Jaselskis named Jimmy D. Clark Distinguished Professor

Dr. Edward J. Jaselskis has been appointed the inaugural Jimmy D. Clark Distinguished Professor in Construction Engineering and Management at North Carolina State University. His appointment is effective June 1, 2011.

Jaselskis comes to NC State from Iowa State University, where he is the W.A. Klinger Teaching Professor in Construction Engineering and has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in the construction engineering program for 22 years.

The Clark professorship was established in 2007 by Jimmy D. Clark, a registered professional engineer and a 1974 civil engineering alumnus. Clark is the owner and president of Guy M. Turner, Inc., which was founded in 1924 and is based in Greensboro, NC. The company has 10 offices in seven states and specializes in heavy rigging, specialized transportation and crane services.

Clark plays a leadership role with the university through his volunteer service. He is a member of the NC State Engineering Foundation Board of Directors and is chairman of the university’s Board of Visitors. Clark also is a member of the Dean’s Circle, the Student Aid Association and the Alumni Association.

Jaselskis’ research interests include construction project success, innovative construction technologies and engineering public policy. He has conducted research with funding provided by federal, state and industrial sponsors such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Iowa Department of Transportation, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program and the Construction Industry Institute.

Jaselskis is the former director of the Engineering, Policy and Leadership Institute at Iowa State, which focused on increasing the engagement of engineering in state and national policymaking as well as the number of engineers in elected positions.  He is a member of several professional organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers, Sigma Xi, the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Strategic Planning Committee for the Construction Industry Institute. Jaselskis has also served as a program director for NSF in information technology and infrastructure systems.

He received his bachelor’s degree in general engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1980; his master’s degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982; and his PhD in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988.