Auburn engineering doctoral student named 2025 Trailblazers in Engineering fellow
Published: Jul 10, 2025 12:00 PM
By Dustin Duncan
Olaniyi Afolayan, a doctoral student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been selected as a 2025 fellow for the Trailblazers in Engineering (TBE) program, a national initiative supported by the National Science Foundation's Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award.
The TBE Fellowship recognizes emerging engineering leaders who demonstrate exceptional creativity and innovation in addressing national challenges. Afolayan is one of about 35 fellows selected nationwide each year.
“This recognition validates the importance of my geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering research and inspires me to further contribute to advancing knowledge and innovation in these fields,” Afolayan said. “I’m truly honored to represent Auburn through this esteemed national recognition.”
Afolayan’s research focuses on internal erosion and soil piping in unsaturated slopes — critical issues in geotechnical engineering with far-reaching implications for infrastructure resilience and environmental sustainability. At Auburn, he has led multi-scale physical modeling experiments, published peer-reviewed papers and presented his work at national and international conferences. He has also mentored six undergraduate researchers.
The fellowship includes full funding to attend a summer workshop hosted by Purdue University, which is designed to prepare future engineering faculty for leadership roles in research and education.
Jack Montgomery, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and Afolayan’s advisor, praised his selection.
“Olaniyi’s selection as a TBE Fellow is a major achievement,” Montgomery said. “Only a small number of fellows are chosen each year, and to my knowledge, he is the first Auburn student to receive this honor since the program began in 2020.”
Afolayan credited Auburn’s academic environment, faculty mentorship and research opportunities for helping him reach this milestone.
“The support at Auburn — particularly from faculty like Dr. Montgomery — has been instrumental in preparing me for opportunities like this,” he said. “This fellowship gives me a unique platform to engage with a diverse, forward-thinking community and to contribute to building a more sustainable future.”
Montgomery said Afolayan is a passionate engineer with strong skills in mentoring, research and leadership. He added that’s he’s on his way to become a future trailblazer in civil engineering.
“Olaniyi’s work has used large experiments and simulations to explore the connection between landslides and internal erosion in slopes,” Montgomery said. “He has mentored several undergraduate researchers and presented his work at multiple conferences. He is very deserving of this recognition.”
Media Contact: , dzd0065@auburn.edu, 334-844-2326
To fix accessbility issues
Recent Headlines
