Venkatesh Kodur of Michigan State University will use a prestigious Fulbright Specialist Program Award at India’s Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, to conduct research and training on enhancing fire resistance of materials and structures.
Kodur is a University Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and director of MSU’s Center on Structural Fire Engineering and Diagnostics.
“This fellowship is a great opportunity to help the faculty and students at BITS Pilani to fabricate fire resistant natural fiber-based construction materials (such as FRP) for sustainable structural applications in the construction sector,” Kodur said. “Further, I will strive to enhance the collaboration between MSU and BITS Pilani for facilitating joint research and student and academic exchanges.”
Kodur said participating in this prominent international program will bring him great professional satisfaction.
“The broader outcomes from this collaboration will lead to socio-economic development through the production of sustainable FRP composite materials using agricultural waste,” Kodur added.
CEE Chair Neeraj Buch said Fulbright Specialists are selected on their academic, professional and leadership achievements, along with their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad.
“Dr. Kodur has established effective research alliances with faculty members and scientists across the world. As a result of these alliances, the CEE department at Michigan State University is now internationally known for its strength in the structural fire safety field,” Buch explained. “The Fulbright Specialist Award is a recognition of Dr. Kodur’s contributions to the state of the art in structural fire engineering.”
Kodur is an internationally recognized scholar in the areas of structural and fire engineering. He has established a leading-edge research program that has reached a high level of sustained professional distinction in research and scholarly activities; teaching; and public and institutional service.
Kodur’s unique research in the fire safety field is credited with developing the fundamental understanding on the behavior of materials and structural systems under extreme fire conditions. The techniques and methodologies resulting from his research is instrumental for minimizing the destructive impact of fire in built infrastructure, which continues to cause thousands of deaths and billions of dollars of damages each year in the U.S. and beyond.
Kodur’s industrial background at the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) provides him with a unique perspective and his research is highly innovative in combining theoretical depth with highly relevant practical applications.
As founding director of the Center for Structural Fire Engineering and Diagnostics (SAFE-D Center) funded through an MSU Strategic Partnership Grant, Kodur, together with his research team is applying advanced experimental techniques and complex numerical modeling approaches for developing rational calculation methodologies and innovative practical solutions for fire design of various structural systems. For undertaking fire experiments, he designed and developed unique structural and material fire testing facilities (valued at more than $2 million) at MSU, the first of its kind at a U.S. university.
Working with students and collaborators, Kodur has published research results in 450+ technical papers – including 350+ peer-reviewed papers in prestigious international journals and conferences. He is one of the highly cited authors in Civil Engineering and Fire Protection Engineering disciplines, with more than 17,000 citations and an h-index of 72. He is a sought-after speaker and media source. He has delivered 80 keynote and plenary presentations in structural and fire resistance areas.
Kodur has served on numerous panels in the U.S. and internationally. Among his many honors, he is a Fellow of six institutes and academies, including the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), American Concrete Institute (ACI), Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), and Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE).
His other major awards include a NATO award for collaborative research, an American Institute of Steel Construction Faculty Fellowship Award, “INFOSYS Visiting Chair Professor” appointment at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Government of India “VAJRA Faculty Award for Collaborative Research” at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, and an NRC (Government of Canada) Outstanding Achievement Award. He has received some of the highest honors bestowed on engineers in U.S., Canada, and India, and at MSU and the MSU College of Engineering.
Most notably, he was part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and American Society of Civil Engineers high profile "Experts Team" that investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings as a result of Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
The highly coveted Fulbright grants are issued by the U.S. Department of State to foster international academic exchange. It is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and citizens in more than 160 other countries.