Denise R. Simmons, Ph.D., PE, LEED-AP, is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida.
Dr. Simmons oversees the Simmons Research Lab (SRL), which is home to a dynamic, interdisciplinary mix of graduate researchers and postdoctoral researchers who work together to explore human, technology and society interactions to transform civil engineering education and practice with an emphasis on understanding hazard recognition, competencies, satisfaction, personal resilience, organizational culture, training, informal learning and social considerations. The broader impact of this work lies in achieving and sustaining safe, productive, and inclusive project organizations composed of engaged, competent and diverse people. She is a leader in research that prepares students and professionals with the competencies to compete in and sustain the construction workforce. She has extensive experience leading and conducting multi-institutional, workforce-related research and outreach.
Dr. Simmons is a former project director of the Summer Transportation Institute (STI) at South Carolina State University and Savannah River Environmental Sciences Field Station (SRESFS). She holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering and a graduate certificate in engineering education – all from Clemson University. She has over ten years of construction and civil engineering experience working for energy companies and as a project management consultant.
As a researcher, Dr. Simmons passionately pursues workforce research that bridges the space between understanding the future of work in civil engineering in the United States and characterizing, measuring, and evaluating the competencies, learning technologies, and ecosystems that equip and sustain an inclusive workforce for that future. She is concerned first about the human condition and driven and inspired by what an organization can achieve by attending to the needs of its people. The broader impact of this work lies in achieving and sustaining safe, productive, and inclusive project organizations composed of engaged, competent and diverse people. The SRL is supported by four basic research grants, including a CAREER award, and one applied research grant — all funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and totaling over $2M.