EERI is pleased to announce that Kristin J. Ulmer (M.EERI 2014) is a 2024 recipient of the Younger Member Award, in recognition of her impactful contributions to fundamental and applied research in soil liquefaction and her commitment to the earthquake engineering profession. The EERI Younger Member Award is awarded to recognize early-career members of the Institute who have made outstanding contributions to the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the pursuit of its objectives in the early stages of their career—especially contributions that have improved opportunities for and increased the impact of younger members within the Institute.
Ulmer is a Senior Research Engineer in the Geosciences and Engineering Department at the Southwest Research Institute. Her work aims to reduce geotechnical hazards from earthquakes and seismic-induced soil liquefaction, most recently focusing on developing improved liquefaction triggering and manifestation models and accounting for uncertainties in site response analyses. She also serves as a member of a multi-disciplinary team conducting safety and environmental regulatory reviews of existing and proposed nuclear fuel cycle facilities. She is passionate about advancing liquefaction research through collaborative projects such as the global Next Generation Liquefaction (NGL) project. She holds a Ph.D in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and M.S. and B.S degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Brigham Young University.
Ulmer has served as secretary in the Younger Member Committee of EERI and participated in various supporting roles in EERI student chapters. Through the Younger Members Committee, she has developed connections with other early career researchers and helped form a community where individuals can feel a sense of belonging. She also served on the EERI Student Awards Committee and as a volunteer coordinator at the 12th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering in Salt Lake City.
