Shivalinga Baddipalli

Ph.D. Candidate

Shiva’s research centers on seismic resilience, specifically advancing computational tools for functional recovery assessment in multi-hazard settings with an emphasis on cascading effects. He pursued his master’s in Structural Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, India. He subsequently worked as a project associate at IIT Mandi. [Personal Website]

Parham Bakhtiari

Ph.D. Student

Parham’s research leverages computer vision and advanced data analysis to develop digital twins of bridges. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamedan, Iran, and a master’s degree in earthquake engineering from the University of Tehran in Iran. He brings over four years of industry experience as a structural engineer.

Negin Fayaz

Ph.D. Student (Co-advised by Dr. Matt Hebon, USU)

Negin is interested in steel structures, natural hazards, and computational modeling. She earned her BSc and MSc in Civil-Structural Engineering from the University of Guilan in Rasht, Iran.

Ali Montazeri Namin

Ph.D. Student

Ali is passionate about data science and its application in civil engineering. Prior to his Ph.D, Ali worked as a civil engineer with 8 years of construction experience. Ali received his BS from Iran University of Science and Technology and his MS from USU. In his free time, he enjoys playing water polo and working out in the gym.

Max Masek

MS student (Co-advised with Dr.Matt Hebdon, USU)

Annalee Thompson

Annalee is a student at USU pursuing a BS in Civil Engineering with a focus in Structural Engineering. She grew up in Richfield, Utah, and her passion for engineering began young, building backyard projects with her dad. She enjoys taking on challenges and is involved in the university’s Tau Beta Pi and EERI chapters. In her free time, she likes to run, paint with watercolors, and read. 

Kade LeFevre

Kade is pursuing a BS in Civil Engineering at USU with a focus in structures. He grew up in Springville, Utah. As a kid, he was always building with his hands and loved getting dirty, which sparked his engineering mindset. Kade enjoys participating in extracurricular clubs such as ASCE, SEAU, and EERI. Outside of school and work, Kade loves being in the mountains and spending time with his wife.

Nicholas Leavitt

Nicholas is an undergraduate civil engineering student at USU. Growing up in Las Vegas, he has always been interested in engineering, influenced by his father, a civil engineer for the City of Las Vegas. He plans to earn his bachelor’s degree in structural engineering from USU to help make the world more sustainable. In his free time, Nick loves building Lego sets, going to the gym, and playing music.

Anderson Pucuhuaranga Roman

Anderson is an undergraduate student in Civil Engineering at USU. He is interested in structural engineering, seismic resilience, and the development of infrastructure systems that improve long-term community safety and sustainability. Originally from Peru, Anderson brings a strong cultural perspective and a commitment to community engagement to his academic work. He serves as an officer for the Spanish Club and is an active member of WE Engineers and the E-Council, contributing to engineering outreach and student engagement

Nacho

PI’s left-hand

Thrives on chaos. Expertise in squirrel hunting. Does not keep his GitHub in order. 12/10 a good boi.

YaYA

PI’s right-hand

The friendly one. Expertise in getting attention and belly rubs. Very bad at respecting personal boundaries. Definitely a team player. No scale available to measure his good boi-ness.

Brig Adams

MS, Completed in Summer 2026

Current role: Engineer at UDOT

Thesis: “Evaluating Data Management Practices and Ontology
Development for Transportation Safety Assets” [Link]

Ali Montazeri Namin

MS, Completed in Summer 2026

Current role: PhD student at USU

Thesis: “Deep learning-based approaches for automated quality assessment of ground motions“

Shailaja Ratna Pandey

MS, Completed in Spring 2026

Current role: Structural Engineer, Carollo Engineers

Thesis: “A multi-label computer vision-based approach for condition
assessment of traffic signs: database compilation, model training,
and evaluation” [Thesis]

Baruja Javeed

MS, Completed in Spring 2026

Thesis: “Fragility Assessment of Unbraced Steel Pallet Rack System” [Thesis]

Co-advised by Dr. Giammaria Gabbianelli (Primary adviser, University of Pavia, Italy) and Dr. Emanuele Brunesi (EUCENTRE, Pavia, Italy)

Olivia Murphy

MS, Completed in Fall 2025

Current role: Structural Engineer, Calder Richards

Thesis: “Developing fragility curves for steel special moment-resisting frames in Utah”

Logan Ward

MS, Completed in Spring 2025

Current role: Structural Designer, ARW Engineers

Thesis: “A numerical Investigation of erection bridging in double-pitched joists” [Thesis]

Ashesh Pokhrel

Ph.D., Completed in Spring 2025

Current role: Bridge structural engineer, Gannett Fleming TranSystems

Dissertation: ” A computational study on impact performance of concrete barriers for protecting transportation assets” [Dissertation]

Henry Barth

Undergraduate researcher (Co-supervised with Dr. Srishti Banerji)

Project: Data-driven evaluation of the compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete

Current role: Project Engineer, AQUA Engineering