Professor in Residence, Civil and Environmental Engineering
| sarira.motaref@uconn.edu | |
| Phone | 860-486-2731 |
| Mailing Address | Civil and Environmental Engineering 261 Glenbrook Road, Unit 3037 Storrs, CT 06269-3037 |
| Campus | Storrs |
| Google Scholar Link | |
Brief Bio
Dr. Sarira Motaref is a Professor in Residence in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Connecticut (UConn). She has held this position since July 2013. In addition to her role as Professor, Dr. Motaref also serves as the Associate Director of Faculty Development at the Center for Excellence for Teaching and Learning. She has been recognized as a Distinguished Engineering Educator by the UConn School of Engineering, and has received numerous other teaching awards, including the C.R. Klewin Excellence in Teaching Award for three consecutive years (2016-2018).
Dr. Motaref's teaching innovations include the implementation of the "flipped classroom" model, where students access course content online outside of class, allowing for more interactive learning during class time.
Her research interests encompass areas such as innovative teaching methods, 3D imaging for structural evaluation, resilient materials for bridges, precast components for rapid bridge construction, seismic engineering, and bridge monitoring.
- Innovation in teaching excellence
- 3D imaging technologies for structural assessment
- Multi-resilience materials in bridge structures
- Precast elements for accelerated bridge construction
- Earthquake engineering and seismic design
- Bridge health monitoring/bridge weigh-in-motion