Academy of Distinguished Alumni

Filip C. Filippou received his Dipl. Ing. in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Munich in 1978, followed by a Ph.D. (1983) in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Upon completing his Ph.D., he joined the faculty in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Berkeley in 1983, where he also served as Vice-Chair for Research and Technical Support from 1999 to 2003. He is currently a Professor of the Graduate School in Structural Engineering.

Dr. Filippou is recognized as a world leader in nonlinear structural analysis and earthquake engineering. His pioneering research focuses on the hysteretic behavior of reinforced concrete, steel, and steel-concrete composite structures under extreme loading conditions. His simulation models for structural components have been widely adopted, particularly in the OpenSees platform. Dr. Filippou is also the developer of the Matlab toolbox FEDEASLab, which has become a valuable tool in teaching and research. His graduate courses on structural analysis have been a mainstay of the SEMM program for 30+ years.

Dr. Filippou's professional contributions to structural engineering, nonlinear analysis, and earthquake engineering have been recognized through several prestigious awards, including the Best Paper Award in Analysis and Computation from the American Society of Civil Engineers (2018), the ASCE James R. Croes Medal (2009), and the American Concrete Institute Fellow distinction (2001). He has also served in significant roles within professional organizations, including as Chair of the ASCE Methods of Analysis Committee and the ACI-ASCE 447 Committee on Finite Element Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Structures.

Dr. Filippou’s engagement with Berkeley CEE is evident in his leadership in the UCB Seismic Review Committee, which he guided in developing a safe university infrastructure until three years after his retirement in 2020. His dedication to teaching even past retirement, to mentoring faculty and students and his collaboration on research have enriched the department and the broader campus community.