Jason Kirby, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Engineering, has received the 2026 Ellen Gregg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Society Award for Lifetime Achievement in Teaching. This annual award, given by the UAB Office of the Provost, celebrates a UAB faculty member who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to teaching.
Kirby is a member of the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering and director of UAB’s Sustainable Smart Cities master’s degree program. Kirby launched the pioneering fully online program in 2016. It “has now graduated 60 students and continues to grow,” said School of Engineering Dean Jeffrey Holmes, M.D., Ph.D., in a nomination letter.
“During his 20-plus years at UAB, he has taught more than 20 different courses to a total of more than 5,000 students, with a teaching load ranging from eight courses per year to 13 courses(!) during the extraordinary 2019-2020 COVID year,” Holmes said.
Holmes described Kirby as “beloved by our undergraduates.”
A UAB alumnus recalled that Kirby “would often stop and chat in the lobby of the engineering building to catch up with us and always made a point to check on how we were doing.” The former student added that Kirby “was frequently available in his office, even if you weren’t currently in one of his classes — and was always willing to offer academic support or personal advice.”
“He is the kind of teacher who can ignite interest in any topic simply through the strength of his enthusiasm and his commitment to making the material connect,” a current student wrote.
Another student praised Kirby’s “patience, understanding and a deep commitment to every student’s success, no matter their struggle.” In the student’s own final semester, “when the pressure of senior design and the looming FE exam left me overwhelmed and ready to give up,” he recalled, “Kirby reached out — personally — to remind me that I could do hard things …. His belief in me during that critical moment made all the difference.”
"Kirby reached out — personally — to remind me that I could do hard things …. His belief in me during that critical moment made all the difference."
An impact that extends beyond graduation
Many letters from Kirby’s former students highlighted his continuing impact in their professional roles. “I can say without hesitation that Dr. Kirby played a central role in shaping both my academic experience and professional trajectory,” said one alumnus of the Sustainable Smart Cities master’s program. “His ability to tie emerging research to our coursework made each topic feel relevant and applicable. He also prioritized peer-to-peer interaction, which led to meaningful connections and professional relationships that I still value today.”
That alumnus now works as senior planner for the City of Athens, Alabama, which is “one of the fastest-growing cities in the state,” she noted. “Rapid growth presents many challenges, and the foundation I built with Dr. Kirby’s program has been essential in helping me navigate them. For example, I am currently involved in rewriting the city’s zoning ordinance, where I have advocated for stronger active open space requirements because I understand the long-term value of conserving natural resources.”
“His ability to connect with students individually, even in an online setting, is exceptional,” wrote another SSC program graduate, now working as a project manager in the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab. “Dr. Kirby cultivates a sense of community that is rare in online programs. He transformed our cohort into a true network of peers and professionals, many of whom remain close contacts today. Several of us traveled to Birmingham to walk at graduation, largely to thank and celebrate with Dr. Kirby in person.”
“Whether it has been working on the International Space Station or future Artemis missions, engineering concepts that Kirby imparted on me have been a direct factor in making me an exceptional employee.”
An SSC graduate now working in the water department of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said “I can confidently say that much of my professional success stems from the exceptional foundation Dr. Kirby provided during my academic journey.” Kirby “brilliantly bridges theoretical knowledge with real-world applications,” the student added. “He designed assignments that challenged us to work with actual data and scenarios we would encounter in our careers. One particularly memorable exercise involved a scavenger hunt to identify stormwater management issues around campus, photograph the problems and analyze their causes. This hands-on approach helped me visualize the real-world impact of poor drainage design and understand the engineering solutions required to address such challenges.”
When the student was preparing for the interview that led to his current job, “Dr. Kirby generously devoted his time to help me succeed,” he added. Kirby “provided practical advice, from professional presentation tips to interview strategies and, most importantly, encouraged me to maintain confidence regardless of the outcome.”
Yet another alumnus, now working for NASA in Huntsville, explained how Kirby’s lessons have had endless application to her career. “Whether it has been working on the International Space Station or future Artemis missions, engineering concepts that Kirby imparted on me have been a direct factor in making me an exceptional employee. The emphasis he showed of understanding the ‘why’ has helped me take a civil engineering degree and transform it to resolving issues with video and data systems in orbit.”
“Dr. Kirby cultivates a sense of community that is rare in online programs. He transformed our cohort into a true network of peers and professionals, many of whom remain close contacts today. Several of us traveled to Birmingham to walk at graduation, largely to thank and celebrate with Dr. Kirby in person.”
Building international collaborations
Kirby has leveraged the Sustainable Smart Cities master’s program to initiate multiple unique international collaborations, says Avinash Unnikrishnan, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering.
In summer 2025, Unnikrishnan noted, “Kirby led the effort to develop a unique educational partnership with Maastricht University (Netherlands) where the tuition revenue from new online classes will be reinvested into building research relationships by supporting faculty, staff and student exchange between the two universities.” This led to two online courses taught by leading experts in sustainability and circular engineering from Europe.
Student feedback, Unnikrishnan said, “indicated that they were thrilled to learn from global leaders on this important topic.” And now, “discussions are underway to establish global research collaborations in sustainability, artificial intelligence, remote sensing and health impacts between Maastricht University and UAB thanks to Kirby’s effort.”
Making time for student engagement
In addition to his work with master’s students, Kirby excels in teaching undergraduates, inside and outside the School of Engineering, colleagues say.
“Because he quickly establishes students’ trust, he can also challenge them to improve themselves throughout the semester,” Unnikrishnan noted.
“What stood out to me as a worried undergraduate student in Dr. Kirby’s class was not only the clarity and energy of his teaching, but the way he created opportunities for curiosity and uncertainty without judgment,” a student wrote. “His approach to teaching and one-on-one tutoring during office hours helped me see that learning challenging material was less about immediate understanding but instead that learning is the result of long-term engagement with the material and asking questions when I felt lost.”
“What stood out to me as a worried undergraduate student in Dr. Kirby’s class was not only the clarity and energy of his teaching, but the way he created opportunities for curiosity and uncertainty without judgment.”
“During my first class with him, he encouraged everyone to stop by his office for personal introductions and for him to get to know us as new civil engineering students,” a former student wrote. “Being a shy student, I typically would not take a professor up on such an offer, but the two-point bonus toward one of our grades provided enough of an incentive …. I have always appreciated that first one-on-one introduction because it allowed me to overcome the initial barrier I felt with communicating with professors. My conversations with Dr. Kirby helped me realize that there was no need to view professors as unapproachable figures, but rather as individuals deeply invested in students’ success and personal growth. This shift in perspective was especially meaningful as I entered more demanding engineering courses and responsibilities, where seeking academic support became essential to thriving in the program.”
An unwavering commitment to education
“What truly distinguishes Dr. Kirby is his unwavering commitment to education,” wrote Fouad Fouad, Ph.D., a legendary School of Engineering faculty member and founding director of the UAB Sustainable Smart Cities Research Center, who passed away in summer 2026. “I had the privilege of hiring Dr. Kirby over 20 years ago, and from the outset, I recognized in him the rare combination of intellectual rigor, exceptional pedagogy and a profound dedication to student development that would make him a cornerstone of our faculty. He is the colleague who always volunteers to help, the faculty member who always says ‘yes’ when students need support and the teacher who students never forget.”