Shoshanna Saxe - Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering

Assistant Professor

Background

Dr. Shoshanna Saxe is an Assistant Professor in the University of Toronto’s Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering. She investigates the relationship between the infrastructure we build and the society we create to identify opportunities – and pathways – to better align infrastructure provision with sustainability. Saxe is a former Action Canada fellow, sits on Waterfront Toronto’s Capital Peer Review Panel and the board of the International Society for Industrial Ecology. She was awarded the 2019 OPEA Engineering Medal – Young Engineer. Her research and commentary have been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Toronto Star, The Financial Post, and Wired, including “What We Really Need Are Good ‘Dumb’ Cities” (New York Times, July 2019).

Education and Designations

Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics from McGill (2007)
Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from MIT (2009)
PhD from the University of Cambridge in Engineering (2016) (Jesus College)
Post Doctoral Fellow, University of Toronto (2016)
PEng (Ontario)

Research Interests

Sustainable urban infrastructure

Mega infrastructure

Transit infrastructure

Urban material flows

Potential Students

Each year I admit MASc and PhD students for interdisciplinary research investigating civil infrastructure and sustainability. This research calls on methods from construction engineering, construction governance, structural engineering, geotechnics, transport engineering, industrial ecology, land use planning and data analysis. Interested candidates should email a CV, unofficial transcripts, and a brief research proposal (max 1 page). Candidates are strongly encouraged to google advice for effective proposal drafting. A strong introductory email is a great first step towards graduate school admission. Due to a high volume of emails, I only respond to emails that include the requested attachments.

For 2020-2021 I am particularly recruiting candidates interested in urban built environment material flow analysis.

Selected Publications

See other publications on Google Scholar

Nahangi M, Guven G, Olanrewaju B, et al. (2021) Embodied greenhouse gas assessment of a bridge: A comparison of preconstruction Building Information Model and construction records. Journal of Cleaner Production 295. Elsevier Ltd: 126388. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126388.

Saxe S and Kasraian D (2020) Rethinking environmental LCA life stages for transport infrastructure to facilitate holistic assessment. Journal of Industrial Ecology 24(5): 1031–1046. DOI: 10.1111/jiec.13010.

Saxe S and Macaskill K (2019) Toward adaptive infrastructure : the role of existing infrastructure systems Toward adaptive infrastructure : the role of existing infrastructure systems. Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure 00(00). Taylor & Francis: 1–4. DOI: 10.1080/23789689.2019.1681822.

Saxe S, Guven G, Pereira L, et al. (2020) Taxonomy of uncertainty in environmental life cycle assessment of infrastructure projects. Environmental Research Letters 15(8). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab85f8.

Teaching

Course Code	Title & Description	Session	Day(s)	Start Time	End	Section
CEM1001H	The Challenges of Urban Policy-Making The Challenges of Urban Policy-Making Addressing societal and engineering challenges in the 21st century requires engineers to think holistically about the systems we design and build. Public policy often dictates what engineering projects are commissioned and what values are being optimized for in engineering practice (e.g. cost, beauty, environment, safety, equity). However, too few engineers understand the drivers of public policy, how public policy is developed, and the role it plays in engineering. Similarly, too few policy makers understand the applied science of engineering. The interplay between policy and civil engineering is particularly acute in the urban environment, where civil engineering works (transportation, housing, water services, libraries, etc.) are concentrated and where, in Canada, the public policies of three levels of government influence engineering practice. This seminar course challenges engineers to think about how public policy is made and how it guides the practice of engineering both directly and indirectly. Particular focus is placed on urban policy and urban engineering. The first month of the course will deal with the process of urban policy making examining how issues emerge, how important ideas are framed, priorities are established, and agendas are set and managed. Factors to be considered include the role of bureaucratic and political actors, organized interests and non-governmental groups, the importance and influence of networks, and the potential for new models and options for the engagement of stakeholders and citizens at large. The second and third month of the course will focus on the relationship between public policy and the practice of civil engineering. The focus of the course will be to examine the myriad ways public policy and priorities intersect with the development of the built environment. The relationship between public policy and engineering in housing, transport, energy and sustainability will be discussed. The focus of the course will be on Canadian cities with examples from cities located elsewhere in the high-income world; examples and experiences from other parts of the world are welcomed. Registration in this course is reserved for MEngCEM students only.	Fall 2021	Tuesday	9:00	12:00	LEC0101
CIV100H	Mechanics Mechanics The principles of statics are applied to composition and resolution of forces, moments and couples. The equilibrium states of structures are examined. Throughout, the free body diagram concept is emphasized. Vector algebra is used where it is most useful, and stress blocks are introduced. Shear force diagrams, bending moment diagrams and stress-strain relationships for materials are discussed. Stress and deformation in axially loaded members and flexural members (beams) are also covered. View full course description in the Engineering Undergrad Academic Calendar.	Fall 2020	Scheduled by the Office of the Faculty Registrar.
CIV1321H	Large Scale Infrastructure and Sustainability Large Scale Infrastructure and Sustainability The next 15 years will see major changes in the global infrastructure system. To meet local, national and international sustainability goals, this next generation of infrastructure must be planned, designed and built in new ways. Large scale infrastructure projects have impacts well beyond their stated primary purpose: they consume significant amounts of natural resources and, once built, change how we live, work and move. As key players in planning, designing, constructing and commissioning large infrastructure projects, engineers have a special responsibility to understand the myriad ways infrastructure interacts with our natural and social systems. This course will explore what sustainability means in the context of infrastructure development, examine infrastructure needs and sustainability at the global and project scale, and provide students with skills and techniques to have an impact on infrastructure sustainability in their future work. At the end of this course, students will be able to think critically about the wider impacts of large-scale infrastructure projects and use this knowledge alongside their technical engineering skills to develop better outcomes. Students will learn approaches and skills for analysing (and influencing) the sustainability of infrastructure systems at the project and system scale.	Fall 2021 NO class Thursday Sept. 16 Makeup: Friday Sept. 17 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.	Thursday	9:30	12:00	LEC0101

News Mentions

Megaprojects and the ‘need for speed’: How political indecision affects the timelines of large infrastructure

Building a new transit line or a highway almost always takes longer than initially planned. A new study suggests that the biggest contributor to such delays isn’t necessarily the design, planning or even construction phases. Instead, it’s the time required for local or provincial authorities to decide what exactly they want to build. “Here… Read more »

Toronto’s COVID-19 bike lane expansion boosted access to jobs, retail: U of T study

With COVID-19 making it vital for people to keep their distance from one another, the city of Toronto undertook the largest one-year expansion of its cycling network in 2020, adding about 25 kilometres of temporary bikeways. Yet, the benefits of helping people get around on two wheels go far beyond facilitating physical distancing, according to… Read more »

Prof. Shoshanna Saxe among five U of T Engineering researchers awarded Canada Research Chairs

Work is underway in Professor Shoshanna Saxe’s (CivMin) lab to create the world’s largest detailed database of construction materials used in buildings and transport infrastructure. “Materials are the biggest driver of cost and environmental impact on a construction project,” explains Saxe, whose work investigates ways to align infrastructure provision with sustainability. “But we tend to… Read more »

Contact

Shoshanna Saxe
Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering
University of Toronto
35 St. George St.
Toronto, Ontario
Canada, M5S 1A4

Office: GB429

s.saxe@utoronto.ca