The ASCE Transportation and Development Institute is pleased to announce Dr. Sam, Labi, Ph.D., F.ASCE, of Purdue University, as the 2025 recipient of the Wilbur S. Smith Award. The award was established to honor contributions to the enhancement of the role of the civil engineer in highway engineering.
Samuel Labi is a professor of transportation and infrastructure systems engineering at Purdue University with four decades of research and industry experience. He is director of Purdue’s Next-generation Transportation Systems Center (NEXTRANS), associate director of the USDOT Region 5 Center for Connected & Automated Transportation (CCAT), and Midwest Region director of Build America Center (FHWA’s Center for Excellence for Project Finance).
Dr. Labi’s research, teaching, engagement, outreach, and service are guided by evolving trends in civil infrastructure development, a landscape increasingly characterized by emerging threats (aging infrastructure, funding limitations, and infrastructure vulnerability) and opportunities (new technologies, interdisciplinary synergies, and data analytics). His work has included development of:
- Operational policies and fee structures for vehicle use on highways
- Algorithms for connected and automated vehicle (CAV) operations
- Infrastructure to support emerging transport technologies including CAVs and electric vehicles
- Novel methodologies and electronic tools including software packages for multiple-criteria optimization and investment tradeoffs
- Models for project and construction management and cost engineering
- Innovative project finance
An accomplished author, Dr. Labi has authored 2 course-instruction textbooks: Transportation Decision Making (2008) and Civil Engineering Systems (2014) both published by Wiley, used in universities worldwide; 170 research articles in reputable journals; 60 research reports; and 350 research presentations at conferences. He is also the editorial advisory board member of Computer-Aided Civil & Infrastructure Engineering journal; associate editor of the following journals: Infrastructure Systems; Risk & Uncertainty Part A; and Safety Science; and guest editor for multiple journals including Nature -- Sustainable Mobility and Transport.
His major research awards include American Society of Tests and Materials (ASTM)’s Mather Award (2007) for outstanding paper in concrete materials, TRB’s K.B. Woods (2008) for outstanding journal paper in design & construction, ASCE’s Frank Masters Award (2014) for outstanding and innovative work in advancing the area of transportation systems, TRB’s Grant Mickel (2018) award for outstanding journal paper in operations & maintenance, and the Joe Sussman best paper award in Frontiers journal (2021).
Dr. Labi is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and member of the following professional organizations: Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), American Planning Association (APA), American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS), International Association for Life-Cycle Civil Engineering (IALCEE), and the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). Dr. Labi chairs ASCE T&DI’s Transportation & Development Council and is past chair of T&DI’s Economics & Finance committee, and current member of ASCE’s Highway Pavement Committee. He is a past secretary of TRB’s Asset Management Committee and past member of TRB’s Bridge Management Committee.