Dr. Donald Webster received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1994. After a postdoctoral research position at Stanford University and a non-tenure track faculty position at the University of Minnesota, he joined the faculty at Georgia Tech in September 1997. For nearly two decades, he has been part of the School's leadership team, serving as an affinity group coordinator 2012-2014, the associate chair for undergraduate programs 2007-2012, the associate chair for graduate programs 2012-2013, and the associate chair for finance and administration 2013-2018. In May 2018, he became the Karen and John Huff School Chair. Dr. Webster's research expertise lies in environmental fluid mechanics, with an emphasis on the influence of fluid mechanics and turbulence on biological systems. He has authored or co-authored over 110 refereed research articles. In recognition of these contributions, Dr. Webster is a Sustaining Fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In 2016, his work on pteropod (i.e., the flying sea snail) biomechanics was featured in the New York Times among over 80 news agencies. Dr. Webster has been very active in professional service. He has served on the editorial board for the journal Experiments in Fluids since 2006 and has served on numerous conference and symposium advisory committees as well as other society committees. Dr. Webster developed several special topical sessions for the Ocean Science Meeting as well as the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics annual meeting, and used these forums to define the area of “Ecological Fluid Mechanics,” which broadly seeks to address the role that fluid motion, flow gradients, and chemical stirring play in shaping organism behavior, interactions, recruitment, reproduction, and community structure. Dr. Webster holds a professional engineering license (PE) in Georgia.
Dr. Webster's research expertise lies in environmental fluid mechanics, with an emphasis on the influence of fluid mechanics and turbulence on biological systems. His contributions have been in three arenas: 1) illuminating the fluid mechanics processes related to sensory biology and biomechanics; 2) developing advanced experimental techniques and facilities; and 3) translating research results into bio-inspired design. Examples of innovative and creative contributions include turbulent chemical plume tracking by blue crabs, biologically-inspired design of a robotic tracker of turbulent chemical plumes, tomographic (3D) particle image velocimetry of zooplankton propulsion (krill, copepods, pteropods, daphnids), zooplankton aggregations around oceanic thin layer structure, and copepod-turbulence interactions.
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering University of California at Berkeley 1994
M.S. Mechanical Engineering University of California at Berkeley 1991
B.S. Mechanical Engineering University of California at Davis 1989
Dr. Webster's educational activities include teaching courses in fluid mechanics, as well as rigid body dynamics. He is known for his efforts to develop effective blended (or flipped) classroom pedagogy for engineering mechanics courses. He has documented the effectiveness of the approach via a series of publications. Dr. Webster played a key role in developing the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering program at Georgia Tech and served on the steering committee to develop Georgia Tech's interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Ocean Science & Engineering. Further, he served as co-PI on an NSF-supported Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) grant to train students in the physics, chemistry, and ecology of chemical and hydrodynamic signaling in aquatic communities. Finally, he served as PI for an NSF-supported Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (RED) grant to lead a cultural shift and re-imagine the Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering curriculum.
Beginning this year, all students will take a series of four classes that will be required courses for all undergrads, representing the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s most significant curriculum update in 25 years.
Karen and John Huff School Chair and Professor Don Webster has joined the top civil engineers in the country as a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Webster was selected as a fellow for his contributions as a researcher, educator, and administrator.
At Georgia Tech, civil engineering has grown and evolved significantly since the program was established 125 years ago. What began with one instructor and a handful of students is now one of the top programs in the nation.
