Tarun Basu Named a Fellow by the American Society of Civil Engineers

Tarun Basu, assistant dean of facilities management at the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas, was recently named a Fellow by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the oldest engineering society in the United States.

“It is gratifying to be recognized by my peers for my contributions in developing solutions to a number of complex structural mechanics problems,” Basu said. “It is a big personal honor.”

The ASCE includes more than 150,000 members from 177 countries. Civil engineers rely on the organization for codes and standards to ensure safety as well as a source of continuing professional development. According to the ASCE, only 3 percent of its members are awarded the status of fellow, typically after many years of service, attaining a Professional Engineer (P.E.) license and election from its membership application review committee.

Basu has worked in structural mechanics, facilities management and management consulting for more than 40 years and has been a member of the ASCE since 1971. He currently directs all facility-related functions of the fast-growing Jonsson School, including working with faculty to set up infrastructure for its research activities, upgrading facilities to meet current standards and ensuring facilities are consistently operational. He has also developed facilities for the school’s newest engineering building, Engineering and Computer Science West, unveiled in August 2018.

“Tarun truly deserves this recognition,” said Dr. Poras Balsara, interim dean of the Jonsson School. “He is very dedicated to his work and ensures that our facilities are world class. His service towards faculty, staff and students is highly commendable.”

Prior to his role at UT Dallas, Basu worked for more than 25 years at private organizations including Ammann & Whitney Inc., Stone & Webster Co., Asea Brown Boveri Ltd., and Westinghouse Electric Co. on diverse projects from analyzing nuclear power plant reactor vessels to developing criteria for the design of masonry structures to resist blast loading. He holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Calcutta, India, a civil engineering post-master’s degree from Columbia University and a Master of Science in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.