CEE Prof. Vineet Kamat Receives Endowed Professorship

Congratulations to U-M CEE Prof. Vineet Kamat, who was named the John L. Tishman Family Endowed Professor of Construction Management and Sustainability on Thursday, October 20, 2022. 

During the ceremony, Gabe Tishman, the grandson of John L. Tishman and himself a U-M alum, fondly recalled the legacy of his grandfather, known as J.T., and remembered his commitment to education and construction management practices that transformed the industry. Gabe said that his parents, Dan and Sheryl Tishman–whose NorthLight Foundation endowed the professorship in honor of Dan’s father–were pleased to recognize Professor Kamat with this title because of his commitment to research and his students. Thank you to the Tishman Family for their generosity.

John L. Tishman (B.S.E., E.E., 1946) was a master builder of the 20th century, whose Tishman Realty and Construction Company transformed the skylines of Chicago, Detroit, New York and Los Angeles. In addition to his contributions to the construction industry, Mr. Tishman left an indelible mark at Michigan Engineering through his many philanthropic gifts, including a gift to endow the Tishman Construction Management Program.

Mr. Tishman’s legacy of generosity continues with succeeding generations of the Tishman Family through the NorthLight Foundation, founded by John Tishman’s son, Dan, and his wife Sheryl. The NorthLight Foundation provides philanthropic support at the “intersection of human and environmental landscapes and works with organizations to deliver high impact and systemic change.” Through their endowed gift to create the John L. Tishman Family Professorship of Construction Management and Sustainability, Dan and Sheryl Tishman honor the tremendous legacy of John Tishman and his spirit of philanthropy. 

The Tishman Family tradition of U-M support now extends to the third generation, with Dan and Sheryl’s son, Gabe, who is a 2019 U-M LSA graduate. Gabe is continuing his family’s commitment to the university and its approach to equity-centered engineering and environmental justice. 

Vineet Kamat has been a faculty member in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering since 2003. His primary research interests are in automation and robotics, and their applications in the construction, operation and maintenance of civil infrastructure and a sustainable built environment. 

Professor Kamat earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering from Goa University in India in 1998. He also received Master of Science and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering in 2000 and 2003, respectively, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. 

Professor Kamat’s research has been recognized with multiple national and international awards, and he has published numerous articles in the top journals and conference proceedings in his area of work. He has received the 2022 Construction Management Award, 2020 Peurifoy Construction Research Award, 2015 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Prize, and the 2012 Daniel W. Halpin Award for Scholarship in Construction from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), as well as several Best Paper awards. 

Professor Kamat is a charismatic educator who has a distinguished record of motivating and promoting the aspirations of his students. His scholarship also extends into his wholehearted leadership in service to the profession. He is a Fellow of the ASCE, a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction, and a member of the Board of Governors of the ASCE Construction Institute, among others.