Nishant Garg
Primary Research Area
- Construction Materials
Research Areas
- Construction Materials
- Energy-Water-Environment Sustainability
- Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems
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. 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)
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
- Min, Y.; Kabir, H.; Kothari, C.; Iqbal, M.F.; Garg, N.; "UR2: Ultra-Rapid Reactivity Test for Real-Time, Low-Cost Quality Control of Calcined Clays." Cement and Concrete Research, 2025
- Kabir, H.; Wu, J.; Dahal, S.; Joo, T.; Garg, N.; "Automated Estimation of Cementitious Sorptivity via Computer Vision." Nature Communications, 2024.
- Kothari, C.; Garg, N.; "Quantitative Phase Analysis of Anhydrous Portland Cement via Combined X-ray Diffraction and Raman Imaging: Synergy and Impact of Analysis Parameters." Cement and Concrete Research, 2024.
- 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)
- 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
- Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research (Assistant Professor, UIUC) (2025)
- Stephen Brunauer Award, American Ceramic Society (ACerS) (2021)
- Journal of European Ceramic Society (JECS) Trust Grant (2018)