The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) is excited to release the thirty-third volume of Connections: The EERI Oral History Series, featuring Haresh C. Shah (M.EERI 1972), a pioneer in the early development of seismic hazard and catastrophe risk models. During his career as an educator, innovator, entrepreneur, and humanitarian, Shah has made enduring contributions to seismic safety and philanthropy throughout the world. Interviews for the volume were conducted by Thalia Anagnos (M.EERI 1982) and Roger Borcherdt (M.EERI 1973) from September 2023 through June 2024.
After earning his civil engineering degree from the University of Pune in 1959, Shah traveled to California to attend Stanford University, where he earned his PhD under Professor Jack Benjamin at a time when statistics and probability in civil engineering were in their infancy. He then joined the civil engineering faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, and returned to Stanford as an Associate Professor in 1968. At Stanford he played a pivotal role in the development of the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center and its groundbreaking research. The innovations developed by Shah and his students in the area of catastrophe risk modeling led to the founding of Risk Management Solutions (RMS) and its growth into a global corporation with hundreds of employees on four continents. His contributions to the broader earthquake engineering community include leadership roles in the California Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREE) and the World Seismic Safety Initiative.
After his retirement from Stanford in 1997, Shah applied his passions for education, public safety, and humanitarian work to transforming the Nanyang Technological University Singapore as well as establishing numerous prizes to foster innovation and foundations to support the people in need. Examples are the Emelie Foundation established by the Shah family to improve education of women in India, the RMS project to provide computers to rural schools, the establishment of a rural mountain school in Milethi, and the Asia Risk Transfer Company to assist farmers during droughts. This is an inspiring story of a man who has devoted his life improving seismic safety and people’s lives throughout the world, particularly in underdeveloped countries.
The EERI Oral History series is available free of charge in PDF format. This ongoing series publishes interviews with prominent figures in the fields associated with earthquake engineering and earthquake resilience to preserve the rich history of those who have shaped seismic design theory and practice.
The PDF version of this oral history is available through the EERI Digital Library here. Print-on-demand copies are available from Barnes and Noble for $19.95 plus shipping. Order your copy here.
EERI gratefully acknowledges production support provided by FEMA/U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
