Faculty Spotlight: Associate Professor Lauren Redden

Lauren Redden, an Associate Professor in the McWhorter School of Building Science, is an incredibly down-to-earth person who is constantly pursuing personal and professional growth. “I want to continue to nurture my personal life, and I want to be really good at what I’m doing here,” she stated.

In her time as a student at Auburn, Redden earned both her Bachelor of Science in Building Construction and her Master of Building Construction. After graduating, she moved on to a career in the construction industry while maintaining a relationship with some of Auburn’s faculty. These faculty members encouraged her to consider teaching as a profession. This encouragement, alongside her self-described “passion for the program and a connection with the faculty as a student,” motivated her to return to Auburn as an educator.

As an associate professor, Redden teaches the courses Introduction to Construction and Construction Documents in the pre-professional program. At the professional level, Associate Professor Redden teaches Construction Estimating and Costing and Pre-Construction and Project Management. She has also piloted a service-oriented elective class that analyzes construction after major disasters and spends spring break helping to bring aid to members of communities that have been impacted by natural disasters. Redden especially enjoys this class because it is an opportunity for her to get to know her students better and form a community with them. “I get to learn so much about the students,” she said. “They are just amazing people.” Redden also finds inspiration in her Introduction to Construction class, where she teaches students who are new to or interested in the major. “I love teaching the students that come into that space because they are usually just starting to wonder if this is for them, and that is such an amazing time,” she shared.

Redden has found inspiration in a wide variety of research topics and summarizes her direction as “the people side of construction.” Some of her past research has covered the topics of mental health, safety and workforce development within the field of construction. Redden is currently taking adult education courses to better research construction education, working to refine her research questions and goals in order to pursue future grants. She is currently in the process of preparing to pursue both her Ph.D. and tenure with Auburn.

Redden leaves one final piece of advice for students as they progress through college. “Seek multiple avenues of mentorship,” she stated. She encourages students to pay attention to the various ways that it is possible to succeed, and not get too caught up in one rigid path to success. “Look around you and you will see success in all kinds of different ways.”