Dr. Venkatesh Kodur, Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering has been selected as one of the winners of this year's Distinguished Faculty Award. He was honored, along with other award winners, at the annual University Awards Convocation on Tuesday, February 8, 2011.

Venkatesh K. R. Kodur is internationally recognized for his seminal contributions to the areas of structural fire engineering and high-performing construction materials, having developed fundamental understanding on the behavior of materials and structural systems under extreme fire conditions.

Kodur’s major contributions include solutions for enhancing the fire performance of such high-performing materials as composite construction, high-strength concrete and fiber-reinforced polymers. The techniques and methodologies resulting from his research have been instrumental in minimizing the destructive impact of fire in the built infrastructure.

Kodur’s research program is funded by major grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation and the construction industry. He has chaired numerous international technical committees, organized workshops and international conferences, and is a member of the editorial boards of several scientific journals. He has also received a NATO award for collaborative research, an American Institute of Steel Construction Faculty Fellowship award and a National Research Council Canada Outstanding Public Awareness Award. Kodur was elected a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers; the American Concrete Institute; and the Canadian Academy of Engineering, which is the highest honor bestowed to engineers by Canada.

Says Kodur: “It is a great honor and pleasure to receive this Distinguished Faculty Award. I have been lucky to have the opportunity to work with wonderful colleagues and talented graduate and undergraduate students in the CEE department and College of Engineering. My sincere appreciation to the department, college and university for providing the opportunities and resources to establish a world class research program in the structural fire engineering field at MSU. Much remains to be done in this emerging field and I look forward to advancing the area in years to come.”