research overview
- Dr. Dashti's research encompasses three themes: (1) performance-based evaluation and mitigation of ground failure under compound climatic and non-climatic (e.g., earthquake) stressors; (2) seismic performance of shallow underground structures; and (3) intersection of resilience, environmental sustainability, and justice. Each theme requires the development of state-of-the-art experimental and simulation models and probabilistic assessment techniques to quantify the risk of damage and propose reliable remediation strategies. It also requires transdisciplinary and trans-epistemic approaches to research that not only prioritize mechanistic engineering performance but also consider environmental impact and prioritize communities that are often most heavily impacted and overburdened by climatic and non-climatic hazards. Dr. Dashti's team distinguishes itself by its emphasis on fundamental research that has important practical implications for practicing engineers and policy makers globally. In her recent work and the interdisciplinary research theme (IRT) that she leads in the college of engineering (titled RISE), she also aims to highlight existing strengths within the college and campus and enable team formation and research opportunities that focus on complex problems facing our infrastructure and communities in a changing climate.
