Dr. Fisher received her M.E. in civil engineering from Texas A&M University in 1976 and her Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988. She has almost 30 years of engineering experience, half of which were spent in the private sector where she worked as a project control engineer/manager in the petrochemical construction industry for contractors (Halliburton Services and Foster Wheeler). The other half of her career has been spent in research and academia in the public sector (Texas Transportation Institute, NASA, NSF, Construction Industry Institute, Business Roundtable, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Sandia National Laboratories, etc.).

Her research interests include computer modeling applications to constructibility and organizational learning. Her groundbreaking PhD research in the mid '80's for NSF included 3-D CAD and VR, resulting in "graphical computer constructability analysis " (GCCA) of construction robots. Her research in the early '90's for CII resulted in the first application of artificial intelligence to construction modularization with the development of an expert system (MODEx) and fuzzy logic. Additional computer models included a computerized system for fall accident analysis and prevention and a drilled shaft decision support system for the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors (ADSC). Successive computer modeling research continued with the NCHRP using process modeling for DOT's nationwide. In the late '90's, Dr. Fisher continued process modeling for CII in the development of a lessons learned model. Her latest research project has been the use of "role-task-competency" database modeling for Sandia National Laboratories for their education and training program for construction project managers.

Dr. Fisher was the former director of the Engineering Management Program in the department of industrial engineering at the University of Houston. She also served as the AGC chaired professor in the department of civil engineering at the University of New Mexico from 1994 to 2001. She is currently an associate professor in the department of Civil Engineering at the University of New Mexico, having completed a sabbatical with Sandia National Laboratories last year. Dr. Fisher is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas and New Mexico.

PUBLICATIONS (from past 8 years):

