professor working in research lab

Research

Convergent research with collaboration across government, industry, and academia

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering attracts exceptional faculty who conduct state-of-the-art research, are dedicated educators at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and advance the state of professional practice. Faculty conduct interdisciplinary research in department research areas, as part of the college’s multidisciplinary research centers, and within their laboratories, as well as working across the university, and with industry, government, and academia.

The department also has dedicated staff who provide a range of operational services, including laboratory technicians, a dedicated machine shop, and budget and finance.

View faculty profiles including faculty laboratory research, and recent Annual Reports.


Quick Facts

$39M

external research funding (2022-24)

15

young investigator awards

4

research centers and institutes

39

tenured/tenure-track faculty


The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering education and research missions are focused on Urban Engineering, anchored by several multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional centers and programs. Building on current strengths and expanding into new and vital areas, three overarching interdisciplinary research and education thrusts of the department include Environmental Health, Civil Infrastructure Security, and Sustainable Resource Engineering, with subthemes and disciplinary excellence in each of these areas. We have premier departmental strengths in four integrated enabling technologies that include Simulation (both computational and experimental), Smart Sensing, and Data and Network Science, and Urban Informatics.

cee infographic about programs and research

Recent News

Two Northeastern Professors Recognized as Massachusetts AI Innovators

CEE/MES Professor Qin Jim Chen and DMSB/MIE Associate Professor Tucker Marion both won the Massachusetts AI Hub’s AI Models Innovation Challenge. 

Melanie Marino, PhD'28, civil and environmental engineering, presenting key findings.

COE Climate-Health Scorecard Gains National Attention

Research from CEE Professor Matthew Eckelman’s group on climate change and the American healthcare system, which was presented during NYC Climate Week, was featured on Good Morning America and several public radio stations and newspapers.

“Lab in a Van” Helps Identify Pollution to Improve Air Quality

CEE Assistant Professor Shang Liu talks about Northeastern’s iSUPER mobile lab that helps identify pollution hotspots around Boston in hopes to find solutions to mitigate the impact of poor air quality. 

Research Finds Tylenol Usage During Pregnancy Does Not Cause Autism

CEE Postdoctoral Research Associate Megan Woodbury has been working on research examining language development impairment with Tylenol usage during pregnancy and finds there is no direct link between acetaminophen use and autism.