Yong Li

Yong Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Engineering. His research integrates mechanics-based modeling, probabilistic methods, and machine learning to address structural reliability challenges in civil infrastructure.

Dr. Li's research focuses on structural dynamics, earthquake engineering, and AI-assisted structural analysis. He develops computational frameworks for probabilistic performance evaluation of bridges, buildings, pipelines, and wind turbines under seismic, landslide, and fire hazards. His work emphasizes stochastic modeling, structural health monitoring, and nonlinear system identification using field data and finite element simulations.

His publication portfolio reveals a strong trend toward machine learning integration in structural engineering since 2020, with increasing focus on neural network applications for hysteretic behavior prediction and real-time thermal analysis. The research spans civil structures (bridges, masonry, steel/concrete buildings) and energy infrastructure (pipelines, wind turbines), consistently applying probabilistic frameworks to quantify uncertainty.

Dr. Li leads the Structural Modeling and Reliability Analysis (SM&RA) Research Group and collaborates with The Masonry Centre and The Steel Centre at U of A. He teaches core structural engineering courses including CIVE 372 (Structural Analysis I) and CIVE 779 (Structural Reliability), mentoring graduate students in computational mechanics and risk analysis.