Meet our faculty, Dr. Shawn Kenny

Dr. Shawn Kenny is a Professor and Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University. He completed his B.Eng. (Civil Engineering) and M.Eng. (Thesis) from Memorial University, studying ice mechanics and forces on offshore structures, and Ph.D. (Civil Engineering) from Dalhousie University investigating the dynamic pulse buckling of slender beams.

Dr. Kenny and his research team are focused on the response of linear civil infrastructure (e.g., pipes, culverts, road and rail embankments) to geohazards and climate change effects (e.g., permafrost thaw, ground subsidence, relative ground movement, frost heave and ice gouging). Their research program addresses the advancement of computational simulation tools, primarily using finite element methods, to assess load effects on the performance and integrity of these civil assets. Remote sensing technologies and field studies to characterize the physical environment and monitor field sites, laboratory testing to establish material and engineering mechanical properties, and physical models to verify the numerical models are key enabling and supporting elements of the research framework.

Currently, Dr. Kenny and his research team are investigating the effects of permafrost thaw on the natural environment and infrastructure in the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun, permafrost thaw and flooding on the performance and integrity of the Hudson Bay Railway, and climate change on the performance of the Rideau Canal Skateway. To know more about his team’s research, visit the Geotechnical Engineering & Infrastructure Research Group website. You can also follow Dr. Kenny on Twitter at @ShawnKennyCU for highlights of the research group’s activities.

Outside teaching and research, Dr. Kenny enjoys playing hockey with CU students, staff and faculty at the CU Ice House, and coaching youth hockey and soccer teams. He also takes advantage of local outdoor spaces such as the biking and hiking paths, and the Rideau Canal Waterway and Skateway.