Introducing Our New Associate Chair
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Kimberly Warren as the new Associate Chair for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). Dr. Warren earned her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech (1996) and her Master’s and PhD from North Carolina State University (1999 & 2003). She is an Associate Professor in the CEE Department with expertise in geotechnical engineering and 19 years of service to UNC Charlotte.
Her early research focus involved full-scale field instrumentation and monitoring of civil engineering structures constructed and reinforced with geosynthetics. She has more recently combined her leadership role in the Department with educational research initiatives that increase student engagement and integrate active learning strategies in the classroom. She is currently working on a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) grant that addresses the challenges associated with incorporating pedagogies that enhance critical thinking in engineering curriculum. Dr. Warren was awarded the William States Lee College of Engineering Graduate Teaching Award in 2009 and Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2021. She has demonstrated a deep commitment to student success on many levels. Her passion for fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and pushing the boundaries of traditional thinking aligns perfectly with the mission and vision of the CEE Department.
Dr. Warren was named the Director of Student Learning and Assessment in 2016. In this role, she served as a continuous thread in the CEE continuous improvement process and provided leadership on many student success initiatives. She led the Department through two flawless ABET accreditation visits, and received an award from the UNC Charlotte Assessment and Accreditation Office for the improvements she made to the CEE assessment process and her leadership in continuous improvement initiatives that contribute to the success of the civil engineering program at UNC Charlotte.
As Associate Chair, Dr. Warren is looking forward to working with the Department Chair and the faculty on the implementation of improvements and programs that will support academic excellence, student success, and continue to strengthen the student-faculty culture that is unique to this Department. She is looking forward to redeveloping a required civil engineering sophomore level course to strengthen critical engineering, problem solving, communication, and teamwork skills at an earlier point in the curriculum. Beginning in the fall of 2024, Dr. Warren will also serve as the faculty mentor for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and looks forward to providing mentorship to this group. Please join us in extending congratulations to Dr. Warren as she takes on her new role as Associate Chair. We look forward to the heartfelt and strategic contributions she will bring to our Department.