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Powell received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Clemson. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2004, he went to work at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Lawrence Livermore National Lab.
Clemson University
Brian Powell, a Clemson University researcher who is overseeing a $5.25-million research project, has been appointed to a professorship that was named for the husband-and-wife team that played a central role in his graduate studies.
Powell returned to Clemson as a faculty member in 2008. He is now an associate professor of environmental engineering and Earth sciences, holding the same job that his former Ph.D. advisor, Bob Fjeld, once did.
“Pam and I have known Brian for more than 15 years and have kept in close contact with him as his career has progressed,” Bob Fjeld said. “We are honored to have this professorship established in our name and delighted that Brian has been selected to fill the position.
“Brian has accomplished much in a relatively short period of time. We have the utmost confidence in his ability to push the frontiers of knowledge and to find new ways of keeping the public and environment safe.”
Powell said he met Pam Fjeld while applying to be a student at Clemson.
She recruited him to Clemson as a master’s student when he graduated from the University of Montevallo in Alabama in 1999. At the time, Pam Fjeld worked at Clemson as graduate student services coordinator for what was then called the Department of Environmental Engineering and Science. She worked for the department from 1987 to 2003.
“She went out on a limb for me,” Powell said. “I was coming from a small university and applying to a top-ranked program.”
Powell is continuing work within the Nuclear Environmental Engineering and Science program that Bob Fjeld started. The program focuses on research and education.
Now a faculty emeritus, Bob Fjeld has been a faculty member in the department since 1980.
His research focused on the environmental aspects of nuclear technologies. He did pioneering work in the area of risk assessment, and he is the lead author of a widely used textbook, “Environmental Risk Analysis for Human Health.”
He held the Jerry E. and Harriett Calvert Dempsey Professorship of Waste Management from 1996 until he retired in 2009.
Congratulations on Powell’s professorship came from across campus, including from Robert Jones, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.
“The professorship reflects the exemplary work that Brian has done,” Jones said. “His research sets a fine example of how to build a team that crosses disciplines and institutions.”
Anand Gramopadhye, dean of the College of Engineering and Science, said that Powell was highly deserving of the professorship.
“Brian is an exceptional scholar,” Gramopadhye said. “His work is bringing distinction to Clemson and is helping find a sustainable path forward for nuclear energy. Clemson, the state and the nation are fortunate to have him. I congratulate him on this richly deserved honor.”
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