Faculty Profiles

Colleges and Departments

Dr. Stacey Elizabeth Kulesza

  • Associate Professor - Ingram School of Engineering
Portrait of Dr. Stacey Elizabeth Kulesza

Biography and education

Stacey Kulesza is an associate professor at Texas State University in the geotechnical area within civil engineering. After she received her Ph.D. in civil engineering from Texas A&M University in 2013, she was an assistant/associate professor at Kansas State University from 2013-2021. Dr. Kulesza's research focuses on in situ and laboratory characterization of geo-materials with applied geophysics, identifying anthropogenic impacts on soil properties, and monitoring deteriorating infrastructure. She also studies asset-based frameworks that support diverse pathways towards creating authentic engineering identities. Her research sponsors include the US Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, National Science Foundation, Kansas Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She is the director of the CREATE University Transportation Center, sponsored by the US DOT and led by Texas State with four partner universities (https://create.engineering.txst.edu/). The mission of CREATE is to enhance coastal transportation infrastructure durability to ensure lasting impacts on society and the environment. She is also a member of the NSF Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) team and participated in the GEER evaluation of the city of Houston impacts from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. She is a registered professional engineer in the state of Kansas.

Teaching Interests

Research Interests

  • Kulesza, Stacey E, Almikati, Abdurrahman. Optimal geosynthetic design for unsaturated fouled ballast on weak subgrade, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)/ Engineer Research & Development Center (ERDC ), Federal, $149120. (Funded: June 30, 2025 - May 31, 2027). Grant.
  • Kulesza, Stacey, Story, Brett, Barry, Michelle. Large scale testing for detecting changes in track modulus with low-cost sensors installed on rolling stock, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal, $100000. (Submitted: December 20, 2023, Funded: May 2025 - March 2027). Grant.
  • Kulesza, Stacey (Principal), Percent Contribution: %50, Wang, Feng (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %25, Shi, Xijun (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %25. University Transportation Center: Coastal REsearch and Transportation Education (CREATE), US Department of Transportation, Federal, $10000000. (Submitted: August 2022, Funded: June 2023 - June 2028). Grant.
  • Kulesza, Stacey (Principal). A mechanistic phenomenological investigation of fouled ballast to support in situ identification of fouling, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal, $140024. (Submitted: October 30, 2021, Funded: October 2022 - May 2024). Grant.
  • Kulesza, Stacey. We are thriving: Challenging negative discourse through voices of women in project teams, National Science Foundation, Federal, $42469. (Funded: May 2020 - August 2023). Grant.
View all grants
  • Gombac, A. D., Kulesza, S. E., & Almikati, A. (2025). Efficacy of Marine Electrical Resistivity Surveys to Determine Maximum Scour Depth and Scour Infill. Transportation Research Record. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981251341346
  • Parr, K., Kulesza, S., & Barry, M. (2024). Modified Complex Electrical Resistivity Technique: Applications to Saturated and Unsaturated Soils. ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal, 47(6). https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ20230491
  • Kulesza, S., Mathis, M., Alcarcon, V., & Sassenrath, G. (2024). Critical Shear Stress Variability in Claypan Soils with Depth. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 79(2). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.2024.00099
  • Kulesza, S., Parsons, R., & Han, J. (2024). What are the most important items to inspect on an MSE Wall? A summary from 30 experts. Transportation Research Record. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241230521
  • Anderson, S., Akhoodan, M., Burns, S., Castenada-Lopez, H., Fishman, K., Frankel, G., … Rutherford, L. (2023). Corrosion of Buried Steel at New and In-Service Infrastructure. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26686
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activities. September 2024
  • Award / Honor Recipient: New Faces in G-I, ASCE Geo-Institute. June 2024
  1. Chair

    ASCE GI Outreach and Engagement Committee

  2. Member

    National Academies Corrosion of Buried Steel at New and In-Service Infrastructure

  3. Member

    Run 2 R1 Commission

  4. Member

    PC Committee

  5. Editorial Review Board Member

    Advances in Civil Engineering Materials

  6. Member

    Assistant/Associate Professor Structures

  7. View all activities