Mustafa Mashal, Ph.D., CPEng, P.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Idaho State University, has been named a fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Mashal also serves as associate vice president for research and innovation partnerships at the university, with a joint appointment at Idaho National Laboratory. He is founder and director of the ISU Structural Laboratory, the largest and most advanced structural testing facility in Idaho, and of the Disaster Response Complex, an applied research and training facility supporting hands-on emergency response.
With more than 18 years of combined academic, national laboratory, and industry experience across the United States, New Zealand, and other international settings, Mashal has led numerous bridge research initiatives for the Idaho Transportation Department, including a recent project implemented over I-15 in Southeast Idaho that received the AASHTO High Value Research Award. He was named to the Idaho Business Review’s “40 Under 40” list in 2023 and is a recipient of three Fulbright awards, reflecting sustained international recognition of his work and impact.
A dedicated educator and researcher, Dr. Mashal led development and coordination of the nation’s first joint PCI Foundation–NPCA Foundation funded curriculum, the Precast Concrete Engineering Studio, focused on advancing transportation infrastructure education through industry collaboration. He has served extensively on ASCE technical committees and has been ASCE Student Chapter Advisor at ISU since 2016. He is Fellow of ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), a distinction held by about 1 percent of its members worldwide, and a graduate of the ASCE Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEED) program.
His contributions to bridge engineering and infrastructure resilience have been recognized with ASCE’s Alfred Noble Prize in 2020 and the ASCE Southern Idaho Section’s Outstanding Civil Engineer of the Year award in 2019. In recognition of his scholarly achievements and leadership in research and innovation, he was named the 2025 ISU Distinguished Researcher.
His research spans structural and earthquake engineering, bridge engineering, concrete materials, large-scale experimental testing, and infrastructure resilience. He has authored more than 200 technical publications, delivered over 100 presentations in more than 14 countries, and holds five patents. He serves on national committees, including ASCE’s Committee on Seismic Design and Performance of Bridges as Secretary, as well as committees within TRB and PCI. Dr. Mashal joins an elite group of engineers recognized by ASCE for transformative contributions that have advanced the profession and positively impacted communities worldwide.
He is a licensed professional engineer in Idaho and a chartered professional engineer in New Zealand, as well as an International Professional Engineer.
He earned his bachelor degree in civil engineering from Kabul University in Afghanistan, his master’s degree from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and his doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Canterbury, in New Zealand.
