Keri Ryan

Keri Ryan is the E.W. McKenzie Foundation Endowed Professor and Chair in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. She leads pioneering research in seismic resilience, focusing on earthquake-resistant design of structures including mass timber buildings, seismic isolation systems, and nonstructural component performance. Her work advances high-performance, low-damage structural engineering techniques through experimental validation at full-scale.

Research spans:

• Seismic isolation systems for buildings and bridges
• 3D dynamic response of structures to ground shaking
• Damage-tolerant lateral systems using innovative materials
• Performance of nonstructural components during earthquakes
• Soil-structure interaction effects
• Resilient tall timber construction

Publications emphasize experimental validation through large-scale shake table testing, particularly of the groundbreaking 10-story NHERI TallWood mass timber building. Recent work explores seismic performance of stair systems, exterior walls, and partition details under realistic earthquake simulations.

Awards include the prestigious E.W. McKenzie Foundation Endowed Professorship. Dr. Ryan directs significant research initiatives like the NSF-funded NHERI TallWood Project and a GAANN grant supporting PhD fellowships in structural infrastructure resilience.

She actively advises graduate students, noting that working with them 'on the brink of discovery' is a career highlight. Her laboratory work includes full-scale structural testing at facilities like NHERI@UCSD.