Biography

Jeffrey Berman joined the department in 2006 after completing his Ph.D. and a short Post-Doctoral period at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has worked on numerous large-scale destructive experimental investigations involving steel and heavy timber structures and sub assemblages. His research strives to blend experimental and analytical investigations to help develop the tools and understanding necessary for practicing engineers to design structures to resist the forces of earthquakes, blasts, and other hazards.

He is the structural engineering lead on the M9 Project, a large NSF supported interdisciplinary research project investigating the impacts of magnitude 9 Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquakes on the Pacific Northwest. He is also the Site Operations Director of the NSF supported NHERI Rapid Facility, a shared use equipment site supporting natural hazards reconnaissance headquartered at the UW. He has served as the Director of the Large-Scale Structural Engineering Testing Laboratory at the UW and led the acquisition of the UW’s large-scale X-Ray CT scanner that is used by researchers from across the university.

He serves on several national committees related to earthquake engineering and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Structural Engineering. He is also a dedicated instructor, teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels and is a past recipient of the UW Distinguished Teaching Award.

When not working, Prof. Berman enjoys outdoor activities in the Pacific Northwest with his family and is a lover of live music.

Education

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY , June, 2006
• M.S. in Civil Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 2003
• B.S. in Civil Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 2000

Previous appointments

• Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, September 2006 September 2012

Research Statement

Prof. Berman’s research focuses on seismic performance of steel and heavy timber structures, performance-based seismic design, development of innovative structural systems, understanding seismic hazards in the Pacific Northwest, and the robustness of structural systems to unanticipated loadings.

Honors & awards

• Service Award, 2013, George E. Brown Network for Earthquake Engineering
• Distinguished Teaching Award, 2012, University of Washington
• Faculty Mentor of the Year, 2011, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, by student vote
• Milek Fellowship, 4/2008, American Institute of Steel Construction
• Dr. Sophokles E. Logiadis Award for Innovation in Seismic Isolation or Energy Dissipation, 6/2006, University at Buffalo, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• J. James Croes Medal, 4/2005, American Society of Civil Engineers

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