Dr. James Mihelcic, Program Director

Dr. James R. Mihelcic is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and State of Florida 21st Century World Class Scholar at the University of South Florida.  He holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Pennsylvania State University (1981), and an M.S. (1985) and Ph.D. (1988) in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.  Dr. Mihelcic directs the Peace Corps Master's International Program in Civil & Environmental Engineering (http://cee.eng.usf.edu/peacecorps) which allows students to combine their graduate studies with service and research in the Peace Corps as water/sanitation engineers.  He  is an international expert in provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene in developed and developing world communities.  His teaching and research interests are centered around engineering and sustainability, specifically understanding how global stressors such as climate, land use, and urbanization influence water resources, water quality, water reuse, and selection and provision of water supply and sanitation technologies. 

Dr. Mihelcic is a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board.  He is past president of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), a Board Certified Environmental Engineering Member, and Board Trustee with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists (AAEES).  He is lead author for 3 textbooks: Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering (John Wiley & Sons, 1999) (translated into Spanish); Field Guide in Environmental Engineering for Development Workers: Water, Sanitation, Indoor Air (ASCE Press, 2009); and, Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design (John Wiley & Sons, 2010) (translated into Portuguese).