The third Shah Family Innovation Prize was awarded to Dr. Stephanie E. Chang, a research assistant professor at the University of Washington, and formerly an engineering economist with ABS Consulting.

Chang’s career reflects the innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit honored by the prize. Not only does she work in both the academic and professional worlds, and the U.S. and international contexts, but she also spans the engineering and social science communities. Her unique combination of skills and background has allowed her to play an important role in two recent paradigm shifts, understanding the need to quantify indirect losses from earthquakes, and recognizing that addressing complex socioeconomic issues requires a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach.

Endowed by a generous gift from the Haresh Shah family, the $10,000 Shah Family Innovation Prize is awarded annually to younger professionals and academics for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in the field of earthquake risk mitigation and management. The prize recognizes and honors individuals who have been involved in the development of cutting-edge, innovative solutions to problems in earthquake engineering and related disciplines. Recipients should be in the developing or expanding stage of his or her career, with the promise of important contributions ahead. Past prize recipients are Bret Lizundia, Structural Engineer, Rutherford and Chekene, San Francisco, California; Nicos Makris, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley; Durgesh Rai, Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India.

The Shah Family Innovation Prize Selection Committee selected Dr. Chang from a large field of very strong candidates. The committee was chaired by Robert D. Hanson, University of Michigan/FEMA.  Committee members included William T. Holmes, Rutherford and Chekene; Wilfred D. Iwan, California Institute of Technology; Peter J. May, University of Washington; and Pratap Shirke, Pan-Gulf Group, Ltd. Follow this link for a description of the nomination process and selection criteria.