The University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Raymond Issa as Director of the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management. His two-year appointment will run from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020.
Dr. Issa currently serves as the school’s Interim Director. He is an engineer, lawyer and computer scientist. He also serves as Director of the Center for Advanced Construction Information Modeling. He specializes and teaches in the areas of construction management, construction law, construction information technology and structures and foundations.
Dean Chimay Anumba said: “Dr. Issa is committed to moving the Rinker School forward and contributing to the College’s efforts to promote greater collaboration across the disciplines. I encourage all faculty, staff, students, and alumni to support him in enhancing the stature of the School.”
Dr. Issa has been on the Rinker School faculty since 1992. He is an advocate for technology integration in the AECO industry. He is in demand as a keynote speaker on building information modeling (BIM), augmented and virtual reality, technology integration, modular construction, resiliency and creativity and innovation. He has completed more than $8 million in grants; his authorship includes over 350 publications and he has served on more than 350 Master’s and 60 Ph.D. committees. He received the 2017-2018 UF Doctoral Mentoring Award.
Dr. Issa was elected an ASCE Fellow in 2009; received the ASCE Computing in Civil Engineering Award in 2012; was elected to Pan American Academy of Engineering (API) in 2014 and received the 2015 Best Paper Award from the ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management (JCEM). He currently serves as the Chief Editor of the ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering (JCCE); on the Editorial Board of Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management (ECAM); as VP for the North American Region of the Pan American Federation of Engineering Societies (UPADI); as VP for the International Society of Computing in Civil and Building Engineering (ISCCBE) Board of Directors and as Member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER).
Dr. Issa holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University and J.D. from Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis. He said: “As the Director, I look forward to continuing my work with the Rinker School students, alumni and faculty. My goal is the advancement of our national and global status as the preeminent School for construction management education and research.”