Dr. George F. Assis serves as Vice President and Chief Structural Engineer at KS Engineers, P.C. (KSE), bringing over 40 years of distinguished experience in the analysis, design, inspection, and rehabilitation of complex structural systems. Since joining KSE in May 2012, he has played a critical leadership role in advancing the firm’s structural engineering capabilities across a wide range of infrastructure sectors.
Dr. Assis has extensive expertise in the planning, design, and delivery of structural projects, encompassing bridges, highways, culverts, buildings, transmission towers, and marine structures. His work spans the full project lifecycle—from conceptual design and feasibility evaluation through final design, construction support, and inspection—demonstrating a comprehensive command of structural engineering principles, materials behavior, and code compliance.
He has successfully led and contributed to projects for numerous major transportation agencies, including the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA), New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT), New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), MTA Metro-North Railroad, MTA Long Island Rail Road, and MTA New York City Transit. Notably, Dr. Assis served as Project Manager for NYSDOT’s first design-build contract involving the emergency reconstruction of approximately six miles of State Route 42 in the Catskills region, including two bridge structures. This high-profile project—initiated in response to severe flood damage caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011—was delivered on an accelerated schedule under a gubernatorial emergency order, demonstrating his ability to manage complex, time-sensitive infrastructure programs.
Dr. Assis has significant experience in rail and transit infrastructure, including the inspection, evaluation, and design of bridges and related structural systems within active rail corridors. He is also highly regarded for his expertise in structural forensic engineering, having conducted detailed investigations into structural failures and deterioration mechanisms. His work includes analyses of coating and painting system failures, assessment of structural damage resulting from vehicular and marine vessel impacts, and investigations of collapsed bridges and piers to determine root causes. He has provided expert witness testimony in support of litigation and public agency response efforts, offering authoritative technical insight in high-stakes scenarios.
In addition to his project work, Dr. Assis is actively engaged in the professional engineering community. He is a member of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA), including Committee 15 – Steel Structures, as well as the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).
Dr. Assis’s depth of technical expertise, leadership in complex project delivery, and contributions to structural engineering practice make him a key asset to KSE and its clients.