EERI is delighted to announce that Dr. Anne Kiremidjian (M.EERI 1976) has been awarded the 2026 George W. Housner Medal in recognition of a career that has transformed earthquake engineering. The Housner Medal is awarded to recognize members of the Institute and others who have made extraordinary and lasting contributions to public earthquake safety through the development and application of earthquake hazard reduction practices and policies.
Anne Kiremidjian is the C. L. Peck, Class of 1906 Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, where she teaches and conducts research on earthquake hazard, risk, and resilience modeling, and structural health monitoring. One of the first women to earn a PhD in structural engineering from Stanford, she advanced from young faculty member to leader of the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center, where she catalyzed interdisciplinary research linking risk science, sensing, and practice. A longtime member of EERI, she was also awarded Honorary Membership of the Institute in 2020.
Professor Kiremidjian pioneered probabilistic, time-dependent models of seismic hazard and risk, enabling more accurate assessments of expected damage, downtime, and societal loss. She developed regional loss and resilience methodologies for buildings and lifelines, integrating GIS, building inventories, and fragility functions to inform planning and policy. A trailblazer in structural health monitoring, she helped introduce wireless sensing and data-driven damage diagnosis, bringing real-time information to decision makers. Her scholarship shaped hazard assessment, performance-based design, emergency preparedness, and risk governance worldwide, and translated to practice through entrepreneurial ventures and extensive service on national and international committees.
Her other honors include the Extraordinary Achievement Award in Loss Estimation from Applied Technology Council, the C. Martin Duke Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the John Fritz Medal from the American Association of Engineering Societies, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Structural Health Monitoring, the Thomas Egleston Medal from Columbia University School of Engineering, and the Eugene L. Grant Teaching Award from Stanford University. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Distinguished Member of ASCE, and an Honorary Member of IAEA.
Throughout her career, Professor Kiremidjian has paved the way for next generation of earthquake engineers, expanding opportunity through example, mentorship, and advocacy, especially for women.A dedicated educator and mentor, she has trained generations of engineers whose work now guides standards, codes, and infrastructure investment.
