Brian M. Kleiner named director of Myers-Lawson School of Construction
Brian M. Kleiner, of Blacksburg, Va., has been named director of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. Kleiner is currently the Ralph H. Bogle Professor Fellow of Industrial and Systems Engineering in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech.
“We are very pleased that Dr. Kleiner has accepted our offer to be the director of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction,” said Jack Davis, the Reynolds Metals Professor of Architecture and dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. “We feel Dr. Kleiner will continue to be a strong leader in the many years to come.”
Richard Benson, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Professor and Dean of the College of Engineering, echoed Davis’ comments, saying, “Dr. Kleiner has had an incredibly productive career at Virginia Tech, establishing a world-class research program in the analysis and design of work systems called macroergonomics. He has been instrumental in the development of socio-technical systems issues associated with safety, health, and performance in the construction area.”
The Myers-Lawson School of Construction is one of the newest schools at Virginia Tech, and is a joint venture between the Department of Building Construction in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the Vecellio Construction Engineering and Management Program in the College of Engineering. This partnership offers a comprehensive platform for innovation and excellence in construction education, research, and outreach.
Kleiner brings to the school a long track record of both innovative research and securing industry and government support for projects at Virginia Tech. He is the founding director of the Center for Innovation in Construction Safety and Health Research, an interdisciplinary endeavor under the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science and also a joint venture of the Colleges of Architecture and Urban Studies and Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Kleiner’s research has been focused on the socio-technical systems issues associated with safety, health, and performance, including a focus on determining the right balance of human and technology-based functions in automation and the collaborative and organizational aspects of design, construction, operations, maintenance, and service. He has taught project management and capstone design for 10 years and is currently a member of the National Occupational Research Agenda Construction Sector Council, a federal partnership program to stimulate innovative research and improved construction workplace practices. He also has several million dollars in sponsored research to his credit.
He received his Ph.D. in industrial engineering with a focus on ergonomics from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1990, where he co-founded the Center for Industrial Effectiveness, a joint venture of the Schools of Management and Engineering.
Kleiner will begin his new position on Jan. 10, 2011.
