Welcome >>> Founder >>> Bio – Brief
Dr. Amir W. Al-Khafaji
President, SumerUSA, LLC
Professor Emeritus, CEC Department, Bradley University
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Michigan State University
M.Sc., Civil Engineering, Michigan State University
M.S.C.E, Construction Management, Wayne State University
B.S.C.E, Civil Engineering, Wayne State University
Dr. Al-Khafaji earned his B.S.C.E in Civil Engineering and M.S.C.E degree in Construction Management from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. He received a second M.S. degree in soil dynamics and a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.
From 1986 to 2013, he served as the chairman of the department of Civil Engineering and Construction and the ICAT Chair at Bradley University. Dr. Al-Khafaji is the co-author of 11 engineering textbooks including Numerical Methods, geotechnical, Statics and Dynamics, and software application. These books were used internationally by major institutions. He is also the author of significant publications in internationally renowned journals. Dr. Al-Khafaji served as the Executive Director of the Center for Emerging Technologies in Infrastructure at Bradley University from 2002 to 2020. Through this center he chaired many national and international conferences in construction, asphalt and transportation. In 2004 and 2006, he chaired the International Construction Innovations Conference that attracted more than 90 CEOs, 40+ scholars, and 12 cabinet minters from 31 countries. Currently, he chairs the Innovations Conference on Asphalt and Transportation Conference (ICAT) which he initiated in 1987
Until 2019. Governor Pat Quinn opened the ICAT 2011 conference with Mr. Douglas Oberhelman, CEO, Caterpillar who serves as its Honorary Chair. Dr. Al-Khafaji is the first and still the only faculty in the history of Bradley University to receive the following awards:
- The 1991 Bradley University Professional Excellence Award, Bradley University
- The 2006 Putnam Teaching Excellence Award, Bradley University
- The 2010 Mergen Award for Public Service, Bradley University
He was selected as the Person of the Year by the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association in 2006, received the 2006 Award of Excellence from the Bradley University Parents’ Association and the 1985 Spirit of Detroit Leadership Award from Mayor Coleman Young for his work on behalf of minorities. In 1998, he chaired a national ASCE Task Force to define scholarship in engineering. In 2008, mayor Ardis has appointed as the chair of the Race Relations Commission and the Commission on Sustainability and Green Construction. Mayor Jim Ardis honored Dr. Al-Khafaji with a proclamation naming August 9, 2011as Dr. Al-Khafaji’s day in Peoria. While at Bradley University, he established the Global Explorer program to help students study abroad in England, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Malta, Jordan, and Egypt. The Enrollment in the department increased from being the smallest to the largest in the college of engineering. He helped develop the largest endowment with more than $1.5 millions to support students including four Leadership awards for African American students. He is involved the establishment of the Peoria Unity Luncheon for minority firms, building playgrounds for local schools, building pocket parks in the south side of Peoria, and is the Founder of the Bridge-Pal program to help middle school and high school students from within 100 miles radius of Peoria to learn about engineering education.