News of the Institute

Leadership Communique from Ellen Rathje

I’m excited to update the membership with more news about EERI’s new-format Annual Meetings, coming in 2027 and beyond! As I shared in my previous leadership communique in July, the Annual Meeting Reenvisioning Working Group recommended the model of a full in-person annual meeting, held separately from the undergraduate Seismic Design Competition (SDC), held in the same location for multiple years to allow staff and members a longer planning timeline and more affordable venue rates. These Annual Meetings will feature a two-day technical program with increased community contribution - achieved through an open call for abstracts that will provide opportunities for members to present their most recent work and engage with the broader EERI community.

I am happy to announce that EERI has chosen the location and dates for the 2027-2029 Annual Meetings, which will be held in Bellevue, WA from June 14-18, 2027, June 26-30, 2028, and June 25-29, 2029. These Annual Meetings will take place at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, a four-star hotel and meeting venue in a lively, safe, and walkable business and entertainment district with many dining options. The Eastside location is easily accessible from Sea-Tac airport and Downtown Seattle via the Line 2 extension of the Link light rail. More information about opportunities to get involved in planning the 2027AM technical program will be shared in 2026. In the meantime, save these dates on your calendar in advance!

Don’t forget that we will also be gathering in Portland in July 2026 for the 13th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering—early bird registration is now open, so register by February 28, 2026 for the best rates! As a national conference, the 13NCEE will also include the 2026 SDC, so if you enjoy Shaking Day this is a great opportunity to take part in both the technical program and the SDC before we shift to the new Annual Meeting format.

Ellen Rathje

EERI President

13NCEE: Registration and Grant Applications Open

Registration is open for the 13th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering (13NCEE) taking place in Portland, Oregon from July 13-17, 2026! View registration rates, deadlines, and other information at the 13NCEE website. Early Bird Registration rates are available through February 28, 2026.

Applications are also now open for 13NCEE Participation Grants. Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have generously made funds available to award participation grants to students, early career members, emergency managers and planners, state and local government representatives, and those who submit high-quality applications with demonstrated need to help defray costs of attending the 13NCEE.  Applications are due January 7, 2026. View the Participation Grant page for more information.

September 2025 Board Meeting Highlights

The EERI Board of Directors met via virtual webconference on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. EERI President Ellen Rathje chaired the meeting.

The Board reviewed the Executive Director’s report, a report from the Finance Committee, financial statements, and memos on the progress of the 13NCEE and 2027 annual meeting planning. The board reviewed and approved the Honors Committee’s recommendations for the recipients of EERI’s 2026 honors and awards, and approved the new chairs of the Honors Committee and Student Awards Committee. The Board also approved the slate of candidates for the 2026 Board of Directors Election and the selection of the new Learning From Earthquakes Program Co-Chairs. Student Chapter 2024-2025 academic year annual reports, a report on the 2024-25 Friedman Family Visiting Professionals Program, and previous Board meeting minutes were also shared with the Board.

The Board approved two new EERI student chapters in Colombia, at the Universidad del Valle and Universidad de La Sabana. Board members and EERI staff also discussed the 2026 budget and the future of the Housner Fellows program, and continued the Strategic Planning discussions from the 2025 previous meetings.

Renew Your EERI Membership for 2026!

Renewal season is here, and we hope that you’ve found your EERI membership valuable this year. With your EERI membership, you’ll continue to gain opportunities to build community and connections, expand your knowledge of the earthquake risk reduction field, and grow your leadership skills. Log in to my.eeri.org to renew your membership for 2026 today!

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Awards

2026 Joyner Lecturer: Francisco José Sánchez-Sesma

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and the Seismological Society of America (SSA) are pleased to announce that Francisco José Sánchez-Sesma (M.EERI 2022), professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM), is the 2026 recipient of the William B. Joyner Lecture Award. Sánchez-Sesma will deliver his Joyner lecture, “Seismic Wave Propagation in Complex Geological Domains: From Site Effects in Ground Motion to Diffuse Fields in Passive Seismology,” at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting in Pasadena and at 13NCEE.

