Joseph R. Maffei

Joseph R. Maffei, S.E., Ph.D. of Rutherford & Chekene, has been selected as the 2003 NEHRP Professional Fellow in Earthquake Hazard Reduction, awarded by EERI under a cooperative program funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This activity is undertaken by FEMA as part of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. The fellowship is designed to provide an opportunity for a practicing professional to gain greater skills and broader expertise in earthquake risk reduction. The Institute extends thanks to the review committee composed of Professor James O. Jirsa, of the University of Texas, Austin, Ronald O. Hamburger, Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger in San Francisco, and Robert Olson of Robert Olson Associates, Inc. in Folsom, California.

Maffei's research will focus on facilitating the transfer of knowledge between researchers and practicing structural engineers on issues relating to seismic hazard, ground motion, and probabilistic analyses. This research will help the structural engineering community keep pace with recent advances and their implementation into the practical design of structures to survive earthquakes and improve the effectiveness of current research by sharing the perspectives of practicing engineers on the needs for and professional acceptability of new methods for incorporating ground motion and performance criteria in seismic design. He will carry out his research under the direction of Professor C. Allin Cornell at Stanford University.

Maffei has been a senior technical consultant at Rutherford and Chekene Consulting Engineers in Oakland, California since 1995. He has written numerous technical reports and papers, in which he explored ways to improve the design and performance evaluation of concrete structures and masonry wall buildings, and reviewed the seismic performance of bridge retrofit technology.

Maffei earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cooper Union, his M.S. from the University of Texas, Austin, and his Ph.D. from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. He was awarded a Fullbright Scholarship to the University of Canterbury, and has received recognition from the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, among others. He has served in leadership capacities in several professional engineering associations, including the Structural Engineers Association of California, the American Concrete Institute, the Building Seismic Safety Council, the Federation Internationale du Beton, and the New Zealand National Society for Earthquake Engineering.

The Professional Fellowship, awarded annually, provides a stipend of $30,000, commencing in January 2003, and includes tuition, fees, relocation and living expenses for a 12-month period.

The objective of EERI is to reduce earthquake risk by advancing the science and practice of earthquake engineering, by improving understanding of the impact of earthquakes on the physical, social, economic, political and cultural environment, and by advocating comprehensive and realistic measures for reducing the harmful effects of earthquakes.

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
499 14th Street, Suite 320
Oakland, California 94612-1934
tel: (510) 451-0905 • fax: (510) 451-5411