Dr. Susan Burns

Biography

Susan E. Burns is the Dwight H. Evans Professor and Interim Associate Vice President for Research Operations Infrastructure at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in 1990, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 1996, a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering in 1996, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering in 1997, all from Georgia Tech. Dr. Burns joined the faculty at Georgia Tech in 2004 after serving at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on geoenvironmental engineering applications, specifically the beneficial use of waste materials such as dredged sediments, fly ash, and biomass fly ash. She studies the interfacial behavior of organic and inorganic-coated soils, transport of microplastics in porous media, and bio-mediated soil improvement. Dr. Burns is a past member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Standing Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering and the Committee on the Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers. She is the incoming president of the American Society of Civil Engineers Geo-Institute and has previously served as president of the United States Universities Council on Geotechnical Education and Research. She received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, was named the 2020 Engineer of the Year by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers, and received the 2021 Class of 1940 W. Howard Ector Outstanding Teacher Award from Georgia Tech.

Research Interests