Former Members
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Leandro Iannacone (Research Fellow @ UCL, 2022-2024)
Currently: Assistant Professor, Department of Building & Environmental Technology, Division of Structural Engineering, Lund University, Sweden
Topic: Simulating multi-hazard event sets for life cycle consequence analysis
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Andrea Franchini (PhD @ UCL, 2024)
Currently: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Thesis: Consequence-oriented Fire Intensity Optimisation: Methodology Development and Application to Bridges (Co-Supervised with Prof Jose Torero, UCL)
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Karim Aljawhari (PhD @ IUSS Pavia, Italy, 2024)
Currently: Physical Vulnerability Specialist, Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation, Pavia, Italy
Thesis: Holistic Seismic Rehabilitation: Integrating Sustainability, Direct, and Indirect Losses in Risk-targeted Retrofit Design and Optimization (Co-Supervised with Dr Roberto Gentile, UCL)
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Fabrizio Nocera (Research Fellow @ UCL, 2022-2023)
Currently: Data Scientist at Boehringer Ingelheim | Drug Discovery Science, Biberach an der Riß, Germany
Topic: Optimal infrastructure design in growing cities through people-centred, risk-informed, and holistic approaches
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Eyitayo Ademola Opabola (Senior Research Fellow @ UCL, 2020-2023)
Currently: Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
Topic: Multi-hazard Vulnerability Assessment of Structures for Resilience Enhancement
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Catalina Gonzalez-Duenas (Research Fellow @ UCL, 2022-2023)
Currently: Assistant Professor, Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
Topic: Integrating dynamic multi-hazard vulnerability and resilience into formal people-centred and forward-looking risk assessment
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Salvatore Iacoletti (PhD @ UCL, 2023)
Currently: Earthquake Specialist, AXA-XL, London, UK
Thesis: Advancing Time-Dependent Earthquake Risk Modelling (Co-Supervised with Dr Gemma Cremen, UCL)
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Gabriella Tocchi (Visiting PhD Student @ UCL, 2022 & PhD @ Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy, 2023)
Currently: Research Fellow, Dipartimento di Strutture per l'Ingegneria e l'Architettura, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
Thesis: Integrating multi-hazard, socio-physical information in a holistic index for decision-making on disaster risk reduction (Co-Supervised with Dr Gemma Cremen, UCL, and Prof Maria Polese, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy)
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Livio Pedone (Visiting PhD Student @ UCL, 2021 & PhD @ Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Italy, 2022)
Currently: Assistant Professor, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale e Geotecnica, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Italy
Thesis: Pre- and post-earthquake safety evaluation and loss assessment of reinforced concrete buildings (Co-Supervised with Dr Roberto Gentile, UCL, and Prof Stefano Pampanin, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Italy)
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Jawad Fayaz (Research Fellow @ UCL, 2021)
Currently: Lecturer (Assistant Professor), Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, UK
Topic: Machine-Learning- and Deep-Learning- based Extreme Event Analysis
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Roberto Gentile (Senior Research Fellow @ UCL, 2018-2021)
Currently: Lecturer (Assistant Professor), Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London, London, UK
Topic: Seismic Vulnerability Assessment and Reduction of RC Buildings; Loss-based design
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Gemma Cremen (Senior Research Fellow @ UCL, 2019-2021)
Currently: Lecturer (Assistant Professor), Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, London, UK
Topic: Decision Support System for Earthquake Early Warning and Rapid Response; Multi-hazard Risks in Tomorrow's Cities
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Biao Song (PhD @ UCL, 2021)
Currently: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Laboratoire des structures métalliques résilientes, École Polytechnique Fedérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
