Robert "Bob" Smilowitz poses near the Memorial Pools at the World Trade Center complex on July 1, 2026. Photo credit: Bess Adler, Thornton Tomesetti, July 2026
This year marks 25 years since four airplanes leaving U.S. airports were hijacked by terrorists. After the attacks, one New York City-based alumnus of CEE at Illinois played a key role in studying the impact on buildings and rebuilding both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Learn more>>
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Robert "Bob" Smilowitz poses near the Memorial Pools at the World Trade Center complex on July 1, 2026. Photo credit: Bess Adler, Thornton Tomesetti, July 2026
This year marks 25 years since four airplanes leaving U.S. airports were hijacked by terrorists. After the attacks, one New York City-based alumnus of CEE at Illinois played a key role in studying the impact on buildings and rebuilding both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Robert Smilowitz (MS 73, PhD 77) joined CEE at Illinois to pursue graduate studies in civil engineering after earning his undergraduate degree at The Cooper Union. He was advised by former CEE Department Head Nathan Newmark, and has gone on in his career to become an expert in protective design and security. In 2025, he was elected into the National Academy of Engineering for "protecting lives from acts of terrorism through vulnerability assessment, threat mitigation and building standards development."
In a new Q&A, Smilowitz discusses the role he played in surveying structural impact following the September 11 attacks, as well as his career in protective design that led him to work on terrorism-resistant designs for U.S. embassies, federal buildings, airports, renovations to the U.N. buildings in New York, and more.