Sarah Gassman

Sarah Gassman is a Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of South Carolina’s Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. Her expertise lies in geotechnical engineering, with a focus on infrastructure resilience, soil behavior, and non-destructive evaluation techniques. She has held roles in professional organizations such as the ASCE Geo-Institute and TRB technical committees, reflecting her leadership in geotechnical research.

Dr. Gassman earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University (1997 and 1994), and a B.S. from Southern Methodist University (1992). Her research integrates field and laboratory methods to assess subgrade soils, pavement performance, and earthquake-induced liquefaction risks in coastal regions. Notable projects include calibrating pavement design models for South Carolina and analyzing geotechnical failures during extreme weather events.

Her work emphasizes translational research, bridging academic findings to practical applications in transportation infrastructure and disaster resilience. She has advised numerous state and federal agencies on geotechnical standards and contributed to improving infrastructure assessment technologies.