Directory

Isao Ishibashi, Ph.D, P.E.

Dr. Ishibashi served as the graduate program director of the department from 1997-2021 and as assistant chair from 2017-2022. An expert in the area of geotechnical and earthquake engineering, he authored or co-authored more than 100 technical papers and published four textbooks, including "Soil Mechanics Fundamentals and Applications" (July 2015).

In addition to serving as graduate program director and associate chair, Dr. Ishibashi took on membership and leadership roles on many University-level committees throughout his 36 years of service at ODU.

Zia Razzaq, D.Sc., P.E., University Professor Emeritus

 Dr. Zia developed the Structural Engineering Researach Laboratory at ODU and served as its director for 42 years. After receiving a Doctor of Science degree from Washington University St. Louis in 1974, he served as a faculty member at the Arizona State University, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and the University of Notre Dame before joining ODU in 1982. From 1974 to 2024, he guided over 100 master’s theses and research projects, 20 PhD dissertations, and authored or coauthored over 165 papers including presentations in 17 countries. His research included methods to strengthen buildings against terrorist attacks, vibration control devices for NASA’s space structures, parallel computing analysis of aircraft wings, fatigue in jet fuselage components, materials for guided missiles under extreme temperatures, underwater shock load analysis of submarines, side impact of automobiles, hurricane-response of utility poles, and thermos-elasto-plastic instability of the World Trade Center towers’ columns. He received numerous teaching and research awards and was elected Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1988. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia.