Rate My Professor JoAnn Browning

JoAnn Browning, Ph.D., P.E., is a Professor of Civil Engineering and Lutcher Brown Chair in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Management at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), part of the Engineering faculty. She earned her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in 1998, M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Kentucky, and B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Kentucky. Browning's research specializations include structural engineering, earthquake engineering, engineering materials, reinforced concrete design and analysis, natural hazards engineering, corrosion protection systems for reinforced concrete, concrete durability, and engineering education. Key publications include 'NHERI education and community outreach: longitudinal, educational outcomes of a coordinated, distributed network' (2025), 'Examining the Evolution of Research Self-efficacy in Undergraduate Students in the Natural Hazards Engineering' (2024), 'Building Research Self-efficacy in Undergraduate Students through Authentic Research Experiences' (2023), 'Multiple Corrosion Protection Systems for Reinforced Concrete Bridge Components: Field Tests' (2021), and her Ph.D. dissertation 'Proportioning of earthquake-resistant reinforced concrete building structures' (1998). Her work has garnered over 2,000 citations on Google Scholar.

Browning's career history at UTSA includes serving as Dean of the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design from 2014 to 2023, where she led the merger of two colleges, established a $20 million endowment, expanded research expenditures nearly threefold, launched new degree programs in chemical and civil engineering Ph.D.s, chemical engineering B.S., and master's programs in engineering education, biomedical devices, aerospace engineering, and facilities management, and founded the college's first Student Success Center. She advanced facilities like the Whitaker 3D Metal Printing Facility and high-bay testing lab, secured 15 NSF CAREER Awards, and increased female student representation in engineering from under 20% to over 30% and female faculty from under 15% to 24%. From June 2023 to May 2025, she was Interim Vice President for Research, contributing to UTSA's Carnegie R1 designation in 2022. Currently, she leads the NSF-funded Network Coordination Office for the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) while continuing her professorship. Major awards include 2024 ASCE Distinguished Membership, 2024 Purdue Distinguished Civil Engineering Alumni Achievement Award, 2024 San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, 2025 Chair of the American Concrete Institute Committee 318 (first woman), 2018 San Antonio Business Journal Women’s Leadership Award, 2016 INSIGHT into Diversity Inspiring Women in STEM Award, 2009 ACI Fellow, and multiple University of Kansas honors. She serves on the Building Seismic Safety Council Board and holds P.E. licenses in Kansas and Texas.