Diana Franco Duran

Dr. Diana Franco Duran is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Virginia. She serves as Director of the Civil Engineering Undergraduate Program, Civil Engineering Minor, and the Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) Track. She oversees the Construction Industry Consortium, fostering collaboration between academia and industry. Her research focuses on engineering education innovation, including pedagogical approaches to enhance student learning and align curricula with construction industry needs.

Education:

• Ph.D. Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech (2020)
• M.Sc. and B.Sc. Civil Engineering, Universidad Industrial de Santander (2016, 2013)

Research Interests: Dr. Franco Duran explores modern teaching methods to bridge academic and industry gaps, emphasizing construction management education and competency development. Her work includes case-based learning, arts-informed pedagogy, and curriculum design for real-world application. She also investigates resource-constrained scheduling algorithms and construction project optimization.

Awards:

• UVA SoTL Scholar (2021–2022)
• Outstanding Reviewer, Journal of Civil Engineering Education – ASCE (2021)

Teaching & Leadership: She teaches courses such as CE 2030 (Project Management), CE 3010 (Project Business Planning), and oversees the CEM program. Her courses integrate industry projects to prepare students for professional challenges. She advocates for modernizing engineering education to address evolving industry demands.

Research Trends: Her articles span educational pedagogy innovation, construction scheduling optimization (e.g., RCPM algorithms), and evidence-based public project management. Notable work includes case studies on industry collaboration and critical reviews of traditional teaching methods.