Grants

Sponsored research projects, current and completed. The group's work has been supported by federal agencies, California state and municipal agencies, national laboratories, and industry partners.

$17M+in total awards

59sponsored projects

2001first award year

Current projects

FIRE-WUI: Community Resilience Assessment Against Wildland–Urban Interface Fires

Builds a community-scale resilience assessment framework for WUI fire, using multi-resolution digital twins of the built and natural environment to evaluate exposure, vulnerability, and mitigation options.

National Science Foundation, via Purdue University · 2026–2028

Wildfire Planning Tool for Bidirectional Long-Term Risk Quantification and Management

Develops a planning tool that quantifies wildfire risk in both directions — the risk energy infrastructure poses as an ignition source, and the risk wildfires pose to that infrastructure — to support long-term investment and mitigation decisions.

California Energy Commission · 2025–2029 · with E. Lopez Droguett (PI)

Development of Fuel Model Maps and Prescribed Fire Management Strategies for the Comiteca Tojolabal Plateau, Chiapas, Mexico

Extends the group's AI-based fuel mapping methods to a data-sparse region of southern Mexico and pairs them with prescribed-fire management strategies developed with local partners.

UC Office of the President, via UC Davis · 2025–2027

RAPID: Infrastructure Resilience and Impact Study for Wildfire-Affected Infrastructure in Los Angeles (IRIS-Wildfire)

A rapid-response study of infrastructure performance and recovery following the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, documenting impacts while perishable data remains available.

National Science Foundation · 2025–2027

Model Tests for Structures Crossing Highways Under Seismic Loading

Combines physical model testing with computational analysis to characterize the seismic response of structures crossing highways, informing Caltrans design and assessment practice.

Caltrans · 2025–2028

PyroKit: Wildfire Threat, Ignition, and Mitigation Toolkit

Develops a toolkit for assessing wildfire threat and ignition potential and for evaluating mitigation measures, in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories.

U.S. Department of Energy / NNSA, via Sandia National Laboratories · 2024–2026

A Hybrid Framework of Exascale Simulations, Observations, and Deep Learning for System-Level Clean Energy Resilience and Risk Reduction

Couples exascale earthquake simulation with observational data and deep learning to assess seismic risk to clean-energy systems at regional scale.

U.S. Department of Energy, via Caltech · 2023–2026

Coastal Hazards, Equity, Economic Prosperity, and Resilience (CHEER)

A multi-institution NSF hub studying coastal hurricane hazards; the group's role centers on wind and surge loss modeling for coastal building stock informed by insurance claims data.

National Science Foundation, via University of Delaware · 2022–2027

Completed projects

Assessment and Prioritization Plan for Hillside Ordinance Streets

City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering · 2021–2025 · with S. Narasimhan (PI)

NHERI Computational Modeling and Simulation Center (SimCenter), Phase 2

National Science Foundation, via UC Berkeley · 2021–2025

Fighting Wildfires under Climate Change: A Data-Informed Physics-Based Computational Framework for Probabilistic Risk Assessment, Mitigation, and Emergency Response

National Science Foundation, via University of Nevada, Reno · 2020–2025

Analysis and Model Tests for Buried Structures Crossing Highways Under Seismic Loading

Caltrans · 2023–2025

Developing a Suite of Ground Motions Using Physics-Based Simulations with EQSIM for Southern California

U.S. Department of Energy, via Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory · 2023–2025

Long-Range Wildfire Occurrence Forecasting Using Nonlinear Dynamics and AI

USDA Forest Service · 2024–2025

Appraisal of Ionoterra's Earthquake Early Warning Methodology Using Seismic Data from California

Ionoterra Ltd. · 2023–2025

Seismic Risk Analysis of Water Transmission Pipelines

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power · 2021–2025 · with Y. Bozorgnia (PI)

AI Leak Detection Technology to Mitigate Loss in Drinking Water Distribution Systems

U.S. Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command · 2021–2024 · with S. Narasimhan (PI)

Belmont Forum: Resilient Societies Through Smart-City Technology — Assessing Earthquake Risk in Ultra-High Resolution

National Science Foundation · 2021–2024 · with Y. Bozorgnia (PI)

Mortar Backing Plate Testing and Modeling

J. Paul Getty Trust · 2022–2023

Ground Motion Database, Models, and Engineering Implementation Guidelines

California High-Speed Rail Authority · 2020–2023 · with Y. Bozorgnia (PI)

Seismic Risk Assessment of Distributed Water Infrastructure Crossing Earthquake Faults in Southern California

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power · 2020–2023 · with Y. Bozorgnia (PI)

