Dr. Alaa Ashmawy joined AUD in 2006 as Dean of Engineering. Prior to his appointment at AUD, he had been a tenured Associate Professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. His expertise is in geotechnical Engineering, with interests in numerical modeling of foundations and earth structures, environmental geotechnics, and soil dynamics & earthquake Engineering. Dr. Ashmawy's experience includes Engineering consulting for a number of companies in the US, and a visiting professorship at the Universidád de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Florida (USA) and an ABET Program Evaluator. Dr. Ashmawy is a member of numerous professional associations including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education, the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, and Sigma Xi - the Scientific Research Society. He has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Global Engineering Deans Council since 2009, and was elected as Secretary & Treasurer of the Council in 2011. He is the recipient of the 2004 Jerome Krivanek Distinguished Teacher Award at the University of South Florida, and the ASCE Zone II Faculty Advisor Certificate of Commendation. He has authored two book chapters, and more than 50 technical papers in refereed journals and conferences. His research has been funded by the US National Science Foundation, the US Department of State, and the Florida Department of Transportation.

Civil Engineering