Jennifer McConnell named Bentley Systems Early Career Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Jennifer Righman McConnell has been named the Bentley Systems Early Career Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
McConnell is an expert in bridge engineering, non-linear behavior and stability of steel structures, aging infrastructure, and sustainable infrastructure. She holds a doctoral degree in civil engineering from West Virginia University.
UD alumni Barry Bentley, EG78, and Keith Bentley, EG80 initially created the Bentley Systems Early Career Professorship in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering through annual support. The first recipient of the professorship was Chris Meehan, who has since been promoted to full professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The brothers, founders of Bentley Systems, a leading provider of software to design, build, and operate the world’s infrastructure, were inspired by the impact of their support and decided to endow the professorship. The sustained funding will empower faculty to needed research and help pass on important lessons to students.