Civil Engineering professor awarded for impact on education

Simaan AbouRizk has been awarded the APEGA Excellence in Education Award

20 April 2018

Civil engineering professor and research chair Simaan AbouRizk has been honored for his exemplary contributions to teaching and learning. Photo and video courtesy APEGA.

Simaan AbouRizk is a distinguished university professor and a tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Operations Simulation. For more than three decades, AbouRizk has been committed to enhancing construction engineering and management education. He has been instrumental in establishing the University of Alberta's Hole School of Construction Engineering and expanding it into one of the most well-respected construction engineering and management programs in North America. As an educator, AbouRizk has been directly involved in the education of hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, developing and delivering multiple construction engineering and management courses and co-authoring three textbooks.

AbouRizk has also supervised and mentored countless master's and doctoral students in computer simulation for construction planning, productivity improvement, constructability review and risk analysis. Boasting a high-tech simulation lab, AbouRizk's graduate program brings students and industry personnel together into interdisciplinary, collaborative teams preparing students to excel in academia and industry. As a testament to the success of his educational model, many of his graduate students have become leaders in the construction industry, with many more being recognized by national and international organizations for their valuable academic contributions. In the hopes that his successes can be replicated at other institutions, AbouRizk has been invited to speak around the world about how his educational model functions and how similar programs can be developed elsewhere.

AbouRizk begins a five-year term as Chair of the UAlberta Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering July 1.

Awards and Distinctions

  • Distinguished University Professor (2015)
  • Fellow, Canadian Academy of Engineering (2015)
  • Fellow, Royal Society of Canada (2013)
  • Member, National Academy of Construction (2012)
  • Peurifoy Construction Research Award, American Society of Civil Engineers (2008)
  • Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize, American Society of Civil Engineers (2003)
  • Canada Research Chair, Operations Simulation (2002-present)
  • E. Whitman Wright Award, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (2002)
  • E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (2001)
  • Walter Shanly Award, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (2001)
  • Killam Award for Excellence and Scholarship, University of Alberta (1998)

Industrial Research Chair, Construction Engineering and Management, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (1997-2016)

Professional Affiliations and Activities

  • Member, APEGA (1992-present)
  • Member, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (1991-present)
  • Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (1990-present)