My research interests lie within the broad area of Computational Solid and Structural Mechanics. I am currently working on topology optimization of smart material systems, soil-structure interaction in deep and shallow foundation systems, wave propagation in continuous media, inverse problems—with various applications in system identification, structural health monitoring as well as surveillance—and simulation of structural response under extreme loadings such as explosions, and ballistic impact.

• How to Engineer Buildings That Withstand Earthquakes | Scientific American, February 2023
• Los Angeles Fire Department Trains in Urban Search and Rescue | Spectrum News, February 2023
• Turkish Americans Grieve in the Wake of Deadly Earthquake | Spectrum News, February 2023
• Could LA Buildings Collapse Like Those In Turkey When The Big One Hits? LAist, February 2023
• ASCE Launches Its First Multidisciplinary, Open-access Journal | ASCE Civil Engineering Source, December 2022

• Fellow, ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute, 2015
• ASCE Walter Huber Research Prize, 2011
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2006
• Professor of the Year, ASCE Student Chapter at UCLA, 2003, 2009