Don Webster Reappointed as Chair of School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Wednesday, 03 May 2023

Donald R. Webster has been reappointed to serve a five-year term as Karen and John Huff Chair of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The reappointment follows a five-year performance review as required by the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook. The review committee, chaired by David Sholl, professor and former ChBE school chair, conducted a thorough assessment complemented by feedback from the School and community including faculty, staff, and students; the CEE Advisory Board; and other colleagues.

“I am pleased to announce Don’s reappointment as the CEE school chair,” said Raheem Beyah, dean of the College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair. “During his tenure, CEE has improved student success at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Don also has been very effective in recruiting faculty at the junior and senior levels, while also increasing the number of endowed faculty positions.”

The School’s DEI Committee reported that Webster has been highly supportive of their activities and visible in his commitment to DEI throughout CEE. That sentiment also was emphasized by the CEE Advisory Board during the review process.

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Don Webster

“I am grateful to Dean Beyah, David Sholl, and the review committee for their thoughtful efforts during the review process,” Webster said. “The coming years in CEE will be outstanding, as we’ve adopted an exciting and dynamic strategic plan to launch the School to even greater heights than we enjoy today. I am looking forward to working with our faculty, staff, students, and alumni to continuously enhance CEE’s impact and advance the student experience.”

He has served on the Georgia Tech faculty since 1997 and a member of the leadership team since 2007. 

Webster earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. His primary research interests lie in environmental fluid mechanics, with an emphasis on the influence of fluid motion and turbulence on biological systems. His work has been featured in the New York Times and dozens of other news outlets. He is a fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography and has served on the editorial board of the journal Experiments in Fluids for more than a decade.

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