NHR3 Co-Director Elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Image by: UCLA Samueli School of Engineering

Congratulations Dr. Stewart!

Dr. Jonathan P. Stewart was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature" and to "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education." He will be formally inducted during the NAE's annual meeting on Sept. 29, 2024.

Stewart, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UCLA Samueli and co-director of UCLA’s Natural Hazards Risk and Resiliency Research Center, was elected to the academy for developing “improved understanding of soil-structure interaction, earthquake ground motions, site response, and soil liquefaction.”

One of the most recognized earthquake engineers, Stewart focuses his research on geotechnical earthquake engineering and engineering seismology, with emphases on seismic soil-structure interaction, earthquake ground-motion characterization, seismic ground failure and the seismic performance of structural fills and levee embankments. Findings from his research have been widely utilized in engineering practice, including through the National Seismic Hazard Model, produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, and the American Society of Civil Engineers’ guidelines for building new structures and retrofitting existing ones.

A member of the UCLA Samueli faculty since 1996, Stewart is also a co-principal investigator of the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association, a global volunteer organization supported by the National Science Foundation that sends research teams to major disaster areas to collect perishable data.

Among Stewart’s many honors is the Bruce Bolt Medal, a global award presented by the Seismological Society of America, the Consortium of Organizations for Strong-Motion Observation Systems and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. The award recognizes individuals who have led the transfer of scientific and engineering knowledge to improve seismic safety designs and practices. Stewart has also been recognized with UCLA’s Distinguished Teaching Award.