Timothy D. Stark

Dr. Timothy (Tim) D. Stark is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he specializes in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. He earned his Masters of Engineering Degree at the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) in 1984 under the supervision of J. Michael Duncan and his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 1987 also under the supervision of J. Michael Duncan. He started his academic career at San Diego State University in 1987 and then moved to the UIUC in 1991, where he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses to the present. Dr. Stark is a full professor and CEE Excellence Faculty Scholar at the UIUC.

He currently serves as an editor of the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering and Chair of the Geo-Institute Embankments, Dams, and Slopes (EDS) technical committee. In 2005, he was elected as a Fellow of ASCE, and in 2010 was inducted as a Diplomate of the Geo-Institute Academy of Geo-Professionals. He is a registered professional engineer in six (6) states. Dr. Stark’s areas of expertise include the static and seismic stability of natural and man-made slopes, fully softened and residual shear strengths for slope stability analyses, three-dimensional slope stability analyses of unsaturated and reinforced slopes, transient and unsaturated seepage analyses, shear strength of liquefied soils, and interface strengths, design scenarios, and suitable factors of safety for geosynthetic lined slopes. During his 30-year academic career, Professor Stark has served as chair, co-chair, and primary advisor of 106 graduate students at the Master’s and Ph.D. levels.

Dr. Stark has received a number of awards for his research, teaching, and service activities including: Best Paper Award, Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, ASCE, 2017; Best Paper in Geosynthetics International Journal, 2016; 2015 James M. Hoover Lecturer at Iowa State University; R.S. Ladd D18 Standards Development Awards, ASTM, 2014, 2011, 2002; Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award, ASCE, 2013 and 1998; Associate Editor Award, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 2012; Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering Scholarly Paper Award, ASCE, 2011; R.M. Quigley Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society 2003; Walter L. Huber Research Prize, ASCE, 1999; University Scholar Award from the University of Illinois, 1998; News Correspondent Award, ASCE, 1995; Dow Outstanding New Faculty Award from the American Society for Engineering Education, 1994; and Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award, ASCE, 1992.