Biography
María Calahorra-Jiménez is an assistant professor in the Moss Department of Construction Management at Florida International University (FIU). Before joining FIU, she earned early tenure and promotion at California State University, Fresno, where she served for five years as the Beavers Assistant Professor of Heavy Civil Construction Management.
Calahorra-Jiménez holds two doctoral degrees—one in civil engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and another in engineering sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Prior to her academic career, she worked for more than 14 years with international engineering firms, managing and supervising the design and construction of over 100 infrastructure projects across Spain and Chile, totaling nearly $2 billion.
Her research and teaching focus on alternative project delivery and procurement methods, digital transformation—including the use of building information modeling (BIM) and emerging technologies throughout the project life cycle—and sustainability and resilience in infrastructure planning and delivery. She is also dedicated to broadening women’s participation in heavy civil engineering and construction, as well as in engineering and construction education.
Calahorra-Jiménez has authored more than 20 publications and has led multiple funded projects in these areas. She is passionate about advancing engineering and construction practices in infrastructure projects and believes that research and higher education are key to achieving this vision.
Awards & Honors
- 2025 Provost's Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Awards 2025-2026 (PRSCA): Developing a decision-making framework to evaluate the use of performance-based maintenance contracts by California road agencies
- 2023 Outstanding Faculty Publications 2023. Lyles College of Engineering
- Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno
- 2023 ASC Regional Teaching Award
- Associated Schools of Construction
- 2022 Outstanding Faculty Publications 2022. Lyles College of Engineering
- Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno
- 2021 Abertis UC Research Award on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure Management for doctoral thesis “Advancing Knowledge of Design-Build and Best-Value in Highway Projects” (Ex-aequo)
- Abertis, Chile
- 2021 Lyles College of Engineering 21/22 Research Scholarship and Creative Activities (RSCA) Award. Chancellor’s Office, California State University, Fresno
- 2021 Outstanding Faculty Publications 2021. Lyles College of Engineering
- Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno
- 2020 Provost’s Award for Extraordinary teaching in extraordinary times. Category of Student Success. Provost Office, California State University, Fresno
Education
- 2020 Ph.D., Civil Engineering: Construction Engineering and Management
- University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, USA
- 2020 Ph.D., Engineering Sciences
- Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- 2015 M.S., Civil Engineering
- University of Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- 2004 B.S-M.S., Civil Engineering: Structures
- University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain