Two civil and environmental engineering faculty named ASCE Fellows
Published: Oct 27, 2025 2:00 PM
By Rachel Wingard
Two faculty members in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering have been named Fellows in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
David Timm, the Elton and Lois Huff Eminent Chair professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering and Matthew Yarnold, director of the Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory (ASEL) and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, achieved the recognition in October.
Timm has been a member of ASCE since his student days at the University of Minnesota. He joined the Auburn faculty as an assistant professor in 2001 and was recently elected as chair of the department in 2024.
“I have been a member of ASCE my whole career,” he said. “I started as a member of the student chapter at the University of Minnesota in the early 1990s and have been a member ever since. ASCE has provided me with wonderful opportunities at each stage of my career.”
According to ASCE’s website, Fellows are members who “have made celebrated contributions and developed creative solutions that change lives around the world.” It is an honor held by only 3% of ASCE members.
Timm has focused his research on pavement — including asphalt pavement, pavement testing, structural modeling and design and analysis. He said one of his proudest accomplishments has been contributing to the optimization of pavement structural design across the state of Alabama.
“One impactful effort of mine was recalibrating the asphalt pavement thickness design system used by the Alabama Department of Transportation,” he said. “This effort led to more efficient pavement structures, which greatly benefited our state.”
Timm also highlighted his proudest achievement: mentoring graduate students.
“I am most proud of the wonderful graduate students I’ve been fortunate to advise over the past 24 years at Auburn,” he said. “Their research has improved the practice of pavement engineering, and many are now leaders in the field.”
Yarnold also began as a student member of ASCE and became a full member in 2013, when he began his faculty career, spanning Tennessee Technological University, Texas A&M and, most recently, the civil and environmental engineering department at Auburn, where he was tapped to take charge of ASEL.
His research has focused on various areas within structural engineering, including bridge engineering, structural steel behavior and structural stability.
He has led or helped with numerous projects to develop infrastructure-related products and systems, resulting in more resilient and efficient designs for bridges and other structures.
He said one of these most notable projects was working with the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) to create new steel beams known as A-Shapes.
“I led the development of new hot-rolled asymmetric steel I-beams, known as A-Shapes, for the AISC,” he said. “These cross-sectional geometries are designed to improve the economy, speed and efficiency of steel construction.”
Yarnold said he was honored to be recognized for these accomplishments.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized as an ASCE Fellow,” he said. “This distinction reflects not only my own journey but also the support of mentors, colleagues, and students who have inspired and challenged me throughout my career.”
Media Contact: , dzd0065@auburn.edu, 334-844-2326
David Timm and Matt Yarnold
