Akinci and Lowry Named University Professors
CEE Professors Burcu Akinci and Greg Lowry have been elevated to the rank of University Professor, the highest distinction a faculty member can receive at Carnegie Mellon. University Professors are distinguished by international recognition and for their contributions to education and/or research and exemplify a high level of achievement and commitment to the university and the broader academic communities.
The Paul Christiano Professor and CEE Department Head Burcu Akinci is a member of the National Academy of Construction, a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Middle East Technical University, a master’s degree from Bilkent University and master’s and doctorate degrees in civil and environmental engineering with a specialization in construction engineering and management from Stanford University.
Her research interests lie in modeling and reasoning about information-rich histories of buildings and infrastructure systems to streamline construction and infrastructure operations. She specifically focuses on investigating the utilization and integration of building information models with data capture technologies, such as 3D imaging and embedded sensors, on creating digital twins of construction projects and infrastructure operations and developing approaches to support proactive and predictive operations and management.
Akinci has two patents, one provisional patent, over 80 refereed journal publications and 120 refereed conference publications. She served in two National Academy of Sciences studies and is currently a member of the National Academies Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment.
Walter J. Blenko, Sr. Professor and CEE Executive Director of New Initiatives, Greg Lowry conducts transdisciplinary research in environmental chemistry and nanotechnology. His work is addressing important global sustainability challenges in agriculture, environmental remediation, and energy production.
He is currently an executive and associate editor of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Journal of Environmental Science & Technology. He serves on the editorial boards of the ACS journal Environment & Health, the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Environmental Science: Nano, and Nature: Scientific Data.
Lowry is a fellow of the AAAS and a fellow of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AAESP). He has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is a “highly cited” scientist (top 1%) in the areas of ecology and environment. He has received awards for his research from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (Science Award), the ASCE (Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Award) and the AAESP (Malcolm Pirnie/AAESP Frontiers in Research Award). He received Distinguished Service awards from the AAESP in 2018 and 2022 and was awarded the Fenves Award for Systems Research in 2011.
Lowry holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Davis, a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University. He holds a doctor honoris causa from Aix-Marseille University.