Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics

Structural Engineering and Mechanics Faculty


Analysis, Design and Protection of the Built Environment Through Comprehensive Understanding of Structural Behavior and Associated Materials Technologies

At UC Davis, the Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics (SESM) Group is actively engaged in both computational and experimental approaches to address issues in structural and solid mechanics. Ongoing research in the SESM group addresses structural and non-structural materials and systems, and encompasses virtually all relevant size-scales including micro-structural, structural component, and structural system levels. Recent research in the group has included the development and application of advanced finite element and constitutive modeling techniques; fundamental issues in the mechanics of continua and granular mechanics; characterization of structural behavior under earthquake and wind loading; structural reliability; stochastic dynamics; sustainable materials characterization and applications; performance-based earthquake/wind/hurricane engineering; computer-aided design; development of ductile structural systems and retrofit of non-ductile systems for enhanced seismic performance; non-destructive evaluation of material properties and computational modeling techniques for fracture and fatigue in steel and concrete structures. The SESM group at UC Davis is widely recognized worldwide as an international leader in the area of structural engineering, computational mechanics, and various areas of mechanics of solids, and has had significant academic and professional impact far beyond the country’s borders. Moreover, students and researchers in the group come from all corners of the world.