Clemson names Ece Erdogmus founding dean for the College of Architecture, Art and Construction

Ece Erdogmus, chair and professor at the School of Building Construction at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), has been chosen to lead the College of Architecture, Art and Construction at Clemson University as its founding dean and will begin August 15, 2024.

“I am delighted to welcome Ece to the University after a very competitive national search. The disciplines in this new college support and reflect the land-grant mission of Clemson University, and her leadership and commitment to excellence will drive world-class education, research, outreach and creative endeavors in art, architecture and construction,” Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Robert H. Jones.

Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Erdogmus was a professor and associate director at the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has doctoral and Master of Science degrees in architectural engineering from Penn State and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey. She is a licensed civil and structural engineer in the state of Virginia.

Erdogmus’ wide range of research activities cover masonry design and construction; sustainable and resilient construction with low-cement materials; assessment and rehabilitation of historical masonry using nondestructive testing and numerical modeling; and use of augmented and virtual reality in STEM education and AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) integration. She has authored more than 110 peer-reviewed technical articles and led numerous projects funded by the National Science Foundation, National Concrete Masonry Association Foundation, Nebraska Department of Transportation and the National Center for Preservation Technology.

Erdogmus serves the AEC industry through active involvement with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Masonry Society (TMS), Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI), and the Urban Land Institute. With TMS, she is currently a member of the board of governors and main 402/602 masonry code and standards committee; and chair of the 402/602 structural members subcommittee. She recently chaired the 14th North American Masonry Conference. She is one of the founders of the Women in Masonry Fund, has served as the chief editor of the Journal of Architectural Engineering for ASCE and was a member of the AEI academic council for several years.

“I am very excited to take on the founding dean role at Clemson University and see tremendous opportunity for interdisciplinary and innovative research and education. The units in the newly formed College of Architecture, Art and Construction already have many strengths and outstanding national reputations,” said Erdogmus. “Together with the faculty and staff, we’ll harness these existing strengths to define our new college’s vision and identity as a global leader in transforming the built environment and visual arts.”

Recently named a Fellow of the Masonry Society, Erdogmus was included in the 50 Notable Women in Engineering and Land Development by Engineering Georgia Magazine in 2022 and the Class of 2022 “Influential Women in Real Estate and Land Use (The Change Makers)” by Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI). She was selected as a Rising Star by Civil + Structural Engineer magazine in 2018 and honored with AEI’s national Outstanding Architectural Engineering Educator of the Year award in 2019.

She is married to Brian Skourup, who is also in the AEC industry. He is the principal structural engineer at Nextracker, Inc. and an expert in performance-based design and structural reliability. They have two daughters, Defne, 8, and Asya, 4.

“We are ready as a family to wear our purple and orange and cheer for Clemson at sports and academic events,” Erdogmus added.