Seoul National University College of Engineering said on the 14th that Fahimeh Yavartanoo, who studied in the Department of Architecture, took office as an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Hartford in the United States in Aug. It is the first time that a foreign graduate who earned a doctorate from SNU's College of Engineering has become a professor at a U.S. university.
Yavartanoo, who is from Iran, completed her doctoral program in the Department of Architecture at SNU under the supervision of Professor Kang Hyeon-gu. She then built research and teaching experience while serving as a postdoctoral researcher and adjunct assistant professor at the City University of New York.
During her doctoral program, Yavartanoo studied structural assessment of cultural heritage structures, nonlinear numerical analysis, and reinforcement methods. Although a foreign researcher, she unusually focused on Korean cultural heritage. She took part in research on Korea's historic stone cultural heritage, including the Mireuksa Stone Pagoda in Iksan, North Jeolla, designated as National Treasure No. 11.
Her research results have been published successively in international journals, earning recognition for seeking ways to scientifically evaluate structural safety while preserving the historical and architectural value of cultural heritage. Recently, she has been expanding her research beyond cultural heritage structures into modern structural systems and digital fabrication technologies.
Yavartanoo said, "Korea has become my second home, and SNU's College of Engineering is a special place that guided me on the path to turning dreams into reality," adding, "I will do my best to achieve greater growth and accomplishments based on the knowledge and experience I gained at SNU's College of Engineering."
Yavartanoo graduated from the Department of Physics at Imam Khomeini International University (IKIU) in Iran and received a master's degree in the Department of Architecture at Islamic Azad University. She came to KAIST as an intern researcher in 2015 and entered the doctoral program in the Department of Architecture at SNU the following year.
Adviser Professor Kang Hyeon-gu said, "I first met Yavartanoo during her KAIST internship and highly valued her commitment to convergence research and her clear pioneering spirit, so I selected her as a doctoral student," adding, "She actively took on cultural heritage research conducted only in Korean, and despite difficult conditions for obtaining a visa, she continued to challenge herself and established herself as a professor at a U.S. university."
References
University of Hartford, https://www.hartford.edu/directory/ceta/yavartanoo-fahimeh.aspx