Clarkson Professor Receives Lifetime Achievement Award in Research and Scholarship
Professor John Dempsey is the recipient of the 2025 Clarkson Lifetime Achievement in Research and Scholarship Award. This award is granted annually to a tenured faculty member who is recognized internationally for a body of work that exemplifies the highest level of research accomplishment and has made a significant impact on their chosen field of study.
A professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dempsey is a globally respected leader in ice mechanics. His field research has taken him from the Arctic to Antarctica, conducting groundbreaking experiments on floating sea and freshwater ice that have shaped how we understand structural behavior in extreme environments.
Over his career, he has authored over 100 scholarly publications, led nearly $5 million in sponsored research, and consulted for major global firms like BP, Amoco, and General Motors. His influence spans mechanical and civil engineering, and he holds fellowships in three of the most selective professional societies in his field.
Dempsey joined Clarkson in 1980 and has since built an internationally recognized career in civil and environmental engineering.
He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Auckland, followed by post-doctoral work at Northwestern University. By 1986, he was named associate professor—and just four years later, he stepped into the role of full professor. From 2017 to 2022, he also served as chair of the department.
Dempsey's research and leadership have earned him numerous accolades over the years. He’s the recipient of prestigious honors like Clarkson’s Graham Award and the ASCE Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize. He was named a Fellow of both the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1996, and in 2000, was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics.
His global impact includes time as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge (1998–1999), the Maritime Technology Professor Chair at the National University of Singapore (2008), and FiDiPro Professor at Aalto University in Finland (2015–2018).
Dempsey helped shape the foundation of engineering education at Clarkson, developing ES 100—a course still taken by hundreds of first-year students every year.
