After a competitive internal search, Vivek Sharma, an associate professor in the Nieri Department of Construction and Real Estate Development, has been elected as the new Associate Dean of Student Excellence for the College of Architecture, Art and Construction.
In his role, Sharma will oversee curriculum and student affairs-related activities at the undergraduate and graduate levels for the college.
“Dr. Sharma rose to the top of a competitive internal search,” said Dean Ece Erdogmus of the College of Architecture, Art and Construction. “He has proven to be a leader among our faculty, both as a teacher and researcher. He embodies our college’s identity as a place where cutting-edge research, such as AI-based approaches, and high-impact experiential student activities, such as participation in national competitions, drive the No. 1 student experience.”
Within the past year, Sharma has been a key supporter of undergraduate and graduate student success. He coached Clemson’s team in the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Annual Construction Science and Management Competition to three national championships in five years. As a Ph.D. advisor, he supported doctoral student Stuti Garg as she earned the prestigious Chishiki Artificial Intelligence in Civil Engineering Graduate Fellowship offered by The University of Texas at Austin.
He is also one of the founding directors of the recently established Center for Roofing Innovation and Leadership in partnership with the Roofing Alliance.
“Student achievement lies at the heart of my leadership,” Sharma said. “By cultivating transformative yet measurable experiential learning opportunities such as undergraduate research, competitions, study abroad programs, community service and more, we are empowering every CAAC student to engage deeply, think boldly, and graduate ready to thrive in a changing world, strengthening the lifelong value of a CAAC degree.”
Sharma brings an interdisciplinary educational background to his leadership role, holding a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in Construction Engineering from Arizona State University and his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the National Institute of Technology, Raipur.
Prior to Clemson, Sharma gained experience in both academic and industrial settings. He was a senior lecturer of engineering technology at Texas State University and a faculty associate in the Del. E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University. Alongside his teaching experience, Sharma served as an account manager for the Health Care Performance Assessment and the National Health Care Facilities Benchmarking Program through the Construction Industry Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, he has worked as an assistant architect at Raja Aederi Consultants in Delhi, India, and as a project manager/engineer at Kitchell Construction Company in Phoenix.
“Dr. Sharma’s deep expertise in the design-build approach to our industry makes him an ideal candidate to lead our diverse range of degree programs focused on the built environment,” Erdogmus said. “I look forward to the ways in which his leadership will help us ensure that our students are prepared to lead lives of significance.”
