Farshid Vahedifard

Farshid Vahedifard is a Professor and Louis Berger Chair in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tufts University’s School of Engineering. His research focuses on resilient infrastructure, climate adaptation, and environmental justice, with an emphasis on geotechnical engineering challenges posed by extreme events like floods, wildfires, and droughts. He holds affiliations with the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health and previously served at Mississippi State University. Dr. Vahedifard has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and secured grants from NSF, NASA, NOAA, and DOD.

Education: PhD (Civil Engineering, University of Delaware, 2011), MCE (University of Delaware, 2009), MSc (Bu-Ali Sina University, Iran, 2005), BSc (K.N.Toosi University, Iran, 2001).

Research Interests: Resilient and equitable infrastructure; climate impacts on infrastructure and communities; unsaturated soil mechanics; multi-physics processes in soils; geotechnical modeling. He leads transdisciplinary projects integrating climate science, data science, and social science to address infrastructure vulnerabilities in disadvantaged communities.

His 15 most recent articles focus on climate anxiety, levee failure risks, soil desiccation, and compound hazards. Key awards include the Norman Medal and ASCE Fellow recognition. He supervises over 50 postdocs and students, chairs NSF-funded projects, and advises on equitable infrastructure policies. His work spans geotechnical labs, remote sensing collaborations, and community resilience initiatives.