USC Viterbi Sonny Astani Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

The next generation
of innovators is here

Our Strategic Vision
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Engineering a better
world
for all humanity

Our strategic vision

The department's vision guides our work and impact. We leverage interdisciplinary research in five distinct areas.
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The Energy-Water Nexus

Sustainability expert Sanders’ focus is the energy-water nexus — the idea that producing a safe and reliable water supply requires a lot of energy, while producing a safe and reliable energy supply requires a lot of water. She has studied ways to optimize this relationship between energy and water services for nearly a decade.

News

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
“Building A Better World:” Dean Yannis C. Yortsos Tells Graduates They Will Make A Difference
May 15, 2025

The 2025 Ph.D. Hooding and Awards Ceremony honors 150 new graduates and Haotian Hang, winner of this year’s best Ph.D. thesis

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
Raising the Stakes of Sustainability
May 12, 2025

As a graduating master’s student researching carbon capture and clean energy production, Aadish Panchmia is determined to make a difference.

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
An Adventurer’s Approach to Academic Achievement
May 12, 2025

Natalia Ratner, a graduating student studying environmental engineering, has combined a superstar academic career with experience in community teaching and sustainable farming.

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
What it Means to Engineer with Empathy
May 12, 2025

Patrick Borges Rodrigues’ PhD in civil engineering has led to a new understanding of the sensory symbiosis of human workers and robots in the construction industry.

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
Harnessing the Power of Ocean Energy
May 12, 2025

Sophie Beitel, a graduating student studying environmental engineering, is helping to design and build a deep-sea battery.

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
Students Pitch Transformative Ventures for Los Angeles and Beyond
May 9, 2025

The 2025 Das Family Innovate x LA Student Competition challenges students to develop high-impact urban solutions and compete for a $20,000 prize.

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
How to Design a Competitive Concrete Canoe
May 7, 2025

Members of the student-run team reveal what’s required to stay in the race.

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
The Science of a Better Built Environment
April 29, 2025

Alumni of the USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) reflect on how to innovate for resilience, energy-efficiency, and wellbeing in the built environment.

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
How Alex Gasca Went From Building Islands on Earth to Infrastructure for Space
April 23, 2025

Relativity Space infrastructure engineer credits USC Viterbi master’s program in Emerging Technologies in Construction with aiding new career in space engineering.

Behnam Jafarpour recieves award
What I Learned at the White House
April 17, 2025

After a whirlwind year advising the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), USC researcher Kelly Sanders returns to campus with new knowledge and experience to share with her students.

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CEE Student Voices


Research @ CEE

We are pioneering new fields of research and bringing disciplines together to tackle the grand challenges of our time.

Research Spotlights

Faculty Member
Building the world of tomorrow
Today!

CEE @ USC goes beyond academics.
It's a hub for sustainability-minded innovators and makers who work on bold new ideas that will transform our world.

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Academics​

Explore our interdisciplinary programs.
Undergraduate
Master
Ph.D.
Undergraduate minors

Straight from the Source
Conversations with Current Faculty and Students

Have you ever wondered where a civil and environmental engineering degree will take you? Or what life in a CEE research lab is like? Or are you just curious about what your friends are working on? Be CEEN gives you the inside scoop on the world of CEE @ USC Viterbi.

Be Ceen Podcast
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What makes
us unique

  • Top 10 engineering school in the nation
  • Multidisciplinary research, integrating A.I., computing and CEE
  • Global innovation programs
  • Academia + industry partnerships
  • Los Angeles City is a living lab; it is one of the largest and most diverse metropolitan cities in the world