The lectureship is jointly awarded by EERI and SSA to those who have provided outstanding earth science contributions to the theory and practice of earthquake engineering or outstanding earthquake engineering contributions to the direction and focus of earth science research—together with demonstrated skills of communication at the interface of earthquake science and earthquake engineering.

Sánchez-Sesma’s contributions to theory and method throughout his career have made a significant impact on seismic hazard assessment in earthquake engineering, aided by his early background as a structural engineer. He is best known for his contributions to methods, such as the Indirect Boundary Element Method (IBEM), for studying seismic wave propagation, especially amplification of seismic waves by complex 3D surface geological structures. Beyond his numerous contributions to seismology and earthquake engineering, Sánchez-Sesma has demonstrated significant science and engineering leadership throughout Latin America, including efforts to reform the Mexican building code after the 1985 earthquake. Sánchez-Sesma served as president of the Mexican Society of Earthquake Engineering from 2001 to 2003 and president of the Mexican Academy of Engineering from 2004 to 2006.

Visit the news post to learn more about Sánchez-Sesma and the Joyner Lecture award.

2026 Honorary Members: Laurie Johnson and Terri Norton

EERI is pleased to announce that Laurie Johnson (M.EERI 1990) and Terri Norton (M.EERI 2003) have been selected as the 2026 EERI Honorary Members. Honorary membership of the Institute is awarded to recognize members who have made sustained and outstanding contributions to the field of earthquake engineering and/or to EERI and the pursuit of its objectives. Johnson and Norton will be recognized at the 13NCEE in Portland, Oregon next summer. Visit the news post here to learn more about them and honorary membership.

Dr. Laurie Johnson is an internationally recognized urban planner specializing in disaster recovery and catastrophe risk management. For over 35 years, she has combined her unique blend of professional practice and research in earth science, urban planning and public policy to help communities, the insurance industry and other organizations address the complex challenges posed by natural hazards and disasters. She is the author of After Great Disasters: An In-Depth Analysis of How Six Countries Managed Community Recovery.

Since joining EERI in 1990, she has served as EERI President (2019-2020) and a member of the EERI Board (2006-2009), Northern California Chapter Board (2003-2006), and Earthquake Spectra Editorial Board (2011-2018).  She helped launch the LFE Endowment Fund of which she is a Founding Benefactor, participated in several LFE reconnaissance teams including Japan (2007, 2011) and China (2008), and co-chaired the LFE Seismic Resilience Observatory project. She currently co-chairs the Oral History Committee. In 2024, she received EERI’s Alfred E. Alquist Special Recognition Medal for her extensive work and dedication in improving the seismic safety and resilience of communities around the world.

Dr. Terri R. Norton is the Academic Associate Dean and professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Bucknell University, where she also serves as the executive director of the Engineering Success Alliance. Terri’s technical expertise is in the area of structural dynamics and structural vulnerability. Her research interests involve evaluating the effects of hazards on civil structures, debris management, and disaster reconstruction. Her distinguished career also includes an 11-year tenure at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Fulbright Research Scholarship in Japan.

Terri has been an active member of EERI since 2003.  As a graduate student and MCEER student leadership council (SLC) member, she helped to establish the first tri-center seismic design competition (SDC), now known as the EERI SDC. As a professional member, Terri served as a member and chair of the Student Activities Committee (SAC), mentor to the SLC, member of the Young Members Committee, and participant of the Learning from Earthquakes (LFE) program. Terri served as a charting faculty adviser for EERI student chapters at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Bucknell University. Most recently she served as the EERI Vice President and a Board Member, leading the DEI strategic initiatives group and supporting the programs committee and the finance and budget committee.

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Member Spotlight

Lifetime Member: Rebecca Laberenne

EERI is profiling each of our new Lifetime Members! Rebecca Laberenne (M.EERI 2007) is the Principal for Climate Risk and Resilience at the U.S. Green Building Council. She has over two decades of experience focused on improving the quality and safety of the built environment with particular interest in housing, social infrastructure and building regulations in communities with high natural hazard risk in the United States and internationally.

