Academy of Distinguished Alumni
John W. Wallace Ph.D.
Inducted to the Academy of Distinguished Alumni on
John Wallace received his M.S. degree (1984) and Ph.D. (1989) in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He also earned his B.S. degree (1982, Magna Cum Laude) in Civil Engineering from the University of Vermont. Following his academic training, Dr. Wallace joined UCLA’s faculty, where he led significant research initiatives in earthquake engineering and infrastructure resilience. Over his career, he has become a leading expert in earthquake engineering, focusing on developing advanced seismic design standards.
Dr. Wallace is recognized as a preeminent expert with noteworthy projects, including developing building-specific test programs for retrofit of seismically vulnerable California hospitals, conducting full-scale field testing of bridge columns and foundations, serving as an expert witness, reviewing existing research to develop and update building code provisions for new (ASCE, ACI) and existing (ASCE, ACI) buildings, and collaborating with international partners on shake table testing of full-scale buildings. He has been a principal investigator for several high-profile projects, securing over $20 million in funding from organizations such as CalTrans, the Charles Pankow Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation, and the PEER Center.
Dr. Wallace’s professional contributions have been recognized through several awards and honors, including the ACI Arthur J. Boase Award (2020), the S.B. Barnes Research Award (2020), and the Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Award from ASCE (2019). He has held leadership roles in professional societies, such as the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the Los Angeles Tall Buildings Council, and co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers for influential technical papers on earthquake engineering.
Dr. Wallace has substantially contributed to Berkeley CEE through student mentoring, collaboration with faculty on research projects, invited lectures, and PEER Center activities, including active participation in the Business and Industry Partnership Program and serving on the Institutional Board from the inception of PEER in 1997 until 2022. He is currently providing peer review services for the HUB, a 27-story sustainable, mixed-use development in downtown Berkeley that will provide much-needed housing for UC Berkeley students.