Dr. James Garrett

Professor

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Biography

James H. Garrett Jr. is the Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Carnegie Mellon University, where he also holds the title of Thomas Lord Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Previously, he served as the Dean of the College of Engineering from January 2013 to December 2018 and as the head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from June 2006 to December 2012. Garrett co-founded the Pennsylvania Smarter Infrastructure Incubator, which focuses on creating and evaluating sensing, data analytics, and intelligent decision support systems aimed at improving the construction and management of infrastructure systems. He has contributed to the field through his editorial role as co-chief editor of the ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering from 2008 to 2013. Over his career, Garrett has published 60 refereed journal articles and numerous conference papers and book chapters. He earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, receiving his Ph.D. in 1996. His research interests include sensor systems for civil infrastructure condition assessment, data mining, and the application of machine learning techniques in civil and environmental engineering.

Research Interests

Civil Engineering Data Mining Machine Learning Infrastructure Management Sensor Systems

Experience

Provost

2018-01-01 — Present

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Chief Academic Officer overseeing academic policies and affairs.

Dean

2013-01-01 — 2018-12-31

College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Led the College of Engineering, managing academic programs, faculty, and research initiatives.

Professor

1996-01-01 — Present

Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Tenured full professor teaching and conducting research in Civil Engineering.

Associate Dean Academic Graduate Affairs

2000-01-01 — 2006-12-31

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Oversee graduate programs and policies in the College of Engineering.

Head

2006-01-01 — 2012-12-31

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering • Pittsburgh, PA

Managed department operations, faculty, and research activities.

Assistant Professor

1987-01-01 — 1990-12-31

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • Champaign, IL

Started academic career focusing on Civil Engineering education and research.

Requirements for Carnegie Mellon University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
GRE General
Verbal
Required:158
Quantitative
Required:149
Analytical Writing
Required:4
Overall
Required:4
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Research experience/publications
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Transcripts
  • GRE scores (optional but reported in profile)
  • English Proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo)
Specialization Notes

Admission is extremely competitive with no strict GPA cut-offs; holistic review is used.