Barbato Named President of ASCE EMI

Prof. Michele Barbato has been named as the incoming President of the American Society of Civil Engineers Engineering Mechanics Institute. The EMI is the premiere interdisciplinary organization of engineering mechanics, with a focus on addressing existing and emerging engineering and societal issues through research and the application of scientific and mathematical principles. Read Prof. Barbato's message to the EMI community here.

Prof. Barbato's research addresses the mechanical behavior and performance of structural and infrastructural systems, accounting for the stochastic nature of structural and material properties and the loading environment, with a specific emphasis on climate change effects. His expertise encompasses both traditional and innovative construction methodologies and materials, with emphasis on new recycled and green materials. He has worked extensively on non-stationary stochastic problems, focusing on environmental hazards due to climate change, including an effort to characterize and mitigate the impacts of climate change-driven wildfires (especially in California). 

Additionally, Prof. Barbato serves as director of the UC Davis Climate Adaptation Center and director of the CITRIS Climate Initiative within CITRIS and the Banatao Institute. He was also named a 2025 Icon of Change as an ambassador for advancing sustainable development goal 11, which focuses on sustainable cities and communities.