Jesse Simpson

Jesse Simpson knew he had chosen the right field on his first day of college when his professor shared what being a civil engineer meant.

“He said our job is to solve the practical problems we run into as our society grows and that we are caretakers of the interconnected systems that make life better,” he says.

After three years as an adjunct professor, Simpson is now an assistant teaching professor of civil engineering in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.

Before joining the Fulton Schools, he earned his doctorate at the University of Memphis, served as a forensic structural engineer-in-training at Candor Structural and Forensic Engineering, LLC and worked as a transportation designer for DOWL. He will continue part-time as a civil engineer for Huitt-Zollars, Inc.

Simpson is proud of his work rehabilitating a damaged parking lot built before the Americans with Disabilities Act and was involved in every part of the project, from initial alternatives, survey, design and drafting.

“It was the first set of construction documents I officially certified as a professional engineer,” Simpson says. “The client was pleased, and I won an internal award within my company, but nothing was as satisfying as watching the construction workers tear up the parking lot and replace it with something better because of my ideas and plans.”

He’s drawn to the strength of ASU’s civil engineering program and its ties to the industry in Maricopa County.

Simpson is excited to prepare students to excel in their careers.

“They are joining a community of people who make our world a better place,” he says. “What they learn in the classroom is the first step. There is so much more for them to learn, and so much farther for them to grow.”

His expertise includes transportation engineering, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, water production, wastewater management systems, innovative technology adoption and autonomous vehicles.

Simpson will teach undergraduate courses about integrated civil, construction and environmental engineering and design.

“My goal is to take my experiences as both a professor and an industry professional to closely examine the foundation that we are building for our students, locate any weak points or blind spots and reinforce that foundation with my experience working in the industry,” Simpson says.

Outside the classroom, he’s fascinated with history and how it shapes the present and the future.

Written by Lisa Irish