David McLean is Emeritus Dean of the CSU Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering and Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. McLean served as Dean of the college from 2013 to 2023. He previously served as a faculty member, noted researcher, and department chair at Washington State University for 27 years. Before joining WSU, McLean worked as a research structural engineer with the National Bureau of Standards and as a construction engineer with the Louisiana Department of Transportation.

McLean has been involved in engineering design, education and research for more than 43 years. His research expertise is in structural engineering with primary applications to the sustainable design of the built environment. He has involved more than 75 graduate students and nearly 100 undergraduate students in his research, many of whom are now working for engineering consulting firms and public agencies across the US and at research laboratories and academic institutions. External funding for his research activities exceeds $18M. He is the author of more than 100 refereed papers, technical reports, monographs and book chapters. He has received numerous regional and national awards for his research, teaching, advising and consulting activities. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Asian Institute of Technology, which was co-founded by CSU in 1959. AIT and CSU offer a dual master’s degree program to train students in hydrology, hydraulics, water quality and resources, environmental management, and geotechnical engineering.