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 Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining Illinois in 2018, he completed his postdoctoral research at Princeton University from 2016 to 2018 and earned his Ph.D. in Nanoscience from Aarhus University, Denmark, in 2015.

At Illinois, his research group focuses on the chemistry of construction materials using advanced characterization techniques. He has pioneered novel methods that accelerate and automate testing of cement-based materials, reducing test durations from several days to a few minutes.

His research efforts have been recognized by numerous awards, including the 2021 ‘Stephen Brunauer Award’ and 2025 ‘Early Career Award’ from the American Ceramic Society. In 2025, he received the ‘Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research’ at Illinois. 

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

• Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, 08/2025 - Present
• Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, 10/2018 - 08/2025
• 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)