Wesley C. Zech

Associate Director of Industry Relations, Interim Chair, Professor; Director of Online Master's in Engineering in Construction Engineering Management
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(205) 934-1685

Wesley C. Zech is a Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering and serves as the Director of Civil Engineering Construction Management. Prior to his appointment with the University of Alabama Birmingham, he was the Brasfield and Gorrie Professor of Construction Engineering and Management at Auburn University. He earned a BS (1999), ME (2000), and a PhD (2004) from the University at Buffalo in Western, NY. He was employed at Auburn University in 2004 and taught courses in the areas of construction engineering, project management, construction safety and health management, construction equipment and methods, erosion and sediment control applications in construction, and sustainable design and construction.

In addition to teaching, he has conducted external research in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Transportation and Ohio Department of Transportation that led to the development of the Auburn University Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility. His research efforts focused on applying full-scale testing techniques to evaluate the performance of various erosion and sediment control practices commonly used in construction, including silt fence tiebacks, the use of polyacrylamide, hydromulches, ditch checks, inlet protection measures, sediment barriers, catch basin inserts, and sediment basins. Many of the research results from these efforts have been adopted as standard erosion and sediment control practices used on highway construction projects in the state of Alabama.

His current research endeavors include characterizing the performance of sediment barrier systems, using unmanned aerial vehicles for construction site inspections, and the design and deployment of a rainfall simulator used to evaluate erosion control measures. Other areas of research expertise include construction safety, work zone safety, and the use of unmanned aerial systems for construction site inspections. He is married to his wife April and they have two children, Watson and Winter.