Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences welcomes two new faculty in 2022

Philip Barutha and Wade McGillis

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences is pleased to introduce two new members of the faculty, Philip Barutha and Wade McGillis.

“It is wonderful to welcome these professors to our department,” said Diogo Bolster, Frank M. Freimann Professor of Hydrology and department chair. “These hires are big wins for us and for our students. I am very excited to see their research and hands-on, experiential approach to teaching thrive at Notre Dame.”

Philip Barutha joins the faculty as associate teaching professor. He has more than 12 years of experience in project management on transportation, commercial building and renewable energy projects. He has served as a faculty member at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Iowa State University, and the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

As a project manager for Mortenson Construction, he supervised the design and construction of wind energy projects in the United States. He has worked as an engineering consultant for the World Bank in Belize and as a construction manager tasked with rebuilding earthquake damaged cities in New Zealand.

“Phil brings extensive expertise in construction management, which is something our students are very interested in,” said Bolster. “His mix of practical experience from both industry and academia makes him an excellent teacher and a mentor who can help students discern the important and practical aspects of their future careers.”

Barutha received a B.S. in construction engineering at Montana State University, an M.S. in civil engineering and construction, and a Ph.D. in civil engineering at Iowa State University.

Wade McGillis joined the faculty in January 2022 as professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences.

At Columbia University, he was professor and director of the Center for Rivers and Estuaries and research professor in geochemistry at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Previously, he was an associate scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Massachusetts), a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering.

His research focuses on ocean-atmosphere-land-urban interactions as well as biogeochemical, water, heat and pollutant cycling in urban and natural systems.

“Wade brings such unique talents in his ability to build devices that can measure complex processes in the natural environment,” said Bolster. “I’m looking forward to seeing his innovative research flourish here, as well as seeing how his passion for work in this area will have an impact on students through the exciting new courses he brings to the department.”

McGillis received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

— Notre Dame College of Engineering