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Michael J. Garvin

Vecellio CEM Program Coordinator, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Staff headshot of Michael J. Garvin
750 Drillfield Dr
113C Patton Hall
Blacksburg VA 24061

Role and Background

Dr. Michael J. Garvin, PE, NAC, is the David H. Burrows Professor in the Via Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Coordinator for the Vecellio Construction Engineering and Management program, and a principal faculty member in the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. He joined Virginia Tech in 2005.

Dr. Garvin’s research and educational pursuits are geared toward alternative project delivery methods, particularly public-private partnerships (P3s). His thought leadership about leveraging private infrastructure investment through P3s was first recognized by the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2004. Since then, he has continued to advance knowledge and practice in this area through over $6 million of research funded from sources such as the National Science Foundation, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) the Virginia Department of Transportation and the American Council of Engineering Companies and service in advisory roles for NCHRP, the Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure, the Eno Center for Transportation and the Volpe Transportation Center.

Dr. Garvin teaches courses in construction management, contract administration, infrastructure delivery, and finance. He was awarded Virginia Tech’s Certificate of Teaching Excellence in 2015.

He currently serves as the Director for the Eastern Region of the Build America Center. Mike has published over 150 technical papers or reports and received the ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management’s best journal paper award in 2018. He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Construction in 2021 as a “Proven leader in alternative project delivery and contracting methods, public-private partnerships, project finance, and significant research for major transportation and infrastructure projects.”

Previously, Dr. Garvin served as an Assistant Professor at Columbia University before joining Virginia Tech. Prior to academia, he designed and provided contract administration for civil works projects and held leadership positions in a combat engineer battalion in the U.S. Army. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Georgia.

Education

Dr. Garvin holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and two Ph.Ds in Construction Engineering and Management from MIT.

External Links

Michael Garvin in the News