CSEE alumnus named department chair at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

by Sarah D'Iorio

University at Buffalo (UB) alumnus Diego Lopez-Garcia, PhD, Associate Professor, has been named Chairman of the Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

Lopez-Garcia earned his MS (1999) and PhD (2004) degrees in civil engineering with a concentration in structural and earthquake engineering, during which time he was advised by SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus T.T. Soong and participated in MCEER research.

Presently, he specializes in seismic fragility of structural and non-structural, optimization of energy dissipation devices for passive control structures, and random response of structural systems subjected to seismic excitations. His research interests include seismic engineering, structural dynamics, control structures, and random vibrations.

Founded in 1888, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile is one of the country's oldest universities and one of the most recognized educational institutions in Latin America.