford CEE has shaped a dynamic career at the nexus of environment, policy, and society.
 
 
Picture11.png
 
Carlos Martín
 
MS '95, PhD '99

For Carlos Martín, a career dedicated to housing policy, sustainability, and community impact began with foundational experiences in Stanford CEE.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Join Us
 
9a961fec-559a-72fe-99b3-a92dad5556af.png
 
Feb.11
 
John A. Blume Distinguished Lecture Series
 
Structures, Safety and Society: Learning When Things Go Wrong
Glenn Bell, Research Civil Engineer, National Institute of Standards and Technology
 
 
 
Structural engineering has long recognized its obligation to learn from failure in the service of public safety. That obligation has become increasingly consequential as society demands structures that are more resilient, materially efficient, and adaptable to an uncertain future.
 
 
 
 
 
Staff Spotlight
 
Picture16.jpg
 
 
Rachel Stringari
 
With a genuine passion for helping students succeed, Rachel Stringari thrives on connecting with undergrads and collaborating with faculty to create a supportive environment. In this piece, learn about her journey from the Chemical Engineering department to CEE, her approach to embracing the challenges of her new role, and what she loves most about being part of the Stanford community.
 
 
 
 
 
 
In Memoriam
 
 
 
Professor Richard Luthy
 
1945-2025
 
 
 
Save the Date: A Memorial for Prof. Luthy will be held on Tuesday, May 19 at 4:30pm at Memorial Church
 
 
 
 
 
Share your story
 
 
Students at Civil and Environmental Engineering Commencement
 
 
CEE alumni, share what you've been up to for a chance to be featured in our upcoming newsletter.