Dean Maragakis' research

Dr. Maragakis' research emphasis is in earthquake engineering. He has received several sizable competitive grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other federal, state and private funding organizations.

In June 2007, he was awarded a $3.6M NSF Grand Challenge project on the study of the seismic response of nonstructural systems. As the leader of this project, he is coordinating the efforts of researchers and practitioners from 23 institutions around the country and the world.

He has authored or co-authored over 185 publications in journals, proceedings and technical reports. He was the founding chair of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) National Committee on the Seismic Design of Bridges (2000-2006). He has organized several international meetings and has delivered numerous invited presentations.

Dr. Maragakis has taught a wide variety of fundamental undergraduate and advanced graduate courses related to structural and earthquake engineering as well computer applications and numerical analysis.

Research interests

  • Earthquake response of highway bridges and buildings with emphasis on short-span skew bridges
  • Field testing of bridges
  • Soil-structure interaction effects on bridges and structures
  • Computer modeling of concrete structures
  • Structural analysis
  • Fatigue analysis of railway bridges
  • Seismic response and design of railway bridges
  • Seismic response of buried and above ground pipelines and shake table testing
  • Seismic response of nonstructural systems and components
  • Interaction between structural and nonstructural elements