06/04/2026
Sharing our condolences for Dr. Wei-Wen Yu and his family. 🙏
Dr. Yu was highly respected and decorated at UMR/S&T in his career, including being the first engineering faculty member awarded the title of Curators’ Distinguished Professor and being in the first group of faculty included in the 150 most impactful individuals throughout the university’s history. His impact on the profession and on our campus is a legacy of excellence. He will be missed but never forgotten. 🥲🫶
Here are the details on his service.
Dr. Wei-Wen Yu, former Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, passed away on June 2, 2026, at the age of 102.
Wei-Wen was one of the world’s top scholars in cold-formed steel structures. He was globally renowned as the founding director of the Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures and the author of the discipline's premier textbook, Cold-Formed Steel Design. His textbook has remained the foundational reference for structural engineers and is currently in its fifth edition.
Wei-Wen’s contributions in the field are celebrated and advanced by practitioners and academics through the recurring Wei-Wen Yu International Specialty Conference on Cold-Formed Steel Structures and the Wei-Wen Yu Outstanding Student Paper Award. The Wei-Wen Yu Cold-Formed Steel Online Library enables a global community of active researchers and practitioners. In addition, he established the Wei‐Wen Yu Graduate Fellowship at Missouri University of Science and Technology and the Wei-Wen Yu Scholarship at National Taiwan University to support graduate education and research.
Wei-Wen was born on July 10, 1923, in Weifang, Shandong, China.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from National Taiwan University in 1950, a master’s degree in civil engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1955, and a Ph.D. in structural engineering from Cornell University in 1960.
After completing his Ph.D., he conducted research for the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) in New York City from 1960-1967 and credited this position for forming the foundation for his interest in and lifelong dedication to cold-formed steel. He also taught at the City College of New York in 1964.
He worked for TRW Systems in Redondo Beach, California in 1967-1968 and then joined Missouri University of Science and Technology faculty as an associate professor of civil engineering in August 1968.
He established the Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures (CCFSS) in May 1990 under the sponsorship of the American Iron and Steel Institute and the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University Science and Technology). The primary objective of the CCFSS was to encourage and promote the use of cold-formed steel construction through research, engineering education, technical services, and professional activities. It was renamed as the Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures in 2000 in his honor to recognize his profound industry impact.
Wei-Wen was the first engineering faculty member awarded the title of Curators’ Distinguished Professor at Missouri University Science and Technology in 1982. In 2024, he was recognized on the Miner Wall of Fame, as one of the 150 most impactful individuals throughout the university’s history. During his tenure at the university, he supervised 17 doctoral students, published the seminal textbook on cold-formed steel design, five additional books and hundreds of articles, technical reports, design specifications, and handbooks related to cold-formed steel. He spearheaded 26 International Specialty Conferences from 1971-2018 and conducted 27 Short Courses on Cold-Formed Steel Structures biennially from 1969-2023.
In alignment with his lifelong commitment to education, Wei-Wen established the Wei‐Wen Yu Graduate Fellowship at Missouri University of Science and Technology in 1992 to support graduate education and research. In 2013, he established the Wei-Wen Yu Scholarship at National Taiwan University to support undergraduate and graduate students.
His lifetime achievements and vision continue to shape future generations in academia and the steel industry.
Wei-Wen wholeheartedly enjoyed the camaraderie and friendships formed over decades with international colleagues, students, and friends. He loved international travel and appreciated the diversity of cultures, nuances, and food from across the globe. He was an enthusiastic connoisseur of all cuisine, with a strong preference for hot and spicy Chinese food. He was an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball, and football fan.
After moving in 2015 to the Boston Massachusetts area with his wife, he started to learn to “retire”. He was a regular in the fitness center, walking and exercising, an active participant in social activities, and widely recognized as a friendly, gracious, courteous, and humble individual. He documented his memoirs in a “life journey” book in 2015 and contributed life stories to the Legacy Project published with Tufts University in 2023.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Yueh-hsin (Leslie) Yu, to whom he was married for 71 years. He is survived by his three children (Julie Yu, Dorothy Yu, and Gordon Yu) and four grandchildren (Brooke Brennan, Logan Yu, Alec Brennan, and Holly Yu).
A visitation for family and friends will be held at 9 a.m. prior to the service beginning, and a memorial service celebrating Wei-Wen Yu will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at the Null & Son Funeral Home in Rolla. Interment will follow at Ozark Hills Memorial Gardens.
An informal gathering at the Dr. Wei-Wen and Yueh-Hsin Yu Knowledge Center (located at the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering building, second floor, Missouri University of Science and Technology) will immediately follow the burial.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wei‐Wen Yu Graduate Fellowship at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
