Robert J. Connor
Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering
Dr. Robert J. Connor joins Purdue University as an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering in the structures group. He has over fourteen years of experience in the research and testing of bridges. His research focuses on fabrication flaws, fatigue cracking, fracture and failures. He has developed repair strategies for structures for a variety of agencies including state DOT, rapid transit authorities, construction companies, and structural consultants. He also has developed, and is currently developing, fatigue design specifications for highway bridge structures, sign and signal structures, and bridge expansion joints for NCHRP and state agencies. In addition, he has developed a two day short course for the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Departments of Transportation on Fatigue and Fracture Design in Steel Bridges and is the Chairman of the First International Conference on Fatigue and Fracture in the Infrastructure, to be held in August of 2006. Dr. Connor graduated from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, with a bachelors degree in civil engineering, and completed both his masters and doctorial programs at Lehigh University, located in Bethlehem, PA, in civil engineering. For eight years Dr. Connor has served as a graduate research assistant, a visiting research engineer and a senior research engineer at the Lehigh University ATLSS Center.