UCLA has earthquake experts from the science and policy aspects to how people deal with the psychological trauma of disasters. Click an expert’s name for a more detailed biography and contact information.

 

Science and engineering


Jonathan Stewart

Stewart, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, has extensive experience documenting the effects of major quakes in California, Turkey, Taiwan, Japan, Italy, India and Greece. He led an earthquake simulation that tested the strength of California’s levees.

Scott Brandenberg

Brandenberg, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, has helped develop guidelines for the California Department of Transportation to evaluate existing bridges for retrofit and to design new bridges in liquefied and laterally spreading ground. He has also led an earthquake simulation that tested the strength of California’s levees.

Paul Davis

Davis, a professor of Earth and space sciences, is a geophysicist who has conducted seismic array studies of rifts and subduction zones and researched earthquakes and the forces around seismic events in Southern California, particularly following the Northridge earthquake. Davis was part of the Los Angeles Regional Seismic Experiment (known as L.A.R.S.E.), which produced 3-D images of the active geologic structures in the Los Angeles region.

Ertugrul Taciroglu

Taciroglu, professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering, is an authority on earthquake engineering and structural mechanics. He led an effort to test, monitor and conserve the seismic integrity of Los Angeles’ historic Watts Towers.

Lingsen Meng

Meng, associate professor of geophysics, is an expert on earthquakes and tsunami. Meng, who holds the Leon and Joanne V.C. Knopoff Chair in Physics and Geophysics, focuses his on earthquake physics, such as the long-term tectonic process like plate motions and crustal deformation. He has worked to devel advanced source imaging techniques. He has also worked on mitigating seismic and tsunami hazard through earthquake early warning systems.

Jian Zhang

Zhang is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering who specializes in earthquake engineering and structural dynamics and mechanics.

Seulgi Moon

Moon, an assistant professor of Earth, planetary and space sciences, is an expert on geology and tectonics. Moon’s research could give builders and urban planners more detailed information about how susceptible areas are to landslides and earthquakes.

John Wallace

Wallace is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and an expert on earthquake engineering whose research focuses on the performance and behavior of reinforced concrete structures.

 

Psychological effects of earthquakes


Emanuel Maidenberg

Maidenbeg is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences and an expert on the stress and anxiety caused by natural disasters.

Melissa Brymer

Brymer is the director of terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress and an expert on the ways in which children deal with stress following disasters.

Vickie Mays

Mays, professor of psychology and a clinical psychologist with expertise on the impact of disasters. Since 2006, Mays has researched disaster preparedness and recovery, in New Orleans.

 

To find more faculty members with expertise, search the Media Guide to UCLA Experts.