Professor Nora El-Gohary has been named the recipient of the 2025 Computing in Civil Engineering Award by the Computing Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The award recognizes El-Gohary’s pioneering leadership in advancing the science and application of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) for sustainable and resilient buildings and infrastructure systems.
El-Gohary has established a distinguished record of scholarship and leadership in civil engineering through her internationally renowned expertise in AI and data analytics. She has authored over 180 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference publications, and book chapters, making substantial contributions to the development of foundational theories, innovative models, and transformative methods that have significantly advanced computing and AI in civil engineering.
Notably, her research in automated compliance checking played a pioneering role in introducing natural language processing and generative AI to the field – enabling unprecedented levels of intelligence and automation in code representation and analytics and shaping the future of AI research in her domain. She has also developed novel models and methods for the extraction, fusion, and analysis of structured and unstructured data to support improved civil infrastructure systems decision-making. This work has served as a catalyst in the field, driving innovation and leading to knowledge-powered AI research and applications in civil engineering.
These contributions and others have earned her numerous prestigious honors, including the NSERC Discovery Award (2009), the NSF CAREER Award (2013), the Campus Distinguished Promotion Award (2017), and The Grainger College of Engineering Award for Excellence in Research (2020).
In her career, El-Gohary has also demonstrated a dedication to service and professional leadership. She currently serves as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, and has also held several prominent leadership roles within ASCE and the Transportation Research Board, including Co-Chair of the TRB’s Information Systems in Construction Management Subcommittee, Chair of the Data Sensing and Analysis Committee, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Construction Research Council, and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Computing Division.
The ASCE Computing in Civil Engineering Award, which includes a plaque and a cash prize, was formally presented to El-Gohary during the Society's International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering, which took place May 11-14, 2025, in New Orleans, La.