Senior researcher
A research scientist is sought to support a project on life-cycle assessment and uncertainty
quantification for forward-looking building design. Functional recovery design has emerged as a new
design approach that aims to expedite building recovery and enhance community resilience to natural
disasters. To harness its benefits, it is crucial to understand the long-term implications of this design
approach. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method commonly employed to evaluate the lifelong impacts
of a building. However, the impact of post-disaster repairs is not well integrated into building LCA
practices. The lack of standardized methodologies and guidelines for incorporating seismic risk into LCA
may hinder the ability of designers, owners, and policymakers to make informed decisions about
building design. In addition, current building codes and standards are often inadequate for protecting
assets against the changing frequency and severity of natural hazards. To address this, new standards
(such as ASCE 7-28) are introducing chapters to account for projected changes in hazards like wind,
tornadoes, and floods. However, these future conditions introduce significant aleatory and epistemic
uncertainties that challenge traditional engineering design.
The research scientist will evaluate the impact of changing hazard conditions on design requirements
and analyze the uncertainty of structural designs to prevent either overly conservative or underly
cautious outcomes. This work will advance understanding of uncertainties in designing and retrofitting
buildings, ultimately supporting the adoption of forward-looking building standards in the context of
deep uncertainty. Additionally, the researcher will work to evaluate design trade-offs across the entire
building life cycle. By quantifying how enhanced design reduces future damage, repair costs, and
demolition impacts, this work will provide evidence for multi-objective performance targets in future
building standards.
Life-cycle assessment and uncertainty quantification for forward-looking building standards
- U.S. Citizen.
- A Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (focus on Structural Engineering preferred).
- Extensive experience in building life cycle analysis (LCA) and quantifying the impacts of building
construction and repair. - Strong background in economics, structural engineering, risk assessment for various hazards,
and performance-based earthquake engineering. - Demonstrated expertise in benefit-cost analysis and uncertainty quantification (UQ).
- Excellent record of research and technical writing for both academic and practitioner audiences.
- Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary, collaborative
team to meet project milestones.
- Integrate natural hazard impacts, especially seismic risks, into the LCA framework for a
comprehensive evaluation of building performance. - Perform life cycle assessments (LCA) for reinforced concrete moment frame and shear wall
buildings to demonstrate the impact of functional recovery design. - Conduct a detailed review of methodologies, assumptions, and datasets referenced in building
codes, standards, and provisions, specifically regarding hazard loads such as wind, flood, and
snow. - Quantify uncertainties related to future hazard changes in structural design requirements using
the non-stationary reliability method to calibrate load and resistance factors. - Apply performance-based assessment methodologies to conduct in-depth uncertainty analysis
for buildings with high-performance requirements, such as hospitals. - Review literature on reliability models for evaluating structural failure under hazard loads and
draft content for publication. - Document findings and collaborate with colleagues at NIST to publish research findings and
results into NIST Technical reports and high-impact journal articles.