Professor Ossama “Sam” Salem was appointed as the Abdallah H. Yabroudi Chair in Sustainable Civil Infrastructures. He began his tenure at the L.C.Smith School of Engineering and Computer Science in January 2010.
Salem comes to SU from the University of Cincinnati (UC), where he was a professor, director of graduate studies, and director of the Infrastructure Systems and Management Program in UC’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
“Dr. Salem has extensive academic and industrial experience in civil infrastructure systems, sustainability, and construction management, and he is nationally and internationally recognized for his research in infrastructure management and green infrastructure,” says Samuel P. Clemence, Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence and professor of civil and environmental engineering. “His presence on the faculty will provide the University, college, and the CIE department with a wonderful resource in one of the most important and progressive areas in engineering,”
The professorship, an endowed chair, was created from a gift to the college by LCS alumnus Abdallah H. Yabroudi ’78, G’79 of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), president of the Dubai Contracting Company. Yabroudi created the endowed fund to allow the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to bring a new faculty member on board to specialize in sustainable civil infrastructures with an emphasis on international engineering in the developing world.
Salem will help LCS, and the University, develop a critical presence in the Middle East and will be involved with the Syracuse University-DCC Dubai Summer Internship Program. The five-week internship was created by Yabroudi in honor of his former professors Samuel P. Clemence and James Mandel, to provide international experience to LCS civil engineering students.
Salem has more than 22 years of experience in civil engineering and infrastructure management, including 12 years as a faculty member. He served and continues to serves on many professional associations and committees, including the executive committees of the Sustainable Urban Engineering Center and the Midwest Regional University Transportation Asset Management Center. He is a founding member of the International Society for Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Transport Infrastructures (iSMARTi), and is currently chair of the Infrastructure Asset Management committee.
During his academic career, Salem has mentored and advised more than 25 graduate students to the completion of their research theses, attracted research funding in excess of $2 million, and has published more than 70 refereed articles. He has also developed a number of new courses in such nontraditional civil engineering areas as infrastructure management and sustainability and green construction.
Salem’s academic activities focus on streamlining and managing the preconstruction, construction, and post-construction processes of civil infrastructure assets in order to provide functional, safe, economical and sustainable infrastructure systems. His research and teaching activities include civil infrastructure systems and asset management, infrastructure operation and maintenance, sustainable infrastructures, construction project management, accelerated and fast track construction, lean and green construction, and safety and health engineering.
His industry experience includes working as part of an Alberta Ministry of Infrastructure team in Canada that developed an integrated infrastructure management system for the province of Alberta.
Salem received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Alexandria University in Egypt in 1988, a master’s degree in construction management from Clemson University in 1992, and a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada, in 1998. He is a licensed professional engineer, certified professional construction manager, and accredited LEED professional.
Salem was named Distinguished Engineering Professor, in UC’s College of Engineering in 2009, and has received numerous other awards.
