Keith Robert Molenaar is the Dean in th
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
at th
University of Colorado, Boulder
Molenaar, a first-generation college graduate, was raised in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He completed a Bachelor of Science in architectural engineering from the

University of Colorado, Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University o ...

in 1990, as well as a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, and a Doctorate in Civil Engineering. He is the K. Stanton Lewis Professor of Construction Engineering and Management. Following the departure of Robert D. Braun in January 2020, Molenaar took on the role of acting dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, formally appointed to the deanship in July 2022.

Biography

Personal life

Molenaar grew up outside of Chicago in St. Charles, Illinois with his parents and sister, also a first-generation college graduate. He worked as a laborer in his father's construction company and attended Elgin Community College before transferring to the University of Colorado Boulder to pursue an engineering career. He now lives in Lafayette, Colorado with his wife and two daughters.

Professional career

Dr. Molenaar frequently serves as an expert consultant large civil infrastructure and major science projects. He has served as a technical expert in the areas of cost and risk analysis for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. He worked for three years on cost estimating and project delivery aspects of the

Panama Canal Expansion The Panama Canal expansion project (), also called the Third Set of Locks Project, doubled the capacity of the Panama Canal by adding a new traffic lane, enabling more ships to transit the waterway, and increasing the width and depth of the lane ...

, and he has consulted with the

Department of Energy A ministry of energy or department of energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rela ...

on a variety of large science projects including the

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a neutrino experiment under construction, with a near detector at Fermilab and a far detector at the Sanford Underground Research Facility that will observe neutrinos produced at Fermilab. An int ...

. He has provided risk analysis support to the ITER International Organization for the ITER Nuclear Fusion Project in France.

Academic career

Now in his 25th year at the CU Boulder, Molenaar began his academic career an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 1997-1999. After that, he returned to CU Boulder as an assistant professor, associate professor, professor, and eventually department chair of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering starting in 2010. He took over as interim dean in the College of Engineering and Applied Science in January 2020, and he wa
appointed to the Deanship in July, 2022
He has continued to teach throughout his tenure, including as visiting professor at the Catholic University of Chile and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, in Spain.

Published works

Molenaar is the primary author of more tha
250
technical reports and articles.

Recognition and awards

Dr. Molenaar has been recognized by Public Works Magazine as a top 50 "Trendsetter" for his work in alternative contracting in the public sector. He was elected a member of the Pan American Academy of Engineering in 2012, is a 2017 member of th
National Academy of Construction
and a 2019 fellow of the Design-Build Institute of America. Molenaar also received the

American Society of Civil Engineers The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a tax-exempt professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, it is the oldest national engineering soci ...

' Peurifoy Construction Research Award in 2021.

Other awards

* President’s Award, Colorado Chapter of American Consulting Engineering Companies, 2022 * Editor's Choice Award, ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2021 * Peurifoy Construction Research Award, American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Institute, 2021 * Outstanding Graduate Advisor, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado, 2020 * Design-Build Professional, Fellow, Design-Build Institute of America, 2019 * CEAE Distinguished Achievement Award, University of Colorado, 2018 * Editor's Choice Award, ASCE Journal of Management in Engineering, 2017 and 2018 * Campus Global Citizen of the Year, Office of International Education, University of Colorado, 2017 * National Academy of Construction, 2017 * Pan-American Academy of Engineering, 2012 * Excellence in Leadership Fellow, University of Colorado, 2010 * K. Stanton Lewis Chair of Construction Engineering and Management, University of Colorado, 2008-present * Outstanding Paper, Journal of Engineering, Construction, and Architectural Management, 2007 * Fulbright Scholar, Fulbright Commission of Chile, 2006-2007 * Provost Faculty Achievement Award, University of Colorado, 2006 * Top 50 “Trendsetter,” Public Works Magazine, 2004 * Toulmin Medal, The Military Engineer, Society of American Military Engineers, 2003 * CEAE Young Researcher Award, University of Colorado, 2002 * Design-Build Professional, Charter Designee, Design-Build Institute of America, 2002 * Thomas Finch Rowland Award, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2001 * Academic Leadership Award, Design-Build Institute of America, 2000 * Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Award, University of Colorado/University of Oklahoma, 2000 * CRCW Junior Faculty Development Award, University of Colorado, 2000 * Teaching Fellow, Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, Georgia Tech, 1999 * Engineering Education Scholar, National Science Foundation, 1998 * GAANN Fellowship Recipient, U.S. Department of Education, 1996–97

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molenaar, Keith R. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Colorado Boulder alumni University of Colorado Boulder faculty 20th-century American engineers 21st-century American engineers American university and college faculty deans Engineers from Chicago American civil engineers