CU Denver’s Wes Marshall Honored with Thomas Jefferson Award for Advancing Societal Good Through Engineering

When it comes to building safer, healthier, and more connected communities, Wesley Marshall, PhD, PE professor of Civil Engineering and Construction at CU Denver, believes engineering is one of society’s most powerful tools for change. 

That belief, and the decades he has spent putting it into practice, earned this College of Engineering, Design and Computing (CEDC) faculty member one of the University of Colorado system’s highest honors: the Thomas Jefferson Award.

The award recognizes individuals who embody Jefferson’s ideals by advancing higher education while contributing meaningfully to the public good. For Marshall, those goals have always been deeply connected.

“To be honest, I don’t really see advancing higher education and societal good as separate goals. To me, doing good work means trying to answer questions that are genuinely useful in helping make communities safer and healthier,” says Marshall.  

“Answering those questions usually starts with training students to think critically about transportation systems. If I do that well, we’ll end up conducting research that helps create a world that works better for people.”

At CU Denver, that mindset defines how Marshall teaches and mentors students, showing them that engineering is not just about designing systems but about reimagining how the world moves.

Engineering a Better Way Forward 

Marshall is internationally recognized for his research on sustainable transportation, traffic safety, and urban planning. In addition to being a professor in Civil Engineering and Construction as well as affiliate faculty in Urban and Regional Planning, he directs the university’s Human-Centered Transportation program and is the author of the book Killed by a Traffic Engineer. 

Marshall’s work challenges long-held assumptions about car-centric design and explores how cities can better support people, no matter how they travel. That willingness to challenge convention is at the core of his teaching.

“It often comes from the frustration of noticing things in the world that just don’t make sense or that could be better,” Marshall says. “There’s so much about how we design and operate our transportation systems that we take for granted, even when those choices make our communities less safe. And since transportation is always evolving, there’s never a shortage of things that need to be questioned or improved.”

At CU Denver, that curiosity becomes action as students turn their new perspective into research and partnerships that improve transportation safety and sustainability.

“Engaging students in this is usually pretty easy once you let them peek behind the curtain,” Marshall explains. “When they start to see what’s really driving the systems they interact with every day—the assumptions, the data gaps, the tradeoffs we don’t talk about—they quickly realize how much room there is to do better. One of my favorite moments is when that imaginary light bulb flips on for a student. You can see it in their eyes that they’re seeing things differently, and there’s no going back.”

A Living Laboratory for Change

While Marshall’s research has earned international visibility, he has chosen to build his career at CU Denver, a decision rooted in both personal and professional connection.

“Besides Denver being a great place to live and raise a family, the Denver Region, and Colorado more broadly, has given me an incredible living laboratory for the kind of research I care about,” he says. 

“This is a place continuing to evolve from being deeply car-oriented to one where it feels like we are genuinely rethinking how people move and how cities function. Not only does this give me a lot to study, but the research that comes out of Denver seems to resonate with other cities because they can imagine making similar changes in their own contexts.”

That evolving landscape means CU Denver students aren’t just studying these changes—they’re shaping it. Through hands-on projects with local partners, the next generation of engineers and planners gain real-world experience tackling transportation challenges and applying what they learn to build more resilient, people-centered cities.

Mentorship That Multiplies Impact

Marshall’s impact is not only felt in research but also in the mentorship he provides to his students. Passionate about teaching, he is a three-time winner of the CU Denver College of Engineering Outstanding Faculty in Teaching Award.

For him, the true reward of his work isn’t in accolades or publications but in seeing his students out in the world making a difference.

“Soon after I first got here, I went to a transportation conference with Dr. Bruce Janson, who knew everyone there because they were all former students,” he recalled. “Now, I’m the one going to those events and seeing our students out in the world striving to make our city, region, and state a better place. That’s probably been the most rewarding thing.”

Mentorship like Marshall’s goes beyond preparing students to succeed, it empowers them to lead. His students are actively shaping the future of transportation, applying what they’ve learned at CU Denver to make systems safer, more sustainable, and more people-centered in communities across Colorado and beyond.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Changemakers

To prospective students considering a future in engineering or planning, Marshall’s message is clear: the world needs more thinkers who are curious, creative, and willing to challenge convention.

“If you are a curious, creative, and caring person who isn’t afraid to ask why we do things the way we do, we need you in this world,” Marshall says. “Even if you’ve thought you weren’t ‘good enough at math’ or didn’t fit the mold of what an engineer or planner is supposed to be, don’t let that stop you. The problems we face require people who see the world differently and are willing to challenge old assumptions.”

At CU Denver’s College of Engineering, Design and Computing, students learn from faculty who share that philosophy—educators who see engineering as a force for good and who work alongside students to build a world that works better for everyone.