Dan M. Frangopol , the inaugural Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture Emeritus and professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at Lehigh University, has been selected to receive the 2026 Arthur M. Wellington Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers ( ASCE ).
The prize recognizes an outstanding ASCE technical paper on transportation across land, water, or air, as well as closely related fundamental subjects.
Frangopol shares the award with his co-authors for the paper , “Probabilistic Connectivity Assessment of Road Networks Subjected to Ground Motion and Tsunamis Considering the Spatial Correlations among Hazard Intensities,” published in the ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering , Vol. 29, Issue 8, in August 2024. Among the collaborators is Mitsuyoshi Akiyama, a professor at Waseda University in Tokyo, who previously spent two sabbaticals as a visiting research associate at Lehigh.
The research develops a probabilistic framework for evaluating how road networks remain connected during and after major hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis. By accounting for how hazard intensities vary across regions and are spatially correlated, the approach provides a more realistic assessment of network performance under extreme conditions. The work is designed to help engineers and planners identify vulnerabilities, prioritize investments, and improve the resilience of critical transportation systems.
The award will be presented at the ASCE 2027 Conference in Philadelphia, March 1–5, 2027.
This marks the third time Frangopol has received the Wellington Prize, following honors in 2012 and 2022 —making him the only individual to receive the award three times since its establishment in 1921, according to ASCE. The 2026 recognition also represents his 18th award-winning journal paper, including multiple honors from ASCE and other international engineering organizations.
Read more about Frangopol’s research and achievements here .
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