Nicholas Sitar

Nicholas Sitar is the Edward G. Cahill and John R. Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, affiliated with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering under the College of Engineering. His career spans decades of pioneering work in geotechnical earthquake engineering and computational geomechanics.

• Education: Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical) from Stanford University (1979), M.S. in Geology (Hydrogeology) from Stanford University (1975), B.A.Sc. in Geological Engineering from the University of Windsor, Canada (1973).

Research Interests: Dr. Sitar’s research focuses on geotechnical earthquake engineering, seismic slope stability, and rock erosion, with a strong emphasis on computational methods like the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). He pioneered the application of wireless sensor networks for seismic monitoring and developed advanced DEM-LBM coupling techniques to model rock-fluid interactions, including tsunami waves triggered by rock slope failures and scour in unlined rock channels.

Publication Trends: His recent work highlights 3D numerical modeling of granular flows, rock slope kinematics, and depositional fabric analysis using X-ray tomography. He explores seismic earth pressures, levee stability under variable seepage, and dynamic rock-water interactions, often integrating stochastic methods and high-fidelity simulations.

Contact: He can be reached at sitar@berkeley.edu in his office at 449 Davis Hall, with office hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays.