Faculty Affairs

2026 Promotion Awardees

Professor

Qing Lu is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida and a Director of the Resilient Transportation Infrastructure Systems (R-TIS) Program at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR). His research focuses on transportation infrastructure engineering, with expertise in pavement engineering, transportation safety, machine learning, and infrastructure asset management. His recent work integrates artificial intelligence, advanced statistical modeling, and innovative materials to improve the safety, durability, and sustainability of transportation infrastructure.

Dr. Lu has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on many research projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Science Foundation, Florida Department of Transportation, and industry partners. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and has received multiple best paper and research awards. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment and is actively involved in national transportation research committees and professional societies. Dr. Lu earned his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and an M.A. in Statistics from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer in the State of California.

Associate Professor

Dr. Katherine Alfredo is faculty in Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of South Florida, where she leads the Alfredo DW-TAPS (Drinking Water Treatment, Access, Policy, and Sustainability) Research Group. Her research centers on ensuring sustainable access to safe drinking water by integrating technical treatment solutions, regulatory frameworks, and community adoption and trust—both in the U.S. and globally. Dr. Alfredo brings extensive international experience, including two U.S. Fulbright Fellowships (Ghana and India) and a NERPS Cross-Appointed Faculty Fellowship at Hiroshima University, all focused on addressing drinking water challenges in rural communities during and after technology implementation. Before joining USF, she served as Research Program Manager at a major urban water utility in the U.S., tackling the complex challenges of maintaining a reliable supply of high-quality potable water for large metropolitan areas.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Lawrence A. Stern is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering at the University of South Florida with an affiliate appointment in the Department of Medical Engineering. He leads a research group focused on applying the principles of protein engineering to understand and impact the way cells behave. His research group uses molecular biology and high-throughput screening techniques to develop synthetic receptors and soluble proteins to influence cellular systems while gaining fundamental knowledge about how the thermodynamics and kinetics of protein-protein interactions yield the design rules for natural and synthetic systems. This research has been recognized by support from the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) R35, NSF CAREER Award, ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, an R01 from the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (as co-I), USF Provost’s CREATE Award, and USF New Researcher Grant. Prior to his current position, Dr. Stern earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from Virginia Tech, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, and completed postdoctoral study at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope.

Dr. Ahmad Vaselbehagh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of South Florida. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Windsor, Canada, and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Delaware. Prior to joining USF, he served as an Assistant Professor and later as an Associate Professor at Tennessee Tech University. He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award.

Vaselbehagh’s research focuses on thermal-fluid sciences for aerospace and energy applications, with an emphasis on understanding complex transport phenomena across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. His areas of expertise include turbulence and transport processes in the atmosphere, aerodynamics, alternative propulsion systems, phase-change phenomena, and system design and optimization. His research has been supported by federal agencies and industry partners, including the NSF, NASA, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Vaselbehagh has authored and co-authored numerous scholarly publications, including books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and physics journals.

Instructor Promotion