Dr. Wael Hassan (Ph.D.'11 CE), Associate Professor of Structural and Earthquake Engineering at the University of Alaska, is a former Ph.D. student and post-doctorate at Berkeley under CEE Professor Jack Moehle. His recent recognition with three significant awards from the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) underscores his unique contributions to the field. The ACI Board of Direction elected him as Alaska's first and sole ACI Fellow, while the ASCE Board of Direction and the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) honored him as their first and sole SEI Fellow in Alaska. This triple recognition, received within 12 months of the first nomination, is a testament to his high-caliber accomplishments and his peers' trust in him.

Dr. Hassan's academic interests are reinforced concrete mechanics, earthquake engineering, numerical simulation and large-scale testing of structural systems and components under the effect of extreme natural hazards, seismic assessment and retrofit of existing construction, performance-based seismic design, and innovative material applications. Several U.S. and international standards and guidelines adopted Dr. Hassan's research on existing building assessment. During his Ph.D. and Post-doctorate, he worked under Professor Moehle on a $3.6M NSF project: NEES Grand Challenge, Mitigation of Collapse Risk of Older Concrete Buildings. The project led the City of Los Angeles to issue a new legislature in 2015 to enforce retrofitting its 1500 seismically vulnerable non-ductile concrete buildings and its 15,000 soft-story wood buildings. 

Dr. Hassan also had the opportunity for another significant, broader impact. One month after his arrival to Anchorage, AK, to join the faculty at the University of Alaska, the 2018 M7.1 Anchorage earthquake took place, the strongest earthquake in the U.S. in more than 50 years near population. Widespread damage resulted from the quake; soon after, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) appointed Dr. Hassan to co-lead the EERI field reconnaissance mission in Alaska to document the damage and investigate the earthquake's impact in the region. Dr. Hassan also led the structural reconnaissance EERI team and developed a significant report and several publications on the event that eventually impacted the seismic policy in Alaska.

Before joining academia, he established and led the performance-based seismic design practice at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) in San Francisco, where he designed several tall buildings in the U.S. and abroad. He also participated in and led the design of many projects in the U.S. and the Middle East, including residential, office, civic, multi-purpose, hospitality, and education buildings, sports facilities, transportation and industrial facilities, and liquid storage structures. 

The UC Berkeley Research IT Consulting team bridges the gap between technology and people, serving as the first point of contact for UC Berkeley researchers seeking to leverage computing and data resources. This diverse group of experts includes Research IT and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab staff, librarians, adjunct and graduate student domain specialists, and undergraduate students. With their varied expertise across many domains and disciplines, the consulting team facilitates access to the most suitable computing and data resources, enabling researchers to drive their work forward seamlessly.

Research IT Domain Consultants are experts embedded in departments across campus. Many of them are graduate students, and as researchers, they understand their domain's specific issues and needs. One such consultant we would like to spotlight is Christian White, a 6th-year Ph.D. student in the department who is also involved in the Black Graduate Engineers Group. 

White earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering at Yale University, then a M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree. Becoming an expert in environmental engineering was a driving passion for him, leading him to pursue a doctorate. Currently, he is involved in research on biological nutrient nitrogen removal from wastewater. Studying the interactions between microbes fascinates him, and he is glad to bring an engineering perspective to his study.

As a domain consultant, White specializes in software solutions and bioinformatics software. His role is crucial to understanding and matching researchers' needs with the appropriate Research IT resources and tools. White finds this work gratifying, as it allows him to support the diverse research community on campus. One of his memorable experiences was helping with the Savio training, where he taught researchers how to access and use helpful Research IT tools. White's favorite part of being a consultant is collaborating with his talented colleagues at Research IT, appreciating the diverse perspectives they bring to problem-solving. 

Beyond his work as a consultant and PhD studies, White enjoys a variety of hobbies that help him maintain a work-life balance, including boxing, gardening, cooking, and biking.