Kristen Parrish is known for working closely with industry partners to improve energy efficiency and streamline how large construction projects are planned and delivered.
Now, a generous endowment from the Willmeng Construction Foundation that establishes the Willmeng professorship will accelerate her innovative work, expand research efforts and provide opportunities to support students working on industry-driven challenges.
Parrish, who has taught at Arizona State University for 14 years, says the professorship will expand opportunities for students and strengthen the Del E. Webb School of Construction within the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU.
“I am incredibly grateful to be the inaugural Willmeng Professor of Construction and eager to use it to create opportunities for ASU students and more broadly for the Del E. Webb School of Construction,” says Parrish.
James Murphy, CEO of Willmeng Construction, a two-time Del E. Webb School of Construction alumnus and an ASU trustee, says the professorship reflects the company’s long-standing connection to ASU and its investment in the future of the construction industry. Parrish also completed a sabbatical with Willmeng, working closely with Murphy and his team.
“We are proud of our Sun Devil roots and this professorship is a natural progression of Willmeng’s long-term support for Arizona State University.”
“Our industry is rapidly evolving and becoming more technologically advanced,” says Murphy. “We want to ensure that students at the Del E. Webb School of Construction receive industry-leading instruction, and Professor Parrish is an expert in providing it.”
He adds that Parrish’s work aligns closely with the vision behind the professorship.
“When we envisioned creating the Willmeng Professor of Construction, an educator with the expertise of Dr. Parrish was who we were thinking of,” says Murphy. “She has dedicated her career to exploring innovative design and construction processes and preparing the next generation of builders at the Del E. Webb School of Construction.”
David Wahls, vice president of unit development for the ASU Foundation for a New American University, says the professorship reflects a shared commitment between ASU and Willmeng to support construction education and develop future industry leaders.
Willmeng and ASU have joined to together to support innovative construction education and develop future construction leaders,” Wahls says. “The Willmeng Professorship supports the growth of leaders guided by the key principles of altruism, fairness, strategy, sincerity and nimbleness. Kristen Parrish embodies this culture and these values. We are honored to partner with Willmeng on this.
David WahlsVice president of unit development for the ASU Foundation for a New American University
Below, Parrish provides details about her work and what she will strive to achieve with support from the professorship.
Question: How will the Willmeng professorship support early-stage research and global collaboration?
Answer: With the additional support, I can conduct more innovative research and work that may not yet be ready for external funding. The Willmeng professorship will enable me to complete first-run studies and collect preliminary data to generate more compelling proposals for external sponsors. Equally important, the professorship will support travel to meet colleagues worldwide to develop and exchange ideas and learn what solutions may be possible. This greater global understanding of the construction industry will certainly benefit students in the classroom and on research projects.
Question: How will the professorship shape your teaching, applied research and student experiences?
Answer: Related to teaching, my time at Willmeng during my sabbatical was transformative. I can now bring much more authenticity to active and problem-based learning exercises. The professorship will enable me to advance students’ work on new challenges for our industry in the context of contributions to the profession. While many research sponsors require contributions to knowledge, this professorship enables students to complete the research with the primary goal of studying topics in ways that the primary outcome will be improving the construction industry in practice and not simply in theory.
Question: How do industry partnerships shape your research and teaching?
Answer: About a third of my work has been supported by the Construction Industry Institute or directly by construction companies, including Willmeng. Having the perspective of industry about the challenges facing construction professionals is powerful. Not only does it support my ability to conduct use-inspired research, it also informs my teaching and helps me to better prepare the next generation of construction professionals for addressing the current and emerging challenges in this industry.
Industry collaborations are essential for use-inspired research. Industry can inform university researchers about challenges and context that we may otherwise not be aware of. Researchers can develop the greatest tools and solutions, but if they are not implementable in industry, the researchers may not achieve the impact they hoped for or aspired to achieve.
Question: What does collaboration between researchers and industry look like in practice?
Answer: On the academic side, I can say that I learned so much during my sabbatical at Willmeng about how the construction industry operates. I developed a new appreciation for why many of the concepts I teach are difficult to apply in practice. At the same time, industry partners can benefit from research they may not be aware of, for instance, the latest and greatest on lean construction, as well as from applying new tools and approaches to problems they are facing. I certainly hope I was able to impart knowledge of value to Willmeng Construction during my time there.
Question: How will the Willmeng professorship expand opportunities for students?
Answer: The Willmeng professorship offers research opportunities at both ends of the research spectrum. On the pure research and theory side, this support allows me to support students who want to explore innovative topics that may not yet be “baked” enough for winning a sponsored project. Conversely, the it can also provide support for very applied research. While these extremes are challenging to have funded in the traditional sponsored research model, the topics are worthy of exploration, and the Willmeng professorship enables me to support students in such pursuits.
The Professorship can also provide support to nontraditional doctoral students. For example, it can support tuition and fees for students who work full time and therefore do not have the bandwidth to participate in a sponsored research project. These students are often highly motivated to get their degree, but the costs are a barrier. The Willmeng professorship can reduce that barrier.
Question: What priorities will you focus on next with support from the Willmeng professorship
Answer: I am most eager to support non-traditional students as they pursue their doctoral degrees in construction management or construction engineering. These students are highly motivated and well positioned to conduct use-inspired research and then implement the changes based on their findings. The professorship will be transformative in helping ASU to recruit these students.
My first interest is to learn from colleagues in Europe how they partner with industry to advance research and the industry simultaneously. In the UK, in particular, many faculty members conduct research that is sponsored by industry. This is a practice that I think ASU is well-structured to replicate, and I’d like to learn how research collaborations were initiated and how faculty conduct research that supports and improves the industry while also building the researcher’s own scholarship. For example, what types of research questions are interesting to industry and will lead to results that can be published in high-quality research journals?
Question: How does the Willmeng professorship align with your long-term goals?
Answer: I imagine that I’m similar to other researchers who would like to leave a legacy through their work. I hope that the Professorship enables me to provide opportunities to more students who would not have had them otherwise. Helping students is a legacy I would be proud to have established during my career.