Thesis: Advancing Performance-Based Design and Assessment of Exposed Column Base Plates and Welded Column Splices in Steel Moment Resisting Frames (Co-Supervised with Prof Amit Kanvinde, University of California, Davis, USA)
Karim Tarbali (Research Fellow @ UCL, 2019-2021)
Currently: Assistant Professor in Natural Hazards and Risk Assessments at Université Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
Topic: Physics-based Ground-motion Simulations for Seismic Risk Assessment in Rapidly Urbanising Environments
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David Wilkie (PhD @ UCL, 2019 & EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellow @ UCL, 2019 - 2021)
Currently: Senior Research Analyst, Gallagher Re, London, UK
Thesis/Topic: Offshore wind turbine reliability, risk, and resilience
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Omar Velazquez Ortiz (PhD @ UCL, 2020)
Currently: Catastrophe Model Developer, Guy Carpenter, London, UK
Thesis: Investigating the cross-disciplinary components of Earthquake Early Warning Systems (Co-Supervised with Dr Gianluca Pescaroli, UCL's Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, UK)
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Chen Huang (PhD @ UCL, 2020)
Currently: Research Engineer, NORSAR, Oslo, Norway
Thesis: Advancing ground-motion modelling methodologies for improved seismic hazard assessment (Co-Supervised with Dr Karim Tarbali, UCL & The University of Edinburgh, UK)
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Giacomo Sevieri (Research Fellow @ UCL, 2019-2020)
Currently: Catastrophe Risk Analyst, Zurich Insurance Group, Zurich, Switzerland
Topic: Multi-hazard vulnerability of cultural heritage assets in developing countries (CHeRiSH project)
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Jamal Dabbeek (Visiting PhD Student @ UCL, 2019 & PhD @ IUSS Pavia, Italy, 2020)
Currently: Earthquake Engineer, the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation, Pavia, Italy
Thesis: Earthquake and Flood Risk Assessment and Mitigation in the Middle East (Co-Supervised with Dr Vitor Silva, GEM Foundation, Pavia, Italy)
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Annibale Vecere (Visiting PhD Student @ UCL, 2018 & PhD @ IUSS Pavia, Italy, 2019)
Currently: Catastrophe Modelling Specialist, Generali, Trieste, Italy
Thesis: Near real-time flood loss estimation as a basis for risk financing mechanisms (Co-Supervised with Prof Mario Martina and Prof Ricardo Monteiro, IUSS Pavia, Italy)
Catalina Fortuño (Research Assistant @ UCL, 2018-2019)
Currently: Earthquake Engineering/Project Manager, Instituto para la Resiliencia ante Desastres (Chilean Institute for Disaster Resilience), Santiago, Chile
Topic: Impact of time-dependent hazard modelling on portfolio loss assessment (with ARUP, London, UK)
Alexandra Tsioulou (PhD @ UCL, 2018)
Currently: Divisional Director, Gallagher Re, London, UK
Thesis: Simulated ground motions for seismic risk assessment of structures (Co-Supervised with Prof Alexandros Taflanidis, University of Notre Dame, USA)
Stelios Minas (EngD @ UCL, 2018)
Currently: Nat Cat Consultant, Munich Re, Singapore
Thesis: Advancements in the seismic risk assessment of mid-rise reinforced concrete buildings (Co-Supervised with Prof Tiziana Rossetto, UCL, UK)
Marco Bertolini (Research Assistant @ UCL, 2017-2018)
Currently: Senior Engineer, Robert Bird Group, London, UK
Topic: Ground-motion selection and modification for nonlinear dynamic analysis of structures
Arash Nassirpour (Research Assistant @ UCL, 2016-2017)
Currently: Lead Associate, Natural Catastrophe & Climate Risk, Willis Towers Watson, London, UK
Topic: Multi-hazard physical vulnerability assessment of school facilities in the Philippines (SCOSSO project)
Nicola Branchini (Research Assistant @ UCL, 2016-2017)
Currently: Engineering Trade Manager, Hilti, Milan, Italy
Topic: Non-structural vulnerability assessment and casualty estimation of school facilities in the Philippines (SCOSSO project)
Kimberly Stillmaker (PhD @ UC Davis, USA, 2016)
Currently: Assistant Professor, Civil and Geomatics Engineering Department, California State University, Fresno, USA
Thesis: Probabilistic fracture mechanics-based assessment of welded column splices in steel moment frames (Co-Supervised with Prof Amit Kanvinde, University of California, Davis, USA)