James M. LaFave

James M. LaFave is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), affiliated with the Grainger College of Engineering and the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE). He holds the title of CEE Excellence Faculty Scholar and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Illinois CEE Structures Group (since 2023). Prior roles include Associate Dean for Facilities & Capital Planning (2020-21), Director of CEE Education Programs for the Zhejiang University-UIUC Joint Institute (2018-20), and CEE Associate Head (2016-20). He has also held visiting professorships at the University of Washington (2007-08) and served as a NIST Associate (2015).

Education: B.S. (1986) and M.S. (1987) in Civil Engineering from UIUC; Ph.D. (1997) in Civil (Structural) Engineering from the University of Michigan. Professional experience includes consulting roles at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates and Sargent & Lundy Engineers, and licensure as a Professional Engineer in Michigan.

Research focuses on structural connections/joints, seismic and wind hazard mitigation, bridge engineering, and high-performance concrete. Notable projects include studies on integral abutment bridges, concrete connection behavior, and machine learning applications in structural assessment.

• Research Highlights: Integral abutment bridge dynamics, seismic retrofit strategies, and masonry system performance.
• Editorial Roles: Founding Co-Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Building Engineering; Editorial Board member of Engineering Structures.
• Awards: ACI Wason Medal (2009), Martin P. Korn Award (2023), and multiple teaching honors.

Teaching responsibilities include structural design courses for undergraduate and graduate students, alongside advising the UIUC CEE Steel Bridge Team. Professional service includes leadership roles in ACI committees (e.g., Joint Committee 352 on concrete joints) and editorial judging for engineering awards.