Rebecca started her career as a practicing structural engineer, working for over a decade at Guy Nordenson and Associates in New York, including as lead structural engineer for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. While working as an engineer, she was introduced to the non-profit social enterprise Build Change, and her experiences working for the organization on post-earthquake housing reconstruction in China in 2008 and Haiti in 2010 ignited her interest for disaster risk reduction, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Since then, she has worked and consulted for a variety of non-profit organizations on disaster risk reduction, resilience, and climate adaptation planning efforts. Rebecca was a 2017 Housner Fellow and currently serves on EERI’s Board of Directors.

Rebecca says, “In EERI, I have found a community of colleagues who share my values and interests—people who understand that reducing risks from earthquakes and other natural hazards depends on shared knowledge and cross-disciplinary collaboration. EERI has played a defining role in my career for the past 20 years, and I am confident it will continue to do so in the decades ahead. Becoming a lifetime member was an easy decision.”

Learn more about Lifetime Membership here and contact us at eeri@eeri.org if you would like to become a Lifetime Member when renewing this year.

Sergio M. Alcocer Receives Prestigious Luis Esteva Medal

During the 25th Mexican National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, organized by the Mexican Society for Earthquake Engineering (SMIS) on the theme “Redefining Earthquake Engineering 40 Years After 1985,” Dr. Sergio M. Alcocer (M.EERI 1987 )received the Luis Esteva Medal for “his outstanding career in teaching and research in earthquake engineering, which has had a positive impact on the mission of SMIS and on the international standing of Mexican earthquake engineering.” Luis Esteva, the award’s namesake, was the 2025 recipient of EERI’s Housner Medal. EERI congratulates Dr. Alcocer on the honor!

Sergio Alcocer is a professor at the Institute of Engineering of UNAM and a part-time professor at the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He was the first foreign member of the EERI Board of Directors, chaired the International Activities Committee, and co-coordinated (with Richard Klingner), the 2003 Tecoman, Colima, Earthquake report developed between SMIS and EERI. He is currently Director of the International Association for Earthquake Engineering (IAEE), is coordinating the revision of the 11 design standards of the Mexico City Building Code, and chair of the American Concrete Institute Subcommittee 318-H “Seismic Provisions.”

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Webinars

San Diego Chapter Webinar: Site Characterization UsingVS30 Per the ASCE 7-22

January 14, 2026

10:30 AM-12:00 PM Pacific Time

REGISTER HERE

Starting January 1, 2026, the ASCE 7-22 standard will be effective all over the country. Among the new changes, site characterization will now be based solely on shear wave velocities, and not on shear undrained strengths or SPT N-values anymore. To provide guidance and clarification on how to make site characterization consistent with the new ASCE 7-22 standard, EERI's San Diego Regional Chapter is hosting a webinar featuring Prof. Jonathan Stewart and Prof. Brady Cox. After presentations from the two speakers, we will have a 30-minute session for questions and answers.

Speakers:

• Dr. Jonathan Stewart is a Professor in the Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles and a 2025 EERI Honorary Member.

• Dr. Brady Cox is a Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Utah State University (USU) and the founding director of the new Utah Earthquake Engineering Center.

• Jorge Meneses of the EERI San Diego Regional Chapter will moderate the webinar. Contact him with any questions about the event.

YMC Webinar: Soil- and Tsunami-Structure Interaction

December 3, 2025

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Pacific Time

REGISTER HERE

The EERI Younger Members Committee (YMC) is hosting a free webinar on structure-soil-structure and tsunami-structure interaction. Two engineering experts from Chile, Dr. Felipe Vicencio and Dr. Rafael Aranguiz, will present new research on these topics. YMC member Ken Hudson will moderate the webinar.

Speakers:

• Dr. Felipe Vicencio is an Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering at the Universidad San Sebastián in Santiago, Chile.

• Dr. Rafael Aránguiz is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción in Concepción, Chile.

• Dr. Ken Hudson (moderator) is a Principal Geoscientist at Hudson Geotechnics.

