Welcome

Latest CV-2023

Welcome to our group’s website at Rice University. We welcome you to explore our website for current activities and news. Our group focuses on research in the broad area of structural dynamic systems, earthquake engineering, seismic isolation, advanced seismic protection, adaptive stiffness structure system, negative stiffness, structural control & monitoring, sparse structural system identification with machine learning and computer vision, and strain sensing using nano-materials. Our goal is innovation and creative research. Our work includes theoretical, analytical and experimental studies. We focus mainly on mathematical modeling and development of advanced algorithms for system identification, monitoring and control for seismic and vibration protection. We believe in experimental verification of cutting edge ideas that we develop (although this is only small percentage of our overall effort).  We collaborate with researchers within Rice and other universities worldwide. We welcome collaboration. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

I hold a joint appointment between the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and the Mechanical Engineering Department and Material Science and Nano-Engineering at Rice University. I am a tenured full professor. I obtained my Ph.D. from State University of New York at Buffalo, where I was a post-doctoral researcher before I started my academic career. My research is funded by the NSF, NASA, Department of Energy, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Office of Naval Research, other State, Federal, Private Agencies and Industries. National Science Foundation has awarded me the prestigious faculty early CAREER award for innovative research in Adaptive Stiffness Structures in 1998-99, ASCE awarded Moissieff Award in 2015 for adaptive stiffness structure system, the 2017 Raymond Reese Research Award for sparse structural system identification, the 2020 ASCE Nathan M. Newmark Medal jointly awarded by ASCE structural engineering institute-SEI and engineering mechanics institute-EMI for outstanding contributions to Structural engineering and engineering mechanics. I was elected as fellow of U.S. National Academy of Inventors in 2019 and elected as Distinguished Member of ASCE in 2021.

Our group has developed advanced modeling and numerical techniques for nonlinear dynamic analysis of base isolated structures and other nonlinear dynamic problems. Such development lead to the computer program 3D-BASIS has been used for analysis and design of numerous base isolated structures within the United States and in many countries around the world. Landmark structures where 3D-BASIS was used are the New San Francisco International Airport and the San Francisco General Services Building, both of which are supported on friction pendulum bearings.

Our group’s research thrust in earthquake protection, seismic isolation, and advanced seismic protection, and structural control has focused on adaptive passive stiffness structures and systems, particularly negative stiffness systems, variable stiffness and damping structural systems. Our group has performed widely cited research on adaptive (negative) stiffness structural systems and smart tuned mass dampers. Our group has developed widely cited benchmark problems on smart base isolated structures.

We have invented and developed truly adaptive passive stiffness structure systems—particularly negative stiffness systems in an NSF funded multi-university study and developed numerous smart tuned mass dampers. Recently ASCE awarded the Moissieff award in 2015 for our team’s research on negative stiffness structural systems.

We have lead the development of sparse structural system identification algorithms based on time-frequency, sparse regularization, statistical learning and low rank methods, machine learning and computer vision. Our group’s research thrust in sparse structural system identification centered on the development of new low rank, sparse, compressive sensing, and time-frequency algorithms, based on statistical learning, advanced signal processing techniques and computer vision techniques.  Recently our team of research collaborators were awarded the 2017 Raymond C. Reese Research Prize for sparse structural identification.  In an Institute/center funded by NASA (Texas Institute of Intelligent Bio-Nano Materials and Structures for Aerospace Vehicles—co-principal investigator) our group developed advanced real time fault detection and system identification algorithms for structural, actuator and sensor failure.

Our group is the earliest to invent and develop strain sensing using nanomaterials–both contact and noncontact laser based–in an institute/center funded by NASA (Texas Institute of Intelligent Bio-Nano Materials and Structures for Aerospace Vehicles—co-principal investigator). Our team also conducted widely cited research on nanocomposite based strain sensing in the AFOSR funded study. We have developed and demonstrated laser based non-contact strain sensing with funding from Office of Naval Research.

My editorial activities includes service as the Editor of the structural control and health monitoring journal [Wiley International Journal 2008-2022] and Editor-in-chief [North America] of Structural Monitoring and Maintenance [Techno-press International Journal 2014-present], and formerly as the managing editor of the journal of structural engineering [ASCE International journal 2011-2018]. I am an elected 2021 Distinguished Member of ASCE, Fellow of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2017 and fellow of the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) in 2012 of ASCE. I served (2015-2019) on the board of governors of SEI of ASCE. I also served on (2015-2019) and served as the chair/vice-chair/secretary/member (2006-to-2012) of ASCE, SEI, Technical Activities Division Executive Committee—the highest technical body in Structures Division. I served as a member of the board of directors of the international association of structural control and monitoring (2008-2012).  I served as the President of the U.S. panel on structural control and monitoring (2006-2008). I was the founding chair of structural health monitoring committee (2004-2006) of ASCE-Engineering Mechanics Institute, and chair of the structural control committee (1998-2002) of ASCE Structural Engineering Institute.

Visit the following websites for citation/h-index details:

(1) Web of Science www.researcherid.com/rid/E-6291-2012,

(2) ORCiD orcid.org/0000-0003-0088-1656;

(3) scholar.google.com/citationsuser=l_jZ3NgAAAAJ&hl=en.

For further personal details please visit satishnagarajaiah.com