Michael J. Chajes, PhD., P.E.
2009 Engineer of the Year

MICHAEL J. CHAJES, PhD, PE, is Professor and Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware. Dr. Chajes is also a registered Professional Engineer in Delaware, and served on the state’s Professional Engineering Registration Board from 1995 to 2000.

Dr. Chajes was an undergraduate civil engineering student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and graduated with honors in 1984. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he attended the University of California at Davis (UCD) and received his M.S. in 1987 and his Ph.D. in 1990. While at Davis, Dr. Chajes was twice awarded the University’s Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award.

In 1990, Dr. Chajes joined the faculty at the University of Delaware as an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1996, and to Professor in 2002. He served as Acting Associate Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1996, and as Associate Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 1998-2001. In July of 2001, Dr. Chajes was appointed Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, a position he held through September of 2007. In October of 2007 Dr. Chajes was appointed as Interim Dean of the College of Engineering, and in July of 2008, Dr. Chajes was appointed Dean of the College of Engineering.

Dr. Chajes is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). Within ASCE, he was a member of the Department Heads Council Executive Committee (DHCEC) from 2002-2007, serving as the Chair from 2005-2007. He also served as a Member of the Task Committee that planned the summit on the “Future of the Civil Engineering in 2025” that was held in 2006, and has served on the Government Affairs Committee. Within ASEE, he is a member of the Dean’s Council and currently serves on the Public Policy Committee. Dr. Chajes also serves on several national committees including TRB’s Committee AFF40, Dynamics and Field Testing of Bridges and AHD30, the Structures Maintenance Committee.

As Professor and Dean at the University of Delaware, Dr. Chajes has taught classes over the past 20 years in the areas of structural analysis and structural design. He was instrumental in the development of the college’s Introduction to Engineering class that is now taken by all freshmen in engineering. He has supervised 38 M.S. students and 4 Ph.D. students while at UD, as well as over 50 undergraduate research students. Finally, he has providing administrative leadership at UD for over 8 years through his service as Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Dean of the College of Engineering.

In terms of research, Dr. Chajes’ areas of specialization are bridge testing, evaluation, and rehabilitation. He is an affiliated faculty member of the Center for Innovative Bridge Engineering, the Center for Composite Materials, and the Delaware Transportation Center. He has served as PI or co-PI on more than $5M of research grants funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, the Delaware Department of Transportation, and several industrial groups and foundations. Based on this research, Dr. Chajes has published more than 100 papers and presented his work through more than 70 talks in the US and abroad.

As a consultant, Dr. Chajes has participated in the evaluation and testing of numerous major bridges and structures including the Newburgh–Beacon Bridge, the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway, the Goethals Bridge, the Ben Franklin Bridge, the Chesapeake City Bridge, the Summit Bridge, the Lock Gates on the Erie Canal, and several historic trusses and polymer composite bridges.

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