Makarand “Mark” Hastak, professor and Dernland Family Head of Construction Engineering and Management, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Construction (NAC).

Members, selected through a nomination process, are chosen based on their significant contributions to the effectiveness of the engineering and construction industry over a period of several years. Other criteria include: recognition by peers as an industry leader; leadership demonstrated through the implementation of step improvements; and high personal integrity and concern for the health of the entire industry through sharing and communication.

Makarand Hastak, Dernland Family Head of Construction Engineering and Management

“Dr. Hastak has assisted the construction industry for the last 37 years through consulting, research, teaching, and service to the community,” his nominator wrote. “Prof. Hastak is recognized around the world … with specific expertise in profitability of construction companies, disaster risk reduction, infrastructure management, cost control, project management decision-making, risk management, factory-built housing, contracts, warranties, modular construction and strategic planning.”

He will be inducted during the NAC’s Gala Induction Ceremony Oct. 12 in Boston.

“It is indeed an honor to be accepted to the National Academy of Construction, and I truly appreciate all the support I have received from the members,” Hastak said. “I am looking forward to actively participating in the affairs of the academy.”

Also a professor in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Hastak is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE), Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS) and a Certified Cost Professional (CCP). He has worked on many projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, state departments of transportation, city agencies, the Construction Industry Institute and private entities. He has served as a fellow of the American Council on Education at Cornell University and is an honorary distinguished visiting professor at Tsinghua University in China.

In selecting Hastak for membership, the NAC described him as a “prominent educator, researcher, and academic leader whose diligence and service has influenced construction engineering and management domestically and internationally.”

As an educator and consultant, Hastak has given more than 50 keynotes and invited lectures around the world. He has authored or co-authored more than 235 journal and conference publications and 32 reports for funded projects. He also has co-authored and edited three widely used books and one conference proceeding.

In 2010, Hastak, along with two colleagues from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Alberta, co-founded the Global Leadership Forum for Construction Engineering and Management (GLF-CEM) — a global body of academic leaders in CEM to exchange research, teaching, and administrative experience and opportunities. The first two forums were held at Purdue. Since then, more than 80 member-universities have convened annually in a different member country. He currently is the chair of the organization’s advisory board and is a member of the executive committee. During the May 2023 event in Brazil, Hastak was a panel moderator.

He is the current president of the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB), departmental academic adviser for the Department of Building and Real Estate at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and academic adviser to the Construction Industry Institute (CII) Downstream and Chemicals Sector Committee. Since 1992, he has served on eight CII research teams and various committees.

In service to the ASCE, Hastak chaired the 2012 Construction Research Congress and was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Management in Engineering from 2009-2016. He currently serves on the editorial board of the journal.

Hastak has served as the chair of the National Consortium of Housing Research Centers (2008-2010) and was the invited scholar-in-residence (2006) at the National Association of Home Builders Research Center.

He was a member of the education board for the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International from 2004-2016, and in 2017, the organization honored him with the Brian D. Dunfield Educational Service Award. Also in 2017, he was an invited distinguished visiting professor at the General Tedeusz Kosciuszko Military Academy of Land Forces in Poland.

A Purdue alumnus (PhD CE ’94), Hastak held positions at Georgia Tech, New York University and the University of Cincinnati before returning to his alma mater in 2001. In 2006, Purdue honored him with the Roy E. and Myrna Wansik Civil Engineering Research Award.

Other NAC members within the Purdue Engineering faculty include Tom Iseley, professor of engineering practice in CEM; Dan Halpin, professor emeritus and retired Bowen Head of CEM; alumnus Robert Bowen (BSCE ’62, HDR ‘07), a Donn E. Hancher Distinguished Fellow in CEM; and Paul Giroux, a visiting professor in civil engineering.  

“I am proud to be counted among Purdue alumni as well as current and past faculty who have been bestowed this honor,” Hastak said. “I express my sincere gratitude to my nominator(s) and well-wishers for their support.”