Meet the Team
Carmine Galasso, PhD
Professor of Catastrophe Risk Engineering
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Completed Degree: PhD Earthquake Engineering and Risk, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy, 2011
Research Interests: Catastrophe Risk Modeling; Engineering Seismology; Structural Reliability; Disaster Risk Reduction​​
Preetish Kakoty, PhD
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Senior Research Fellow (starting Fall 2025)
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Completed Degree: PhD Earthquake Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 2024
Topic: Resilience Enhancement through Multi-Hazard Recovery Analysis of Earthquake and Flood-Affected Infrastructure
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Roberto Merino Vela, PhD
UKRI Guarantee Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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​Completed Degree: PhD Earthquake Engineering, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia, Italy, 2022
Topic: Improving Seismic Resilience of Critical Facilities by Enhanced Assessment of Non-structural Elements
Pouria Kourehpaz, PhD
Research Fellow in Multi-hazard Risk & Resilience Engineering
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​Completed Degree: PhD Civil Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 2024
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Topics: Post-disaster Building Portfolio Recovery Analysis under Multi-hazard Scenarios; Regional Risk Modeling
Diego Valdivieso Cascante, PhD
Research Fellow in Multi-hazard Risk & Resilience Engineering
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Completed Degree: PhD Civil Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile, & University of Colorado Boulder, USA, 2024
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Topic: Mitigating Environmental Disruptive Events Using People-Centric Predictive Digital Technologies to Improve Disaster and Climate Resilience
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Onur Ülkü
PhD Student (starting Fall 2025; co-funded by WTW Research Network​
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​Completed Degree: MSc Earthquake Engineering, Bogazici University, Turkiye, 2024
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Topic: AI and ML for Enhanced Earthquake and Flood Catastrophe Risk Modelling - Co-supervised by Carmine Galasso and Pouria Kourehpaz
Francesco Cascone
PhD Student
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Completed Degree: MSc Building Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy, 2018
Topic: Advancing Circular Economy in Construction through Innovative Holistic Strategies for the Reuse of Structural Steel - Co-supervised by Carmine Galasso and Katherine Cashell
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Giulia Brutti
PhD Candidate
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​Completed Degree: MSc Social Research Methods, London School of Economics, UK, 2022
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Topic: Modeling Resettlement Decisions in Filipino Rural Communities Exposed to Flooding - Co-supervised by Gemma Cremen and Carmine Galasso
Nicole Paul
PhD Candidate (co-funded by WTW Research Network
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Completed Degree: MSc Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, USA, 2015
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Topic: Disaster-induced Population Displacement Risk - Co-supervised by Carmine Galasso and Jack Baker (Stanford University)
Rhea Srivastava
PhD Student
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Completed Degree: MS. Urban Management & Development, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2020
Topic: Investigating Transformative Resilience in Complex Urban Systems - Co-supervised by Manu Sasidharan and Carmine Galasso
Chenbo Wang
PhD Candidate
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​Completed Degree: MSc Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, USA, 2021
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Topic: Modeling, Quantifying, and Managing Tomorrow's Risks from Natural Hazards - Co-supervised by Gemma Cremen and Carmine Galasso
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Omar Ahram
Research Assistant
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Completed Degree: MSc Civil & Structural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, USA, 2025
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Topic: Evaluating the Implications of Climate Change in Structural Load Standards for Buildings - Co-supervised by Abbie Liel and Carmine Galasso
Jia-Yi Ding
Visiting PhD Student (Southeast University, China)
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Completed Degree: MSc Mechanics and Engineering Science, Hohai University, China, 2018
Topic: Resilience Assessment of Building Portfolios under Earthquakes and Extreme Climate - Co-supervised by De-Cheng Feng, Pouria Kourehpaz, and Carmine Galasso
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Gabriele Nicola Napoli
Visiting PhD Student (Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Italy)
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Completed Degree: MSc Geological Sciences and Technologies, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy
Topic: Multi-hazard Risk - Co-supervised by Maria Polese, Diego di Martire, and Carmine Galasso
Fabrizio Ascione
Visiting PhD Student (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy)
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Completed Degree: MSc Building Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy, 2023
Topic: Time-dependent Reliability Analysis for Structural Steel Reuse - Co-supervised by Elena Mele and Carmine Galasso
We are always pleased to hear from individuals interested in joining our team to pursue research in any of the areas outlined here. However, please note that we only consider applications from highly qualified candidates who hold a specialized MSc degree, have achieved a first-class honours (or equivalent), and have either secured or are actively seeking a competitive scholarship.
If you meet these criteria and are genuinely committed to advancing research in our fields of interest, we encourage you to get in touch via email. Please be aware that funding opportunities—both internal and external—are limited and awarded only to exceptional applicants through highly competitive selection processes.
Group Photos
Farewell, Kenneth. Wishing you all the best.
Farewell, Kenneth. Wishing you all the best.