Ali Mahdavi

Ali Mahdavi is a civil engineer and the project manager of the bridge design unit for the Michigan Department of Transportation since 1987. You’ve probably driven over many of the bridges that his team has worked on. You’ve probably also seen him in the halls of the Department of Mathematics because he has been teaching part time at EMU for the past 17 years.

Ali was born in Iran and came to the United States all by himself when he was 17 years old. “It was a little scary at 17 years old. I had no family here. I remember landing in Detroit and couldn’t find my way out of the airport,” says Ali. Ali explains that when he graduated from high school, his country was in turmoil and the universities would open and then close. He looked at his options to continue his education, and with an uncertain education in Iran, the United States was his first choice. “I was a student at EMU in 1979 and remember taking classes with Drs. Howard and Marshall. I transferred to Michigan State University in 1980 and earned my bachelors and masters degrees in civil engineering,” says Mahdavi.

He continues: “My wife is from India and actually, I met my future father-in-law before I met my wife. Her dad was my physician and I would go to him whenever I got sick. He would always talk with me and one year he invited me to Thanksgiving dinner at his house. That was where I met my wife. We have two daughters now, one in sixth grade and the other in eleventh grade. I’ve been teaching here for so long that it is just a part of my life. I can’t imagine not being here.”

Dr. Bette Warren added, “Ali Mahdavi is a great asset to the department. He is an excellent teacher who understands the challenges that working students face and helps them to learn the mathematics that they need to succeed.”