Alice Alipour named American Society of Civil Engineers Structural Engineering Institute Fellow

Alice Alipour, associate professor and Thomas M. Murray Family Faculty Fellow of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, has been named an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Fellow. SEI Fellows represent less than 1 percent of ASCE’s total membership, recognized as leaders and mentors in structural engineering. She will receive the honor at the 2025 Structures Congress in Phoenix, April 9-11, 2025.

Alipour has been at Iowa State since 2015, making significant contributions to the structural engineering field. With a wide range of completed and ongoing research projects, Alipour’s work in multi-hazard investigation, resilient infrastructure design, and mitigating the risk of disasters to communities brings innovation to several facets of the field. On the ASCE SEI committees, Alipour uses her research to collaborate on technical committees and define new standards for industry.

Beyond her research, Alipour supports and mentors a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students. She offers them unique opportunities to conduct research and gain real-world experience as they grow. This includes collaborations that go beyond disciplinary boundaries, transforming how they can tackle future challenges in structural engineering and related fields.

This year, Alipour was honored as the Outstanding Student Organization Advisor of 2024 by the College of Engineering Student Council for her advising the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Student Chapter. Her most utilized piece of advice to her students, she said, is “to take pride and communicate your interests — build on that with different opportunities to dig deeper. Think outside the box! Bring your own flair!”

Alipour’s research also impacts neighboring communities within Iowa. After a derecho swept across the Midwest in 2020, the infrastructure was found to be not prepared enough for such levels of hazard, with many Iowan communities without power or plans for recovery. Alipour now leads a team of researchers on a project called ENDURE, creating a comprehensive data collection and analysis system in partnership with the affected power utilities and their teams to make action and recovery plans.

On campus, Alipour has been an integral piece in the planning and design of a state-of-the-art National Testing Facility for Enhancing Wind Resiliency of Infrastructure in Tornado-Downburst-Gust Front Events, or NEWRITE. This $14 million multi-part project will supplement research conducted with the current simulator housed in Howe Hall. Alipour and her team use this tornado simulation technology to explore the future of wind-resilient infrastructures.

“I’m deeply honored to be named a Fellow of SEI,” Alipour said. “This recognition reflects not just my journey but the incredible mentors, collaborators, and teams I’ve been lucky to work with. Achievements like this are never solo efforts — they’re built on the shared wisdom and support of an amazing community. I am looking forward to working with SEI and the structural engineering community for many years to come.”

“This fellowship is well deserved,” said Greenwood Department Chair and Professor David Sanders. “We are proud to have Dr. Alipour lead courses, mentor the future of civil, construction and environmental engineering, and drive to connect novel research to implementable solutions. She is a positive force in our department.”