PhD student Fabian B. Rodriguez has been named a member of the 2022 cohort of Trailblazers in Engineering Fellows, a group of 25 PhD students and postdocs in engineering or related disciplines at U.S. research universities selected to participate in a three-day professional development workshop that will prepare them to secure a position as a future engineering faculty and thrive in that role. TBE Fellows are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements but also for their potential impact in expanding representation and diversity in engineering. 

Fabian earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota. In Purdue’s Lyles School of Civil Engineering, he received his master’s degree in 2022 and expects to graduate with his PhD in 2023. His doctoral work relates to the development of materials for 3D printing of concrete and durability evaluation for large-scale applications. As part of Purdue’s ongoing efforts to lead the transition to clean wind energy, he is engaged in a project with RCAM Technologies to develop 3D-printed concrete suction anchors that will replace traditional anchors for offshore wind plants. He is a 2022 recipient of the Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship, 2021 recipient of the Nellie Munson Graduate Teaching Award, and is the incoming vice president for the Engineering Academic Career Club. He has mentored five students interested in materials research, and he envisions himself engaged in areas closely related to the development of sustainable materials, infrastructure, and appropriate durability evaluation. As a future faculty member, Rodriguez will build on the welcoming, inclusive environment he has experienced at Purdue. He plans to create exciting environments for teaching and research, and he will promote his students’ best talents and embrace different scientific perspectives, regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, or gender identity.

Source: Purdue Engineering