Whittaker appointed National Grid Chaired Professor

By Peter Murphy

Whittaker’s research and leadership have directly enhanced safety for countless communities in the United States and abroad. He was instrumental in developing the initial Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines for performance-based earthquake engineering in the 1990s, and he led the structural engineering products team that helped write the second generation of these tools in the 2000s.

Whittaker has also directly shaped many of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) guidelines and standards. These frameworks are authoritative in civil and structural engineering. Among others, Whittaker has helped write ASCE/SEI 4, ASCE/SEI 7, ASCE/SEI 41, ASCE/SEI 43 and ASCE/SEI 59, which cover standards for the seismic analysis and design of nuclear structures, buildings and structures, assessing and seismic upgrading of existing buildings, and blast protection of buildings and infrastructure.

“We are grateful for National Grid's enduring commitment to engineering research and education,” said Kemper Lewis, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “Their support helps our faculty pursue ambitious work with meaningful real-world impact. Professor Whittaker's contributions have shaped engineering standards, advanced public safety, and strengthened critical infrastructure, making him exceptionally deserving of this appointment.”

Over the past several years, Whittaker has made significant contributions to nuclear energy. In 2023, he was the inaugural recipient of the Untermyer & Cisler Reactor Technology Medal from the American Nuclear Society. He also served as chair of the ASCE Nuclear Standard Committee for over a decade and was a member of a White House working group on Nuclear Power Plant Management and Delivery in 2024.

Over the past decade, Whittaker’s work in the energy sector has been recognized with three awards, and his work with nuclear power plants was cited in his election to NAE. In addition to the Untermyer & Cisler Reactor Technology Medal, Whittaker also received the ASCE’s Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. Energy Award in 2017 for promoting the safe design and operation of nuclear power plants and Department of Energy facilities, and the ASCE Nathan M. Newmark Medal in 2023 for his fundamental contributions to earthquake, blast, impact, and performance-based engineering for buildings and mission-critical infrastructure, including advanced nuclear reactors.

“The impact of Professor Whittaker’s work is difficult to overstate,” said Amjad Aref, professor and chair in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. “He is a prolific researcher and an internationally renowned scholar who will continue to set the standard in civil engineering.”

In addition to his recognition by the NAE and the energy sector awards, Whittaker has also been recognized with multiple awards from ASCE, including the Ernest E. Howard Award (2026), Distinguished Member (2025), Walter P. Moore, Jr. Award (2017), and fellow of ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute (2016).