Constantinou appointed SUNY Distinguished Professor

Michael Constantinou, a faculty member in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, has been appointed SUNY Distinguished Professor, the highest faculty rank in the SUNY system, at a SUNY Board of Trustees’ meeting in November 2014.

One of the world’s leading scholars in the area of seismic protective systems, Constantinou has had a profound impact on earthquake engineering in the U.S. and around the globe. His research has been employed to ensure the stability and safety of some of the world’s most prominent structures located in some of the most seismically active and highly populated regions of the world, from the San Francisco International Airport and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to on- and off-shore gas platforms in Greece and Russia.

Having served as director and deputy director of UB’s Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory (SEESL), Constantinou has been principal or co-principal investigator on more than $30 million in externally funded research. His four patents — one in use and three pending after filing innovation disclosures — are described by colleagues as having the capability to protect millions of people from the effects of earthquakes, storms and other extreme events.

Other honors include the 2004 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, the 2005 Charles Pankow Award for Innovation and the 2015 ASCE Moisseiff Award.

The rank of distinguished professor is an order above full professorship and has three co-equal designations: distinguished professor, distinguished service professor and distinguished teaching professor.