George Deodatis

George Deodatis is the Santiago and Robertina Calatrava Family Professor of Civil Engineering and Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University. He holds a joint appointment with The Earth Institute. His research focuses on probabilistic methods, uncertainty quantification, and multi-hazard risk assessment for civil infrastructure systems, including climate change adaptation strategies. He has served as Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from 2013 to 2019.

Education: B.Sc. (5-year Diploma) in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (1982), M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Columbia University (1984 and 1987). Professional roles include Assistant/Associate Professorships at Princeton University before joining Columbia in 2002. Leadership roles included President of the International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability (2009-2013) and President of the ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute (2017-2019).

Research interests emphasize stochastic process simulation for earthquake, wind, and ocean engineering applications, structural reliability, and climate resilience. Key achievements include pioneering work on stochastic field simulation and risk assessment methodologies.

Awards include the ASCE Alfred M. Freudenthal Medal (2024), Distinguished Member of ASCE (2023), and multiple teaching awards from Columbia and Princeton. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in infrastructure resilience.

Grants and collaborations involve NSF funding and interdisciplinary projects on climate adaptation. Active in professional societies including ASCE and IASSAR. Research teams focus on stochastic modeling, risk mitigation, and environmental engineering challenges.