The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Alfred E. Alquist Special Recognition Medal for 2023 has been awarded to James O. Malley (M. EERI 1990), in recognition of his long and distinguished career as a structural engineer connecting research and practice on the seismic design and retrofitting of steel building structures. The Alquist Medal is presented to an individual, company, or organization that has made substantial contributions to the field of seismic safety and earthquake risk reduction, having directly affected the seismic safety of the general population.
James O. Malley, S.E., is a Senior Principal and COO with Degenkolb Engineers. He received both his B.S. and M.Eng. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. Malley has 40 years of experience in the seismic design, evaluation, and rehabilitation of building structures, and is involved in the peer review of numerous innovative tall building projects. He has devoted himself to connecting research and practice on seismic design of steel building structures. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, he served as Project Director for Topical Investigations in the FEMA-funded SAC Joint Venture to upgrade the seismic design and construction of steel frame structures. In this role, he executed a careful research plan that ultimately led to a series of guidelines and recommendations, which now form the basis of seismic design of steel structures.
A long-standing member of EERI, Malley served on the EERI Board of Directors from 2014–2016 and was co-chair of Organizing Committee for the 11th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering in Los Angeles in 2018. He was chair of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Seismic Design Committee for two decades and is currently chair of the AISC Specifications Committee. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors and as President of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, the Structural Engineers Association of California, the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations, and the Applied Technology Council.
Malley was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2021 for his contributions to the advancement of seismic design. He has received numerous other honors and awards, including the American Society of Civil Engineers Raymond C. Reese Research Award, the AISC Special Achievement Award, and the AISC T. R. Higgins Lectureship Prize. He will be presented with the Alquist Medal at the 2023 EERI Annual Meeting in California next spring.
