Christopher Higgins

Christopher Higgins is a Professor in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University (OSU), part of the College of Engineering. He has been at OSU since 2000 and previously held positions at Clarkson University and industry roles with firms like Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates. His research focuses on structural engineering, bridge engineering, and earthquake engineering, with particular expertise in experimental mechanics and infrastructure testing.

Higgins holds a B.S.C.E. from Marquette University (1988), M.S. from The University of Texas at Austin (1990), and Ph.D. from Lehigh University (1997). He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and has extensive consulting experience with organizations such as the Army Corps of Engineers and Pacific Stair Co.

His research interests include testing structures under seismic, wind, and ocean wave loads, evaluating structural materials (steel, concrete, composites), and improving bridge design and assessment. Notable achievements include saving Oregon taxpayers $500 million through reinforced concrete bridge research and developing tools for steel truss bridge inspection.

Higgins has authored over 40 refereed journal articles and numerous conference proceedings, with funding from NSF, FHWA, and industry partners totaling over $6 million. He teaches advanced courses in structural analysis, seismic design, and bridge engineering, mentoring 32 M.S. and 6 Ph.D. students. Awards include the 2018 OSU Alumni Professor Award and the 2011 College of Engineering Research Award.

He leads the Structural Engineering Research Laboratory at OSU, directs the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC), and has advised visiting researchers from Japan, Thailand, and South Korea. His work spans infrastructure resilience, retrofitting vintage structures, and acoustic emission monitoring for structural health.