George Deodatis
SANTIAGO AND ROBERTINA CALATRAVA FAMILY PROFESSOR OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND PROFESSOR OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
610 S.W. Mudd
Mail Code 4709
George Deodatis uses probabilistic methods and uncertainty quantification for the study of civil infrastructure systems subjected to natural and technological hazards. He conducts research to determine the safety and reliability of structures and to perform risk assessment and risk management of structural systems.
Research Interests
Probabilistic mechanics, risk and reliability, uncertainty quantification, hazards analysisHe also studies the effects of climate change and extreme weather on the civil infrastructure with the goal of establishing adaptation and mitigation strategies. Much of his research is based on introducing novel techniques for simulation of stochastic processes and fields to model uncertain earthquake, wind, and wave loads, as well as material and soil properties, for applications in earthquake engineering, offshore engineering, wind engineering, environmental engineering, materials science, atmospheric science, oceanography, finance, and other fields.
Deodatis received a five-year Diploma in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, in 1982. He holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Columbia University, received in 1984 and 1987, respectively. He started his academic career at Princeton University where he served as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor (with tenure). He moved to Columbia University in 2002 where he served as Associate Professor and Professor, before becoming the Santiago and Robertina Calatrava Family Professor in 2007. He served as the Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from 2013 to 2019. Since 2022, he also holds a joint appointment as Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering. In 2009, he was elected President of the International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability for a 4-year term. In 2017, he was elected President of the Engineering Mechanics Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for a 2-year term. His many honors and awards include the ASCE Alfred M. Freudenthal Medal in 2024, election as Distinguished Member of ASCE in 2023, election as Fellow of the Engineering Mechanics Institute of ASCE in 2014, the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates in 2011, Columbia University’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2009, the ASCE Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize in 1998, the International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability Junior Research Prize in 1997, Princeton University’s Presidential Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1995, and the National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award in 1992.
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
- Research associate, Princeton University, 1988–1991
- Postdoctoral research scientist, Columbia University, 1987–1988
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Chair of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University, 2013–2019
- Santiago and Robertina Calatrava Family Professor, Columbia University, 2007–
- Professor, Columbia University, 2002–2007
- Associate professor, Columbia University, 2002
- Director, program in mechanics, materials & structures, Princeton University, 1997–1999
- Associate professor (with tenure), Princeton University, 1997–2001
- Assistant professor, Princeton University, 1991-1997
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability
HONORS & AWARDS
- Engineering Mechanics Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Fellow, 2014.
- Society of Columbia Graduates Great Teacher Award, 2011.
- Columbia University’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, 2009.
- Columbia University’s Engineering School Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, 2003.
- Princeton University's E-Council Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2001.
- American Society of Civil Engineers Walter Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize, 1998.
- Educator of the Year, American Society of Civil Engineers, New Jersey Section, 1999.
- International Association for Structural Safety & Reliability Junior Research Prize, 1997.
- Princeton University's President's Award for Distinguished Teaching, 1995.
- National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award, 1992.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- Shinozuka, M. and Deodatis, G. (1991). “Simulation of Stochastic Processes by Spectral Representation,” Applied Mechanics Reviews, ASME, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 191-204.
- Deodatis, G. (1996). “Non-Stationary Stochastic Vector Processes: Seismic Ground Motion Applications,” Probabilistic Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 149-167.
- Deodatis, G. (1996). “Simulation of Ergodic Multi-Variate Stochastic Processes,” Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, Vol. 122, No. 8, pp. 778-787.
- Popescu, R., Prevost, J.H. and Deodatis, G. (1997). “Effects of Spatial Variability on Soil Liquefaction: Some Design Recommendations,” Geotechnique, Vol. XLVII, No. 5, pp. 1019-1036.
- Graham, L. and Deodatis, G. (2001). “Response and Eigenvalue Analysis of Stochastic Finite Element Systems with Multiple Correlated Material and Geometric Properties,” Probabilistic Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 11-29.
- Arwade, S. and Deodatis, G. (2011). “Variability Response Functions for Effective Material Properties,” Probabilistic Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 174-181.
- Shields, M.D., Deodatis, G. and Bocchini, P. (2011). “A Simple and Efficient Methodology to Approximate a General Non-Gaussian Stationary Stochastic Process by a Translation Process,” Probabilistic Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 511-519.
- Jacob, K., Deodatis, G., Atlas, J., Whitcomb, M., Lopeman, M., Markogiannaki, O., Kennett, Z., Morla, A., Leichenko, R. and Vancura, P. (2011). “Responding to Climate Change in New York State: The ClimAID Integrated Assessment for Effective Climate Change Adaptation in New York State: Transportation,” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 1244, No. 1, pp. 299-362.
- Teferra, K. and Deodatis, G. (2012). “Variability Response Functions for Beams with Nonlinear Constitutive Laws,” Probabilistic Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 29, pp. 139-148.
- Miranda, M. and Deodatis, G. (2012). “Generalized Variability Response Functions for Beam Structures with Stochastic Parameters,” Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, Vol. 138, No. 9, pp. 1165-1185.
- Lopeman, M., Deodatis, G., and Franco, G. (2015). “Extreme Storm Surge Hazard Estimation in Lower Manhattan: Clustered Separated Peaks-Over-Threshold Simulation (CSPS) Method,” Natural Hazards, Vol. 78, pp. 355-391.