Deborah Goodings (CivE 7T5) is Associate Dean of Engineering at George Mason University. Her previous appointments included: Director of the Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation Division at the US National Science Foundation; Dewberry chaired professor and Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering Department chair at George Mason University; professor of civil engineering at the University of Maryland; and geotechnical engineer at Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton Engineers and Architects in New York City. In addition to her research and teaching at the University of Maryland, she co-founded and co-directed the UMD Master of Engineering and Public Policy Program. In addition, she established one of the earliest and most active student chapters of Engineers Without Borders-USA, which completed ten international infrastructure projects under her guidance with full integration of engineering and non-engineering students. In recognition of her Engineers Without Borders-USA leadership, a gift was made to the university to endow the Deborah J. Goodings Professorship in Engineering for Global Sustainability.
Dr. Goodings’ experience and expertise have led to her service to the U.S. National Academies and National Research Council, as well as to institutional visiting and review committees both in the United States and Canada, including those for McMaster University and the University of British Columbia. She was elected as a By-Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge University, in 1996. Her career accomplishments have been recognized with awards from the U.S. Department of the Army; the U.S. National Research Council; the U.S. Universities Council on Geotechnical Engineering Research; Professional Engineers Ontario; and the University of Maryland.
Dr. Goodings earned her B.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto, and her Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from Cambridge University. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers; a Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineering (ret.); a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario; and a proud Canadian.