Dr. Katherine Flanigan

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Katherine Flanigan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. She holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at CMU. Flanigan received her Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Michigan in 2020, where she was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and received the College of Engineering Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize for Outstanding Ph.D. Research. She also earned master's degrees in civil engineering and electrical computer engineering in 2016 and 2018, respectively, from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor's degree in civil environmental engineering from Princeton University in 2014. Flanigan's research focuses on utilizing tools and technologies from various disciplines, including civil engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science, to transform traditional civil infrastructure into intelligent and adaptable cyber-physical systems. Her work aims to integrate sensing and computing technologies to improve performance, resilience, and sustainability in urban systems, including developing novel wireless sensing technologies for smart city applications and utilizing cloud-based analytics for infrastructure health monitoring. Additionally, her research extends to cyber-physical-social systems, which consider human interactions and their roles in infrastructure systems. Flanigan's projects address social challenges in the development of these systems, promoting equity in policy-making and community-driven data collection.

Research Interests

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.