Professor of Civil Engineering, Columbia University
Member of the Board

Professor George Deodatis received his Diploma in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in Greece in 1982. He holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Columbia University (received in 1984 and 1987 respectively). He started his academic career at Princeton University where he served as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor (with tenure). He moved to Columbia University in 2002 where he served as Associate Professor and Professor. He currently holds the Santiago and Robertina Calatrava Family Endowed Chair at the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University. He served as Department Chair from 2013 to 2019 (two terms). His research interests are in the area of probabilistic methods in civil engineering and engineering mechanics, with emphasis on risk analysis and risk management of the civil infrastructure subjected to natural and man-made hazards (including earthquakes, floods, and climate change). He has received the National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award, the International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability Junior Research Prize, and the American Society of Civil Engineers Walter Huber Research Prize. He is a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE’s highest honor) and a Fellow of the Engineering Mechanics Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 2009, he was elected President of the International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability for a four-year term. In 2017, he was elected President of the Engineering Mechanics Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers for a two-year term. While on the faculty at Princeton University, he was awarded the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, Princeton’s highest teaching honor. At Columbia University, he has received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching and the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates, Columbia’s highest teaching honors.