Rachel Davidson, CHEER’s principal investigator, has been appointed the Donald C. Phillips Professor of Environmental Engineering. This professorship, named after an alumnus of the University of Delaware’s Class of 1948, was awarded to Dr. Davidson for her proven excellence in the field of risk assessment and analysis, her leadership on collaborative research projects, including CHEER, and her work as a dedicated role model and advisor in the College of Engineering. Her research spans numerous topics, including evacuation decision-making, earthquake risk, management of critical infrastructure, and risk reduction as it relates to housing and the built environment. In addition to serving as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering, Dr. Davidson also serves in a mentoring role for junior faculty in engineering and social sciences while working closely with graduate students across disciplines.

Shangjia Dong, a member of the Hub’s buildings and households thrusts, has been appointed the Bentley Systems Early Career Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which is awarded in recognition of growing contributions to scholarship, teaching, and service. Dr. Dong’s research has explored a range of interdisciplinary topics, with his current focus on the complex interaction between humans, natural disasters, and the built environment as they relate to community resilience. He has also been extremely prolific in publishing, with 39 papers published and an h-index of 23.  In addition to having served on nine PhD committees and two master’s committees since joining UD in 2020, Dr. Dong received the National Academies Gulf Research Program Early Career Award on the human health and community resilience track in February 2024.