Martin Fischer Appointed as the fifth Kumagai Professor in the School of Engineering

Martin Fischer has been appointed to the Kumagai Professorship in the School of Engineering. This professorship was established with an endowed gift from the Kumagai Gumi Company. The Kumagai Professorship carries preference for faculty whose academic focus is in civil engineering, materials science, robotics, or advanced technologies or areas of management that relate to the future of the construction industry. 

Fischer joined the Stanford faculty in 1991 as an acting assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1992, associate professor in 1999, and full professor in 2006.

Fischer’s research focuses on the productivity of project teams involved in designing, building, and operating facilities. His work advances the theoretical foundations and applications for virtual design and construction. Since 2000, he has led the Center for Integrated Facility Engineering. He is an affiliate of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and a senior fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy.

In 1996, Engineering News-Record named Martin a Top 25 Newsmaker for his contributions in the construction industry. He received the Best Paper Award from the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research in 2000, and was appointed a Design Futures Council Senior Fellow in 2006 for significant contributions toward the horizontal and efficient spread of power in the construction industry. Fischer received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland in 1984. He earned a master’s degree in engineering management and a PhD in civil engineering from Stanford in 1987 and 1991, respectively.

Martin’s advancements in virtual design and construction make him a deserving and fitting candidate for the Kumagai Professorship in the School of Engineering.