Sue McNeil
Sue McNeil is a Visiting Professional Fellow in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She held this position from July to August in 2016. A graduate in Civil Engineering from the University of Newcastle, she completed her graduate work at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. She has held faculty appointments at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Illinois, Chicago. She is currently Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Public Policy and Administration at University of Delaware. She is also a Core faculty member in the Disaster Research Center at University of Delaware. She is a former Department Chair, and Director of the Disaster Science and Management graduate program and the Disaster Research Center.
Her research and teaching interests focus on transportation asset management. Her most recent research includes the impact of natural hazards and climate change on physical infrastructure and asset management with emphasis on resilience, and strategies for coordinating the maintenance of shared pedestrian, bicycle, and auto facilities.
Her interests in aging and deteriorating infrastructure stem from her experiences as a NSW Department of Main Roads (now Transport for NSW) trainee and then Assistant Works Engineer supervising the reconstruction of roads in the Hunter Valley. Combined with an interest in technology and policy, these interests have translated into the development of new courses in transportation infrastructure systems, engaging students in understanding the implications of new transportation policies, influencing the implementation of asset management requirements in the United States, engaging with professional organizations, and conducting collaborative interdisciplinary research.
Dr. McNeil has worked with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Departments of Transportation in Delaware, Illinois and Wisconsin, the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and other national and international organizations on process improvement, developing a transportation performance index, understanding the benefits of asset management systems, and the impact of climate change and natural hazards on transportation performance. Her work with the US Department of Transportation University Transportation Centers program connects asset management, performance, risk and resilience, and decision-making. Her work with FHWA and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has been instrumental is setting an agenda for asset management activities at the federal and state level including serving as a foundation for the requirements to develop risk-based asset management plans
She serves as the editor-in-chief of ASCE’s Journal of Infrastructure Systems. She has worked to enhance professional development opportunities for all graduate students and has regularly presented at workshops for women students.