Scott Michael Olson

Scott Michael Olson is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a 0% affiliate appointment in the Department of Geology. He holds roles as Associate Head and Director of Graduate Studies. His academic journey includes a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from UIUC (1993, 1995, 2001). Prior to academia, he worked in private practice with firms like Woodward-Clyde Consultants and URS Corporation, while also teaching at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Dr. Olson specializes in geotechnical engineering, focusing on geohazard identification, liquefaction engineering, laboratory testing, and paleoseismology. He teaches courses in geotechnical engineering, including CEE 380, CEE 484, and graduate-level topics like rock mechanics. His research emphasizes practical applications in infrastructure resilience, with notable contributions to understanding soil behavior under seismic loads and tailings material dynamics.

Dr. Olson has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Walter L. Huber Prize (2012), NSF CAREER Award (2009), and Arthur Casagrande Award (2004). He actively contributes to professional organizations such as the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, and has served on national review panels for NSF and USGS. His consulting work bridges academic research with industry challenges in geotechnical risk mitigation.