Mohamad Hallal

Mohamad Hallal is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on data-driven methods, geotechnical earthquake engineering, and noninvasive subsurface imaging. He holds a PhD and MS in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical) and an MS in Statistics from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BE in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the American University of Beirut.

Research Interests: Hallal’s work integrates geostatistics and computational tools to address natural hazards, particularly seismic site response. Key areas include developing pseudo-3D subsurface models using H/V spectral ratios and advancing 2D/3D ground response analyses. His recent projects investigate spatial variability’s influence on site response at Treasure Island and Delaney Park arrays.

Awards:Recipient of the 2023 Bright Spark Lecture Award, 2022 Roy E. Olson Award, and multiple fellowships including the Harold Dalrymple Endowed Presidential Scholarship. His research has been recognized with honors from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and Seismological Society of America.

Hallal’s teaching emphasizes equipping engineers with data science skills to tackle societal challenges. He has advised on geotechnical projects and collaborates with industry (e.g., Keller) and academic partners (Caltech, Utah State University). His lab focuses on bridging engineering and statistics to design resilient infrastructure against natural hazards.