Domniki Asimaki

Domniki Asimaki is a Professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), part of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science. Her research focuses on geotechnical engineering, computational mechanics, and structural dynamics, with an emphasis on understanding ground motion effects on natural and engineered systems such as dams, tunnels, and urban infrastructure. She holds a Dipl. from the National Technical University of Athens (1998), an M.S. (2000) and Ph.D. (2004) from MIT, joining Caltech in 2014.

Key research interests include soil dynamics, wave propagation, regional ground deformation, and soil-foundation-structure interaction. She has pioneered data-driven approaches to integrate numerical simulations with field observations for resilient infrastructure design. Notable achievements include developing the open-source Seismo-VLAB software for seismic analysis and receiving prestigious awards like the Bodossaki Award of Scientific Excellence and the Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Award.

Her work addresses seismic hazards at urban and regional scales, with recent studies on the 2023 Türkiye earthquake, the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake, and Kathmandu Basin dynamics. She leads initiatives to enhance ground motion prediction, landslide hazard assessment, and infrastructure resilience through advanced modeling and AI-driven methods.

• Education:
  • Dipl., National Technical University of Athens, 1998
  • M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000
  • Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004
• Awards:
  • Bodossaki Award of Scientific Excellence
  • Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Award
• Labs/Teams: Leads research groups focusing on seismic hazard modeling, open-source software development, and geotechnical data assimilation techniques.