Kirankumar V. Topudurti

Armour College of Engineering alumnus and deputy director of the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) Kirankumar V. Topudurti (Ph.D. EE ‘88) was recently named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The award is the society’s highest accolade and only 649 of ASCE’s worldwide members have been elected to to receive this honor since the society’s founding in 1852.

Topudurti will be recognized for his contributions in advancing the engineering, science, and field implementation of innovative hazardous waste remediation, sampling, and characterization technologies. He will also be honored for his national and international leadership in advancing professional engineering licensure and specialty certification requirements. Topudurti will receive the award at the ASCE Global Engineering Conference in Panama City, Panama, October 7-11, 2014.

As the deputy director of the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), Topudurti oversees the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) laboratory, which researches and develops capabilities for the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, and the country. In this role, he has a direct impact on CERL’s ability to provide science and engineering solutions to complex challenges in the military.

Before joining CERL, Topudurti served as the principal technical advisor and senior technical fellow for Tetra Tech EM Inc. in Chicago. In this role, he directed technical programs and developed a vision for the company along with the company’s chief executives and general managers. Concurrently, Topudurti was an adjunct professor at Illinois Institute of Technology.

In the course of his career, Topudurti has made a significant impact on the civil and environmental engineering fields by advancing more than 20 innovative hazardous waste treatment, sampling, and measurement technologies. These methods have been implemented in more than 100 hazardous waste sites across the globe. He has also authored numerous refereed publications and presented at international conferences.

Topudurti has also served on the Environmental Protection Agency’s science advisory board and chaired the American Academy of Environmental Engineers’ development and upgrading of examinations and international relations committees.