ASCE has honored Navid H. Jafari, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE, with the 2024 Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award for his pioneering work on coastal geotechnics and coastal protection using hard and natural infrastructure.
Jafari has made invaluable contributions and established himself as a leader and pioneer in the area of coastal geotechnical engineering in a nation where safeguarding coastal communities, economic hubs, and critical infrastructure networks is paramount to national security and enduring prosperity.
His ability as an interdisciplinary bridge-builder is exemplified by his collaborations across coastal engineering, systems ecology, and geomorphology. His work probes the responses of natural and nature-based infrastructure to storm surges, waves, and rising sea levels, weaving a narrative of resilience and adaptation.
The originality of his research and teaching initiatives is that he has brought geotechnical engineering principles into the coastal engineering community. This cross-discipline transfer of knowledge is assisting in restoring and protecting natural ecosystems that provide flood protection and environmental benefits to U.S. citizens; and this interdisciplinary work has resulted in Jafari receiving numerous grants to highlight his academic research addressing real-world and pressing coastal protection issues.
Beyond academia, Jafari has carved a distinctive path, seamlessly weaving research, teaching, and practice. His tenacity is evident in securing federal funding from diverse agencies, a testament to his commitment to fostering emerging researchers and steering coastal initiatives. His influence extends to multi-million-dollar transdisciplinary grants, including the National Academy of Sciences grant probing the geomorphic future of the Mississippi River Birdsfoot Delta.
Jafari has produced outstanding accomplishments as a young researcher in the field of geotechnical engineering and is poised to become a leader in the profession.
The Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award is presented in recognition of outstanding accomplishments as evidenced by completed works, reports, or papers in the field of geotechnical engineering. The award was established to provide professional development opportunities for outstanding young practitioners, researchers, and teachers of geotechnical engineering.
