Joined The Citadel Faculty: January 2014
Bio
Dr. Dimitra Michalaka, P.E., is a Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Civil Engineering with a focus on Transportation Engineering from the University of Florida, a Diploma (five-year program) in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, and an M.S. in Project Management from The Citadel. She has been a registered Professional Engineer in South Carolina since 2016.
Her research spans a broad range of transportation topics, including traffic operations, connected and automated vehicles, transportation safety, and active transportation. She has led and collaborated on multiple federally sponsored projects through the U.S. Department of Transportation University Transportation Center (UTC) program with the Center for Connected Multimodal Mobility (C2M2) and the Southeastern Transportation Research, Innovation, Development, and Education (STRIDE) Center. Her work integrates engineering and technology to improve mobility, safety, and equity within transportation networks.
Dr. Michalaka is equally passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of engineers. Her courses, ranging from Transportation and Highway Engineering to Engineering Statistics and Computer Applications for Civil and Construction Engineers, combine technical rigor, critical thinking, and real-world engagement.
Beyond the classroom, she leads extensive K–12 STEM outreach across South Carolina and beyond, developing hands-on transportation and civil engineering experiences that ignite curiosity in young learners. Additionally, she is an active leader in professional organizations such as ASEE, ITE, ASCE, and TRB, where she contributes to workforce development, K–12 engagement, and engineering education innovation.
Her dedication to education and the civil engineering profession has earned her numerous awards, including the Charley V. Wootan Paper Award (TRB 2025), the SDITE Excellence in Transportation Engineering Education Award (2022), and South Carolina Young Civil Engineer of the Year (2017).
Degrees
- M.S. Project Management, The Citadel, 2020
- Ph.D. Civil Engineering, University of Florida, 2012
- M.S. Civil Engineering, University of Florida, 2009
- Diploma in Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 2006
Professional Registration
- PE – South Carolina
Courses
- Transportation Engineering
- Highway Engineering
- Engineering Management
- Statistics for Civil & Construction Engineers
- Computer Application for CECE (Excel and Python)
- Concrete and Asphalt Lab
- Surveying Lab
- Geomatics Lab
Expertise
Traffic Operations, Congestion Pricing, Traffic Simulation, Transportation Planning, Engineering Education.
Research and Professional Interests
- Traffic Operations
- Transportation Safety & Mobility
- Connected & Automatic Vehicle Technologies
- Engineering Education & Generative A.I. Integration
- K – 12 STEM & Workforce Development