The Grainger College of Engineering
Civil & Environmental Engineering

Nishant Garg

Nishant Garg
Nishant Garg
  • Assistant Professor
(217) 300-9448
2129 Newmark Civil Engineering Bldg

Primary Research Area

  • Construction Materials

Research Areas

For More Information

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. Jörgen 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

  • 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)

Research Interests

  • Development of Low-CO2 and Sustainable Cements
  • Solid Waste Management and Sustainability
  • Impact of Nuclear Radiation on Concrete Microstructure
  • Nano- and Atomic-scale Characterization of Cement-based Materials

Graduate Research Opportunities

I'm actively looking for multiple graduate students (MS & Ph.D.) to join my research group. If you're interested, please apply online and mention your interest to work with me in your formal application.

Primary Research Area

  • Construction Materials

Research Areas

Selected Articles in Journals

  • Samouh, H.; Kumar, V.; Santiago, H. and Garg, N.; "Enhancing phase identification in waste-to-energy fly ashes: role of Raman spectroscopy, background fluorescence, and photobleaching." Journal of Hazardous Materials, 460, 15, 132462, 2023.
  • Polavaram, K.C. and Garg, N.; "Elucidating the size and shape of individual clinker phases via Raman imaging." The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 127, 34, 17157-17170, 2023. (Featured on journal cover for August 2023 issue)
  • Kabir, H. and Garg, N.; "Rapid prediction of cementitious initial sorptivity via surface wettability." npj Materials Degradation, 7, 52, 2023.
  • Kumar, V. and Garg, N.; “The chemical and physical origin of incineration ash reactivity in cementitious systems.” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 177:106009, 2022.
  • Polavaram, K. C. and Garg, N.; “Enabling phase quantification of anhydrous cements via Raman imaging.” Cement and Concrete Research, 150:106592, 2021.

Teaching Honors

  • Princeton ''Writing in Science & Engineering'' Teaching Fellowship (2017)

Research Honors

  • Stephen Brunauer Award, American Ceramic Society (ACerS) (2021)
  • Journal of European Ceramic Society (JECS) Trust Grant (2018)