In the male-dominated field of engineering, an NC State professor is being recognized, both for her exceptional work in water resources and for her promotion of women in engineering.

Emily Berglund, Associate Head for Faculty Development and professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, is the 2026 Margaret S. Petersen Award winner.

Named after Margaret S. Peterson, a pioneer in hydraulics and water resources engineering, this award honors women who have made exceptional contributions to the field. For Berglund, it’s an honor to be recognized alongside the many accomplished women who have come before her. 

“Being a woman in engineering is a unique thing,” Berglund said. “I’ve been in this field for 25 years, and it’s been both hard work and extremely rewarding.”

Berglund received her Ph.D. in civil engineering from NC State in 2005 and joined the department as a faculty member in 2011. 

She is regarded as the pioneer of “Sociotechnical Modeling” for water systems, which studies how human behaviors affect the performance of water resources and infrastructure systems. Berglund also led a group of water scholars to document effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on water infrastructure. 

Berglund recently received the Dean’s Applied AI Faculty Scholarly Fellowship, which supports individual faculty members who want to broaden expertise and research capacity in applied AI.

In addition to her impactful research, Berglund spends her time mentoring graduate students and faculty and sharing her experiences of working in the civil engineering field. 

In 2012, Berglund helped launch the Women in Engineering Event (We are W.E.), held annually until 2023 at NC State. This two-day gathering helped women to address the imposter syndrome and empowered them to pursue graduate degrees in engineering.

In recognition of her efforts, the CCEE department nominated Berglund for the NC State Equity for Women Award in 2021, 2024 and 2025.

Berglund encourages aspiring female engineers to have faith in their capabilities.

“I would encourage women to have faith in themselves and not feel like they need to look or act a certain way. The field of engineering is exceptionally broad and offers diverse career paths that can accommodate a wide range of interests, skill sets, and personality types,” she said. 

Berglund will receive the Margaret S. Petersen Award at the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) ceremony in Mobile, AL in April, where she will also be a keynote speaker.