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Regional Chapters

EERI 2025 Distinguished Lecture at UC Berkeley

Location: 290 Hearst Mining Building, UC Berkeley

Date: Friday December 12, 2025

Time: 4:00- 6:00 PM PST 

The UC Berkeley EERI Student Chapter and the EERI Northern California Regional Chapter are hosting a FREE event featuring 2025 EERI Distinguished Lecture recipient Dr. Shideh Dashti (M..EERI 2009), Professor in Geotechnical Engineering and Geomechanics at the University of Colorado Boulder. The event will be held in the beautiful Hearst Memorial Mining building (Room 290) located on the University of California, Berkeley campus. The event will include a social networking hour (food and drinks provided) from 4:00-5:00 PM, followed by a presentation of Dr. Dashti’s lecture, “Liquefaction Mitigation through Physics Informed and Data Driven Methodologies.”

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Spectra

Spectra Transition to Wiley

As Spectra Editor-in-Chief Jack Baker shared in his Leadership Communique in July, EERI's peer-reviewed journal Earthquake Spectra is moving to a new host at Wiley.

All new Spectra article submissions should be submitted via the new submission portal here. For more detail, please visit the updated Author Guidelines for the journal here.

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Opportunities

Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering, University of Nebraska (Lincoln)

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Structural Engineering with an anticipated start date in August 2026. Candidates for this position are expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to teaching excellence at the undergraduate and graduate levels, along with a proven research capability that will support the development of an externally funded, independent research program and publication in leading scholarly journals. The successful candidate should also be prepared to collaborate with colleagues, develop new research efforts, and contribute to ongoing research initiatives. This position offers exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and access to advanced research infrastructure. Facilities within CEE include high-bay structural testing laboratories on both City Campus in Lincoln and Scott Campus in Omaha. 

For more information about the position, requirements, and application process, view the job posting here. Applications are due by January 5, 2026.

Multiple Tenure Track and Full-Time Lecturer Positions at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in Architectural Engineering

The Architectural Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) invites qualified applicants to apply for two full-time, academic year, tenure-track faculty appointment at the Assistant Professor rank and one Full-Time Lecturer position to begin August 17, 2026. This is an opportunity for candidates who are passionate about undergraduate education and structural engineering. Cal Poly’s “Learn by Doing” approach provides faculty a unique opportunity to balance teaching and scholarly activities in a collaborative classroom environment. The department’s mission is to educate students to be successful in the practice of structural engineering. Appointed candidates will be expected to teach courses to undergraduate and graduate students in classroom and laboratory settings. Teaching needs in the department include both structural analysis courses and structural design courses focused on building structures. Structural earthquake engineering is emphasized throughout the curriculum with collaboration among the departments within the College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Review of applications will begin December 8, 2025 and will continue until the position is filled. For more information about the positions and to apply, view the postings here:

• Assistant Professor

• Full-time Lecturer

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Subscribing Member Spotlight

Keller

As the world-leading geotechnical specialty contractor, Keller develops innovative, practical, and cost-effective solutions to geotechnical challenges across the entire construction industry, building the foundations for a sustainable future. With 9,500 employees and operations across five continents, Keller tackles some of the largest and most demanding projects around the world.

Kinemetrics

Since 1969, Kinemetrics and its subsidiaries continue to lead the global market in designing technologies, products, and solutions for monitoring earthquakes and their effects on people and structures. Today, Kinemetrics continues to lead the seismic industry’s vision of earthquake resilience by delivering results that reinforce saving lives and operational continuity initiatives. A Gold Level EERI Subscribing Member, Kinemetrics is also a sponsor of the 2025 Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition.

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News of the Profession

Links to Recent News and Views

• Why Bangladesh can no longer ignore its earthquake risk (The Daily Star op-ed by EERI member Shahria Alam)

• It’s nearly December. We live in earthquake country. Be prepared. (Times-Standard Editorial Board, quoting EERI member Lori Dengler)

• Earthquake jolts Bangladesh, killing five and injuring around 100 (Reuters)

• 6.0 earthquake shakes Southcentral Alaska (Anchorage Daily News)

• Homeowners urged to undergo quake evaluation (Taipei Times)

• Israel still woefully unprepared for major earthquake, lawmakers warn (Times of Israel)

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