Building a Dream Career in Civil Engineering
Bridge Rating Engineer, CN Railway
Faeze Khademi never forgot her goal of becoming one of the top experts in her field—hard work and dedication contributed to her completing a doctoral degree in less than three years.
Faeze Khademi (M.S. Civil Engineering ’15, Ph.D. Civil Engineering ’17)“Illinois Tech has always been a famous school in my field of study,” says Faeze Khademi.
As part of her doctoral research, Khademi investigated the behavior of 56 different railway truss bridges across the United States and Canada using a hybrid structural analysis and instrumental procedure, which helped Canadian National (CN) Railway improve its processes.
Khademi's hard work and dedication contributed to her completing a doctoral degree in less than three years at the young age of 26.
Three months prior to completing her doctorate, she accepted a position as a bridge rating engineer for CN Railway. Khademi also currently serves as an instructor to educate inspectors about bridge technical concepts.
Illinois Tech helped Khademi develop scientific knowledge and provided her with the skills needed to become an editor of a journal, Soft Computing in Civil Engineering; reviewer of more than 23 scientific journals; and committee member of several conferences worldwide—all before reaching the age of 29.
In recognition of her numerous publications, more than 300 citations, and valuable contributions to the field of civil engineering, Khademi was granted the National Interest Waiver and awarded a green card for her exceptional abilities.
She shares that Illinois Tech is an outstanding school that encourages students to grow and explore career paths. Khademi adds, “I never forgot my main goal of being one of the top experts in my field.”