Sarah Christian
Associate Teaching Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sarah Christian is an associate teaching professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of Carnegie Mellon University. Christian earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in 2003. She was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship for graduate study and earned her M.C.E. at Johns Hopkins University in 2004 ,and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus on Structural Engineering and Materials at Stanford University in 2009.
Christian has practiced as a structural engineer and building envelope engineer in Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh. She previously served as a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Christian teaches courses in structural engineering, materials, soil mechanics, and design.
Education
2009 Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Stanford University
2004 MCE Master of Civil Engineering, Civil Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University
2003 BS, Civil Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Media mentions
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Resilient re-designs for real-world problems
Graduate-level course teaches students to build solutions that are resilient to uncertain future conditions and conscious of the community and environment around them.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Undergraduate program: building CEE skills across the curriculum
At CEE, we empower our students with the skills to make a real difference in their careers and communities. As students progress through their studies, our program threads approach allows for a deepening of their knowledge, expertise, and practical skills, ensuring that they are equipped to tackle real-world challenges with confidence and competence.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
The evolution of CEE: Preparing the next generation of engineers and problem solvers: Part 4
Our CEE faculty are united in the goal of developing socially conscious engineers who understand how their decisions impact communities and individuals. Across the curriculum, courses examine issues like inequitable pollution, resource access, climate impacts, and community displacements through historical and current lenses, while also emphasizing the skills needed to identify potential problems, address existing injustices, and design more equitable infrastructure in the future.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
The evolution of CEE: Preparing the next generation of engineers and problem solvers: Part 2
A new lab course sequence for Civil Engineering undergraduates is underway, designed to bolster students’ understanding of real-world applications and problem-solving.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
CEE capstone: Aquaponics for Center of Life
Center of Life hopes to use these student-built prototypes to create a facility to host educational events for schools and community members as well as produce food they could sell at a farmer’s market for revenue.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Building diversity, equity, and inclusion into coursework
Students in this higher-level course will work on projects with community partners in order to learn the importance of stakeholder perspective in the design of relevant, equitable solutions.
Engineering faculty named Provost’s Inclusive Teaching Fellows
Congratulations to EPP’s Daniel Armanios, CEE’s Sarah Christian and David Rounce, INI’s Hanan Hibshi, and MSE’s Vincent Sokalski on being selected as 2021-2022 Provost’s Inclusive Teaching Fellows at the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Christian named ASCE Pittsburgh Section Professor of the Year
Christian, an expert in structural engineering and sustainable materials, has been with CEE for five years.