Al-Qadi honored at CEE investiture ceremony

Imad Al-Qadi, Illinois Center for Transportation director and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor, was honored at a Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering investiture ceremony on April 24.

Al-Qadi was named the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering in August 2022. Named faculty appointments are awarded in recognition of faculty excellence and prominence in research, teaching and service.

Al-Qadi has served as a faculty member, Founder Professor of Engineering and Bliss Professor of Engineering at UIUC’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 2004.

His research focuses on building resilient and sustainable airfield and highway pavements, advanced modeling for highways and airfields, optimized life-cycle cost and environmental assessment of transportation systems, autonomous and connected vehicles, and truck platoons.

Al-Qadi has mentored over 100 doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers as well as many master’s students, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in the transportation field, successful company owners, agency leaders and top scholars.

Dallas Little, Snead Chair Professor and Regents Professor at Texas A&M, introduced Al-Qadi, a long-time friend and colleague.

Little described Al-Qadi as a humble “true leader” and “global giant” in the transportation industry, who has visionary and unique abilities to look into the future while having an eye on the past.

In recognition of April’s National Arab American Heritage Month, Al-Qadi began his comments with an Arabic phrase, “ysialmu eedayk,” which is a wish of wellness and blessings for the hands that help others.

Al-Qadi thanked the hands that have helped him throughout his academic journey, including his late mother, students, ICT staff, friends, family, and colleagues at Yarmouk University, Penn State, Virginia Tech and UIUC.

“It is with deep humility for all of these hands that I accept this honor,” Al-Qadi said. “I leave you all with the phrase I began with, ‘yislamu eedayk,’ well wishes and blessings for all of the hands that brought me here today — my family, students, colleagues and friends. I am a better engineer and person because of you all.”

“I will continue to focus on how we can achieve positive impact for our students, the environment and our field through resilient, sustainable and safe mobility,” he added.

The full ceremony is available here.