Digital Twins for Bridge Management: Integrating Computer Vision and Finite Element Models

Federal Highway Administration, via SC Solutions Inc. · 2019–2023

Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Wildfire Hazard Resilience and Risk Engineering (WiRE)

National Science Foundation · 2021–2023

Performance-Based Economic Loss Assessment of a Hypothetical Large Southern California Earthquake: Disruption and Recovery of Port of Los Angeles Freight Traffic

Caltrans, via UC Berkeley · 2020–2022

Pipeline Behavior Under Loads Imposed by Ground Subsidence

Southern California Gas Company, via D.G. Honegger Consulting · 2020–2021 · with Y. Bozorgnia (PI)

NHERI Computational Modeling and Simulation Center (SimCenter), Phase 1

National Science Foundation, via UC Berkeley · 2017–2021

Characterization of Nonlinear Dynamic Soil Properties from Geotechnical Downhole Array Data

U.S. Geological Survey · 2020–2021

Characterization of Nonlinear Dynamic Soil Properties from Geotechnical Downhole Array Data

California Department of Conservation · 2019–2021

BridgeR: A Regional Seismic Hazard Assessment Tool for Transportation Networks and Its Application to Freight Loss Assessment

Caltrans, via USC · 2019–2020

Development of a Database and Toolbox for Regional Seismic Risk Assessment of California Highway Bridges

California Highway Patrol, via UC Berkeley · 2018–2020

Identification of Earthquake Input Excitation for CSMIP-Instrumented Buildings

California Department of Conservation · 2018–2020

Development of a Numerical Nonlinear Soil Module to Expand the Capabilities of the SCEC Broadband Platform

University of Southern California · 2019–2020

Development of Accurate Damping Models for Nonlinear Time History Analysis

Caltrans · 2017–2019

Development of a Validated Methodology for Seismic Analysis and Design of Standard and Pile-Supported Retaining Walls

Caltrans · 2016–2018

Investigation of the Spatial Variability of Seismic Input Motions for CSMIP-Instrumented Bridges During the 2014 South Napa Earthquake

California Department of Conservation · 2015–2017

Development of Validated Methods for Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis of Buried Structures

Caltrans · 2015–2017

Identification of Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction Effects Using Recorded Strong-Motion Response Data from Instrumented Buildings

California Department of Conservation · 2014–2016

Quantification of the Mechanical Symptoms of Adhesive Capsulitis via Finite Element Model Updating

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. · 2014–2015

A Multi-Scale Meshfree Method for Modeling Ultra-High-Strength Concrete Subjected to Ballistic and Blast Events

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 2011–2014

Development and Implementation of RKPM into SIERRA

U.S. Department of Energy, via Sandia National Laboratories · 2012–2014

Guidelines for Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of Ordinary Bridges, Version 2.0

Caltrans, via UC Berkeley · 2012–2014

Comparative Study of Model Predictions and Data from the Caltrans/CSMIP Bridge Instrumentation Program: The Eureka–Samoa Channel Bridge

Caltrans · 2012–2013

RAPID: Wind, Thermal, and Earthquake Monitoring of the Watts Towers

National Science Foundation · 2013–2014

Validated Multiscale Simulation Framework for Large-Strain Thermo-Mechanical Response of Open-Cell Aluminum Foams

National Science Foundation · 2010–2013

Lateral Load Behavior and Modeling of Shear-Dominant RC Walls for Performance-Based Design

National Science Foundation · 2008–2012 · with J. Wallace (PI)

Development of Improved Procedures for Seismic Analysis and Design of Earth Retaining Structures

Caltrans · 2011–2012

CAREER: Computational Platform for Recursive Adaptive Multi-Level Analysis of Structures Under Extreme Events

National Science Foundation · 2006–2012

Validated Multi-Scale Analysis Tool for the Mechanical Response of Open-Cell Aluminum Foams

California Energy Commission, via SDSU · 2010–2011

Performance-Based Seismic Assessment of Skewed Bridges

Caltrans, via UC Transportation Center · 2009–2011

Nonlinear Load-Deflection Behavior of Abutment Backwalls with Variable Heights and Skew

Caltrans · 2008–2011 · with J. Stewart (PI)

SGER: Field Testing of a Non-Ductile Reinforced Concrete Building in Turkey

National Science Foundation · 2007–2010

Implementation of PEER Methodology for Building Structures Including Seismological, Geotechnical, and Structural Uncertainties

National Science Foundation, via UC Berkeley · 2003–2007 · with J. Stewart (PI)

Full-Scale Cyclic Large-Deflection Testing of Foundation Support Systems for Highway Bridges

Caltrans · 2001–2006 · with J. Stewart (PI)