Dr. A. Emin Aktan obtained his B.S. and M.S. in Civil/Structural Engineering from the Middle East Technical University, and his Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He conducted Post-Doctoral Research at University of California, Berkeley.

A specialist in intelligent infrastructure, Dr. Aktan is (since 1997) the John Roebling Professor of Infrastructure Studies, Director of the Intelligent Infrastructure Institute, and Co-ordinator of the Structures Area at Drexel University, Philadelphia. Prior to these appointments, he was Professor and Director of the Cincinnati Infrastructure Institute, and he founded and chaired the Academic Quality Committee and directed the Graduate Programs in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, at the University of Cincinnati (1988-1997).

After more than a decade of laboratory research in the seismic-resistant design of buildings, Dr. Aktan’s research interest turned to real life for systems identification, health monitoring, and the management of constructed systems. His research objectives include identifying the interactions between the social, natural, and engineered systems affecting infrastructure management, and integrating information technology with a spectrum of analytical and experimental research tools from various engineering disciplines for effective health-monitoring and management.

Dr. Aktan has served as a consultant with such state and federal agencies as the US Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Highway Agency, with industries such as OWENS Corning and United Technologies, and with a variety of University programs. He serves on a number of national (US) and international technical committees, and is Founding Chair of both the ASCE “Performance-Based Design and Evaluation of Constructed Facilities” Technical Committee and the Health Monitoring Committee of the International Association for Bridge Maintenance, Safety and Management. He has received awards from the American Concrete Institute (1986), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) (1987), and he was co-recipient of the ASCE-CERF Pankov Innovative Research Award in 1997.

Dr. Aktan enjoys a collaborative relationship with ISIS Canada, and serves as Vice-President of the International Society for Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructures, of which Dr. Mufti is Founding President.