Ghulam Mujtaba, P.E., C.P.M.

At the Society of Afghan Engineers (SAE), we honor Mr. Ghulam Mujtaba, a highly accomplished civil engineer, licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.), and Certified Public Manager (CPM). Mr. Mujtaba is a former President, Board Chairman, and Editor-in-Chief of our Society, whose career spans both his native Afghanistan and the state of Florida in the United States. From his graduation in 1969 to his ongoing present-day engagements, he has advanced the fields of civil and geotechnical engineering through his public sector roles, structural research, and teaching. Within our Society, he is a foundational leader who has diligently shaped our organizational communications, administrative guidelines, and technical initiatives over the past two decades.

Early Life and Education

Mr. Mujtaba was born in the Pawyawndih Village of Khoshi County, located in the Logar Province of Afghanistan. He completed his foundational education at Khoshi Elementary School and Ebniseena Middle School before attending the Afghan Institute of Technology (AIT) High School. He then enrolled at Kabul University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1969. Seeking higher education, he traveled to the United States and received a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati in August 1972.

His education continued throughout his career, obtaining a Public Manager certificate from the Florida Center for Public Management at Florida State University in June 2002. Furthermore, he obtained a Certificate of Completion from the Leadership Academy offered by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in June 2004, and a National Highway Institute Certificate of Training in Engineering Concepts for Bridge Inspectors in April 2005.

Engineering Career in Afghanistan

Following his graduation from Kabul University, Mr. Mujtaba committed himself to the educational and infrastructural development of Afghanistan between 1969 and 1981. He served as a professor in the Civil Engineering Department at the Faculty of Engineering of Kabul University. During this time, he also acted as the Director of the Center for Consulting Engineering Services and Applied Research (CECSAR).

His practical engineering experience included working as a geotechnical engineer with the Italian consulting company SAUTI, where he was involved in the survey of the 300-kilometer roadway and bridge project from Lashkargah to Dishu. Additionally, he worked as a geotechnical engineer for the Water and Power Engineering Company of Afghanistan (WAPECA). While at WAPECA, he participated alongside other Afghan engineers in the Kamal Khan Dam project, a major hydroelectric water and power initiative.

Professional Career in the United States

Mr. Mujtaba has lived and worked in the United States since 1982, settling in Florida. He began his U.S. career working as an Environmental Specialist with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Fort Myers, where he was in charge of the District’s groundwater permitting activities. He also worked as a civil and geotechnical engineer with the Wingerter Engineering Testing Laboratory.

In 1988, Mr. Mujtaba began a long and notable tenure with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Over his 24 years with FDOT, he held numerous positions, including District 2 Concrete Engineer, Construction Project Engineer and Manager, State Concrete Materials Engineer, State Field Operations Concrete Engineer, and Concrete Materials Technologist. He retired from FDOT on June 30, 2012, having spent the last twelve years of his service there as the State Prestressed Concrete Engineer overseeing quality control and assurance programs for bridge components and metal products. Following his retirement from FDOT, he worked with the Target Engineering Group from 2015 to 2017 as a Project Administrator for highway construction projects.

Technical Contributions and Research

Outside of his official working hours, Mr. Mujtaba has been extensively involved in technical education and training. He is a certified trainer and examiner for the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), occasionally teaching certification courses for these institutes, the University of Florida, and FDOT inspectors and technicians.

He is an active author and researcher, having written more than twenty papers based on applied research, field testing, and laboratory work. Five of his papers have been published in conference proceedings, and his paper regarding Flowing High Performance Concrete was published in the ACI Concrete International Magazine in April 2005. In April 2011, he presented the “Mujtaba and Bühler test method” at the ACI Convention in Tampa, which focuses on evaluating the aggregate distribution of hardened concrete products to determine structural uniformity. This test method has since been adopted into the FDOT Materials Manual.

His professional affiliations over the years include memberships with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Welding Society (AWS), the Southeast Asian Society of Soil Engineering, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Technical Review Committee for High Performance Bridge Projects, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), and the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA). He is also a member of ASTM Committees C-1 (Cement), C-9 (Concrete and Concrete Aggregates), and C-13 (Concrete Pipe and Drainage Structures).

Leadership and Service to the Society of Afghan Engineers

At our organization, Mr. Mujtaba has been a vital leader and contributor for decades. He was elected and served as the President of the Society of Afghan Engineers from January 2012 to December 2014. Before his presidency, he served two terms as the Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2009 to 2011, and he also served two terms as a member of the Board of Directors between 2004 and 2008. Most recently, in January 2024, he was appointed to serve as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to Mr. Mujtaba for his uninterrupted dedication to our publications. He was the founder of the SAE eNewsletter in its current format in January 2011, serving honorably as its Editor-in-Chief and the Chairperson of the SAE eNewsletter Subcommittee for over a decade. Prior to that, he had acted as our Managing Editor since July 2004. He painstakingly edited submissions, formatted the newsletter, and ensured its timely quarterly release until stepping down for health reasons in June 2021. Additionally, his organizational expertise led to him authoring the Society’s Manual as well as the official guidelines for the SAE eNewsletter. Beyond our Society, he has also engaged in community service by serving one term as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Islamic Center of Gainesville (ICG).

Personal Life

Mr. Mujtaba currently resides in Gainesville, Florida, and is the proud father of two sons and four daughters, all of whom have pursued successful professional and academic paths. His son Bahaudin earned a PhD in management and is a Professor of Management at Nova Southeastern University, while his son Mustafa holds a PhD in microbiology and serves as an Assistant Professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. His daughters include Belqis, who holds an M.S. in Civil Engineering and works as a District Roadway Design Engineer; Anisa, who has an M.S. in health nutrition dietetics and works as a Regional Dietitian; Nilofar, who is a Doctor of Dental Medicine and Associate Dentist; and Farzana, who holds a Master of Arts in Education and practices as a Rehabilitation Therapist.