For his support in helping the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy (CPIP) access critical funding in his role as a vice provost at Cornell, Emmanuel Giannelis received the annual Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy Award during a ceremony on April 18, 2024, in New York City.

Credit: Provided

Giannelis, who is also the Walter R. Read Professor of Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, served as Cornell’s vice provost for research and innovation from 2017-2022. During that time, CPIP received a grant with a condition prohibiting any of the funding being used for administrative overhead, creating a need for a change in CPIP’s reporting structure. Giannelis moved the program so it could report to his office, and additionally dedicated funds to cover the overhead expenses.

“Emmanuel's support of CPIP in his capacity as vice provost for research at Cornell throughout those difficult COVID times is impossible to overstate,” said Rick Geddes, professor of policy analysis and management and CPIP founder and academic director “We could never have made it through without him.”

The Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy is currently housed within the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and offers a robust program of courses, research and public outreach to help future leaders in infrastructure policy decision-making. The program is included in the course electives for the smart cities minor concentration within the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

“While Emmanuel insisted he was only doing his job, we knew otherwise,” said Richard Coyle, the Antin Infrastructure Executive Director of CPIP. “He provided CPIP a lifeboat during a critical time. His support staff provided CPIP with outstanding service, despite its small size relative to the other organizations within the Office of the Vice Provost.”

The Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy Award was created to recognize dedicated, consistent efforts over the span of a career to improve the design, construction, operation, maintenance, financing or funding of civil, social and digital infrastructure anywhere in the world.

Giannelis is the second member of the engineering faculty to receive the award, which was established in 2022. The inaugural recipient was Thomas D. O’Rourke, professor emeritus in School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.