Abdeldjelil ‘D.J.’ Belarbi named Distinguished Teaching Professor
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Dr. Abdeldjelil "D.J." Belarbi, professor of civil engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla, was named a Distinguished Teaching Professor during UMR commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 18.
The University of Missouri Board of Curators approved the designation at its Nov. 18-19 meeting at UMR.
The Distinguished Teaching Professorship was established at UMR in 1990 to honor outstanding professors, call attention to teaching excellence at UMR, and foster improvements in teaching and learning.
"Dr. Belarbi is an outstanding role model for his students in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering," says UMR Chancellor Gary Thomas. "He is highly regarded among his peers for his innovation and creativity in the classroom, and this designation is well deserved. Dr. Belarbi is among the best teaching scholars in the University of Missouri System."
A member of the UMR faculty since 1991, Belarbi has received nine Faculty Excellence Awards from UMR. Earlier this year, he received the Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the James M. Robbins Excellence in Teaching National Award, the highest award presented by the civil engineering honor society Chi Epsilon. He also received a Fulbright Scholarship in 2003-2004 to conduct research abroad. He received Outstanding Paper awards from Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the Masonry Society and is listed in several Who’s Who publications.
Belarbi’s primary research efforts include the constructive modeling of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures, developing and evaluating fiber-reinforced polymer composites for use in concrete, and health monitoring of civil engineering structures and the use of smart sensors. He is the author or co-author or more than 80 peer-reviewed publications.
Belarbi earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Oran, Algeria, in 1983. He also earned master of science and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Houston in 1986 and 1991, respectively. He is a member of the Sigma Xi scientific research society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, the American Concrete Institute, the Precast and Prestressed Concrete Institute, the American Society for Engineering Education, the Masonry Society and the Transportation Research Board.
Belarbi is active on several international technical and educational committees within the American Concrete Institute. He is a fellow of the institute and served as the president of its Missouri Chapter.
