Ellen RathjeView profile
Professor
Ellen Rathje is a Professor and Janet S. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering within the Cockrell School of Engineering. Her expertise spans geotechnical engineering with a focus on earthquake engineering, seismic response of earth structures, and liquefaction evaluation. She leads research initiatives such as DesignSafe cyberinfrastructure and TexNet Seismological Network, advancing geohazard risk assessment and computational modeling. Education: Ph.D. (1997), M.S. (1994), and B.S. (1993) in Civil Engineering from University of California, Berkeley and Cornell University. Research Interests: Dr. Rathje investigates earthquake-induced ground failures, including lateral spreading, liquefaction, and slope instabilities. Her work integrates machine learning, finite element analysis, and geospatial data to enhance predictive models for infrastructure resilience. Recent projects address induced seismicity in energy-producing regions, site amplification in Central and Eastern North America, and tailings dam failure mechanisms. Awards: Recipient of the 2022 Ralph B. Peck Award, 2018 William B. Joyner Lecture Award, and 2016 ASCE Fellow distinction. Her work has advanced open science through DesignSafe's cyberinfrastructure, supporting natural hazards research collaboration. Technical Contributions: Developed hybrid finite-element/material point methods for granular collapse modeling, probabilistic frameworks for regional landslide assessments, and neural network-based site amplification models. Active in post-earthquake reconnaissance through GEER (Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance) and TexNet operations.










