Nishant Garg

Primary Research Area

• Construction Materials

Research Areas

• Construction Materials
• Energy-Water-Environment Sustainability
• Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems

For More Information

• Garg Group Website

Biography

Nishant Garg is an Assistant Professor in the CEE department working on the chemistry and characterization of construction materials.

Previously, he was a Lecturer and Postdoctoral Researcher at Princeton University where he applied X-ray and neutron scattering to characterize novel and sustainable cements. He obtained his Ph.D. in Nanoscience at Aarhus University, Denmark in 2015 where he used solid-state NMR to study cements and clay minerals. With his multi-disciplinary background in chemistry, materials science, and civil engineering he has spent his research career in developing a fundamental understanding of sustainable, durable, and environment-friendly cement-based materials.

Education

• Ph.D. in Nanoscience at Aarhus University, 2015 [PhD Advisor: Prof. Jorgen Skibsted]
• M.S. in Civil Engineering Materials at Iowa State University, 2012 [MS Advisor: Prof. Kejin Wang]
• B.E. in Civil Engineering at Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, 2010
• Diploma in Civil Engineering at Chandigarh College of Eng. & Tech., 2007

Academic Positions

• Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 10/2018 - Present
• Lecturer, Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials, Princeton University, 01/2018 - 06/2018
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, 01/2016 - 10/2018 [Postdoc Advisor: Prof. Claire White]

Professional Societies

• Committee Research Coordinator, Standing Committee AKM 50 'Advanced Concrete Materials and Characterization', Transportation Research Board (TRB), 2025 - Present
• Vice-Chair, ASCE EMI Committee 'Properties of Materials', 2024 - Present
• Member, American Society of Testing and Materials, 2022 - Present
• Member, American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE), 2022 - Present
• Member, The International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM), 2021 - Present
• Member, American Concrete Institute (ACI), 2019 - Present
• Member, American Ceramic Society, 2016 - Present

Service on Department Committees

• Member, NSEL Advisory Committee (2020 - 2021)
• Member, CEE Advisory Committee (2020 - Present)
• Graduate Admissions Coordinator, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems (2020-Present)
• Member, CEE Grad Affairs Committee (2020 - Present)