• Fisher, D.J., "Education and Training Program for Project Management," Facilities Document, Sandia National Laboratories, Dec 2002
• Fisher, D.J. and Jennifer Livingston, "Lessons Learned Process Program for the Construction Industry," J. of Management in Engineering, ASCE, draft submitted, Fall 2002.
• Fisher, D.J. and Suseela Devi, "Lessons Learned Process Program for the Construction Industry," J. of Management in Engineering, ASCE, draft submitted, Fall 2002.
• Devi, Suseela, and D.J. Fisher, "Knowledge Based Management System for Construction," J. of Management in Engineering, ASCE, draft submitted, Summer 2002.
• Fisher, D.J., "Team 2000: Women Engineering the Future," Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education, Albuquerque, NM, 6/01.
• Fisher, D.J., S. D. Anderson, and Suhel Rahmen, "Tool for Implementing Constructibility," J. of Construction Engineering and Management, J. of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE, Vol. 126, No. 2, March/April 2000.
• Anderson, S.D., D.J. Fisher, and Suhel Rahmen, "Process Model for Implementing Constructibility," J. of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE, Vol. 126, No. 2, March/April 2000.
• Anderson and D.J. Fisher, "Constructibility Issues for Highway Projects," J. of Management in Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 15, No. 3, May/June, 1999.
• Fisher, D.J., "Modeling the Lessons Learned Process," Research Summary #123-1, May 1997, Construction Industry Institute, Austin, TX.
• Fisher, D.J., M.W. O'Neill, and S.P. Tamane, "Diagnostic Decision Support system for Bored Pile Construction," in Proceedings, XIVth International Conference on Soil Mechanics & Foundation Engineering, Sept. 6-12, 1997, Hamburg, Germany, Vol. 2, Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 899 - 902.
• Fisher, D.J., S. Deshpande, and J. Livingston, "Modeling the Lessons Learned Process," Research Document #123-2, Dec. 1997, Construction Industry Institute, Austin, TX.
• Fisher, D.J. and Naveen Rajan, "Automated Constructibility Analysis of Work-Zone Traffic Control Planning," J. of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE, Vol. 122, No. 1, March 1996, p. 36-43.
• Livingston, Jennifer and Deborah Fisher, "Constructibility Knowledge Process," Proceedings of 33rd Paving & Transportation Conference, Albuquerque, NM, Jan.4-5, l996.
• Anderson, Stuart, D.J. Fisher, and Vipul Gupta, "Total Constructability Management - A Process Oriented Framework," Project Management Journal, Vol. XXVI, No. 3, September 1995, p. 3-11.
• Chen, J., D.J. Fisher, and K. Krishnamurthy, (1995) "Development of a Computerized System for Fall Accident Analysis and Prevention," Computers and Industrial Engineering, IIE, Vol. 28, No. 3, p. 457-466.
• Fisher, D.J., M.W. O'Neill, and Jeff Contreras, (1995) "Drilled Shaft Decision Support - DS^2," J. of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE, Vol. 121, No. 1, March, p. 86-94.
• Fisher, D.J., Susan Miertschin, and David R. Pollock, (1995) "Benchmarking in the Construction Industry," J. of Management in Engineering, ASCE, Vol 11, No. 1, Jan/Feb, p. 50-57.
• Fisher, D.J. and David Soule, "Constructibility Issues for NMSDHT," Proceedings of 32nd Paving & Transportation Conference, Albuquerque, NM, Jan. 10-11, l995, p. 19-41.
• Finley, Eric D.. and D. J. Fisher, "Project Scheduling Risk Assessment Using Monte Carlo Methods," Cost Engineering, Vol 36, No. 10, October l994, p. 24-28.
• DePena, Matilde G. and D.J. Fisher, "Business Reengineering in a South American Oil Company," Management in Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 10, No. 4, July/August l994, p. 45-51.
• Murtaza, M. and D.J. Fisher, "NEUROMODEX - A Neural Network System for Modular Construction Decision Making," J. of Computer Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 8, No. 2, April l994, p. 221-233.
• Demir, Siddika, D.J. Fisher, and M.W. O'Neill, "Diagnostic Expert System for Drilled Shaft Foundation Construction," International Conference on Design and Construction of Deep Foundations, U.S. FHWA, Orlando, FL, December l994.
• Rho, Jae-Jeung and D.J. Fisher, "SIMBASE I & II: Project-Based Simulation for Economic Justification and Sensitivity Analysis of Automated Technology," Eleventh International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, London, England, May 24-26, l994, p. 341-348.
• Gupta, Vipul and D.J. Fisher, "Integrating Total Cost Management, Benchmarking and Business Re-engineering to Achieve Organizational Learning," Third Industrial Engineering Research Conference, IIE, Atlanta, GA, May 18-19, l994, p. 130-135.
• Abaya, Emmanuel, M.W. O'Neill, and D.J. Fisher, "An Overview of Expert Systems for Drilled Shaft Construction, " Transportation Research Record, Construction, Robotics, Automation, and Foundations Engineering, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, #1406, October l993, p. 31-34.
• Rho, Jae-Jeung, D.J. Fisher, M.W. O'Neill, "A Systems Approach to the Integration of Automation Technology in Highway Construction, " Transportation Research Record, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, #1389, August l993, p 38-45.
• Murtaza, M., D.J. Fisher, and J. Musgrove, "Intelligent Cost/Schedule Estimation for Modular Construction," Cost Engineering, Vol. 35, No.6, June l993, p. 19-25.
• Murtaza, M., D.J. Fisher, and M.J. Skibniewski "Knowledge-Based Approach to Modular Construction Decision Support," J. of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE, Vol. 119, No. 1, March l993, p. 115-130.
• Rho, Jae-Jeung, D.J. Fisher, and M.W. O'Neill, "SIMBASE: A Decision Support System for Economic Justification of Automated Construction Technology," Tenth International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, May 24-26, l993, Houston, Texas, p. 141-148.
• Fisher, D.J. and M. Skibniewski, "Computererized Decision Support for Modular Construction," Construction Industry Institute, Austin, TX, Source Document # 72, July, l992.
• Fisher, D.J. and M. Skibniewski, "Automated Decision Support System for Modular Construction," Construction Industry Institute, Austin, TX, Summary Document #29-1, May l992.
• Fisher, D.J. and M. Skibniewski, "MODEX: Modularization Decision Support Software," Construction Industry Institute, Austin, TX, Special Publication #29-2, May l992.
  

Dr. Fisher can be reached at:

Deborah Fisher, PhD, PE
Associate Professor
Dept. of Civil Engineering
MSC01 1070
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

Ph:(505) 277-4929
Fx:(505) 277-1988
Email: dfisher@unm.edu