Biography

Dr. Hermann Fritz is a professor of civil engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). He is an expert on coastal hazards, such as tsunamis, hurricane storm surge and storm waves, landslides and submarine volcanic eruptions. Dr. Fritz has led or participated in more than a dozen post-disaster reconnaissance campaigns encompassing tsunami, hurricane, landslide, and earthquake events. Tsunami Surveys: 2004 Indian Ocean (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Somalia, Madagascar, Oman, Yemen, Comoros), 2006 Java, 2007 Solomon Islands and Peru, 2009 Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga, 2010 Solomon Islands, Haiti, Chile, and Mentawai Islands, 2011 Japan, 2012 El Salvador, 2013 Solomon Islands, 2014 and 2015 Chile, 2017 Greenland, 2018 Sulawesi and Krakatau. Hurricane Surveys: 2005 Hurricane Katrina, 2007 Tropical Cyclone Gonu (Oman), 2008 Tropical Cyclone Nargis (Myanmar), 2013 Typhoon Haiyan (Philippines), 2015 Tropical Cyclone Pam (Vanuatu), 2017 Hurricane Nate. Dr. Fritz's research centers on fluid dynamic aspects of natural hazards as well as their mitigation and coastal protection. Dr. Fritz obtained his Doctorate degree (Dr. sc. ETH Zurich) in 2002 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (Switzerland).

Research

Dr. Fritz has developed a strong research effort covering experimental (both field and laboratory) and computational methods in fluid dynamics, hydraulics and geophysics. His research focuses on coastal hazards such as tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, and volcanoes. Dr. Fritz’s work encompasses non-linear and breaking water waves; subaerial and submarine mass flows such as landslides, avalanches, island collapses, and submarine volcanic eruptions; floods, river engineering and morphologic processes; hydraulic and coastal structures such as seawalls, breakwaters, levees and dams along with their failure and breaching mechanisms; hydropower, wave, tidal and ocean current energy. His research is significantly enhancing the hazard prevention, mitigation and protection of coastal and mountainous areas on a truly global scale.

Education

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Dr. sc. techn. ETH)

ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) 2002

M.S. in Civil Engineering (Dipl.-Ing. ETH)

ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) 1997

Teaching

Professor Fritz’ teaching focuses on civil and environmental engineering at undergraduate and graduate levels, emphasizing dynamics, fluid mechanics, hydraulic engineering, coastal hazards, coastal structures, and experimental methods. His instruction integrates fundamental principles with practical applications to prepare students for research and professional practice. Professor Fritz is committed to fostering student engagement through hands-on learning and critical thinking in courses related to hydraulic and coastal engineering.

Distinctions & Awards

• Plinius Medal, Natural Hazards Division, European Geosciences Union (EGU), 2014
• CIOS Honor Roll
• Excellence in Research Award, CEE, Georgia Tech, 2005
• Research Excellence Award, Georgia Tech Savannah, 2005

Dr. Farzad Rahnema is a Georgia Power Company Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Director of the Computational Reactor and Medical Physics (CRMP) Laboratory at Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, he was at General Electric Nuclear Energy for 11 years. His responsibilities included GE’s 3-D Core Simulator PANACEA used for reactor core design and as the engine for the 3D MONICORE system for monitoring operating Boiling Water Reactors. He led the development of 3 versions (v.8-10) of the simulator. He has published over 240 peer reviewed technical articles.

He is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), Editor-Designate of the Nuclear Science and Engineering journal, a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Annals of Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Technology, and a member of the External Advisory Board of the Ohio State University Nuclear Engineering Program.

He was the recipient of the 2019 ANS Gerald C. Pomraning Memorial Award for outstanding contributions toward the advancement of the fields of mathematics and computation in support of advancing the understanding of these topics of interest to the American Nuclear Society (ANS) membership.

He served as the Chair of the Georgia Tech Nuclear & Radiological Engineering and Medical Physics (NRE/MP) Programs (7/2002-6/2016) and Chair of the Honors and Award Committee of the ANS Mathematics and Computation Division (MCD). He also served as the Chair of the MCD (twice) and the Reactor Physics Division (RPD). His principal research interest is in the areas of theoretical and computational radiation transport and reactor physics with an emphasis on resolving the grand challenges and current major issues in high fidelity modeling and simulation (M&S) of nuclear systems.

Research

• Nuclear and Radiological Engineering/Medical Physics; Perturbation and variational methods, theoretical and computational radiation transport and reactor physics methods and code development with applications to reactor core analysis, nuclear security and detection, and radiotherapy calculations

Distinctions

• Editor, Nuclear Science and Engineering journal
• Editorial Advisory Board member, Annals of Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Technology journals
• Guest Editor/Co-guest Editor, Annals of Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Technology, and Transport Theory and Statistical Physics journals
• American Nuclear Society
• Fellow, 2003
• Mathematics and Computation Division Chair, 2010-2011 and 1999-2000
• Reactor Physic Division Chair, 2007-2008
• Member, External Advisory Board of the Ohio State University Nuclear Engineering Program
• Southeastern Universities Nuclear Research Institute for Science and Education (SUNRISE) Founding Chair, 2006-2010
• 16th International Conference on Transport Theory Organizing Committee Chair, 1999

Awards

• Recipient of the 2019 ANS Gerald C. Pomraning Memorial Award for outstanding contributions toward the advancement of the fields of mathematics and computation in support of advancing the understanding of these topics of interest to the American Nuclear Society (ANS) membership.

Patent

• Boundary Condition Adjustment Methods and Systems, U. S. Patent 7,676,015B2, with Ben Forget, March 9, 2010.
   

Representative Publications

• Kyle Remley and Farzad Rahnema, “Development and Assessment of a Parallel Computing Implementation of the Coarse Mesh Radiation Transport (COMET) Method,”Ann. Nucl. Energy, 114, 288-300 (2018).
• Farzad Rahnema and Dingkang Zhang, “Continuous Energy Coarse Mesh Transport (COMET) Method,” Ann. Nucl. Energy, 115, 601-610 (2018).
• Dingkang Zhang and Farzad Rahnema, “A Stylized 3D Advanced High Temperature Reactor (AHTR) Benchmark Problem,” Ann. Nucl. Energy, 120, 178-185 (2018).
• Dingkang Zhang and Farzad Rahnema, “Continuous-Energy COMET Solution to the Stylized AHTR Benchmark Problem,” Ann. Nucl. Energy, 121 ,284-294 (2018).
• Farzad Rahnema, Xiaodong Sun, Bojan Petrovic, David Diamond, Stephen Bajorek, Yujun Guo, Gradon Yoder, Dingkang Zhang, and Paul Burke, “Phenomena identification and categorization by the required level of multiphysics coupling in FHR modeling and simulation,” Ann. Nucl. Energy, 121, 540-551 (2018).
• Farzad Rahnema, David Diamond, Dumitru Serghiuta, and Paul Burke, “Phenomena, Gaps, and Issues for Neutronics Modeling and Simulation of FHRs,” Ann. Nucl. Energy, 123 ,172-179 (2019).

Education

• Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 1983
• M.Sc., Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London, England, 1978
• B.S., Aryamehr (Sharif) University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, 1977

Teaching Interests

Professor Ghiaasiaan’s teaching interests include undergraduate and graduate courses in thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and multiphase flow. He emphasizes fundamental principles and their applications to energy systems, aiming to develop students’ analytical and problem-solving skills. His instruction integrates experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches, involving both undergraduate and graduate students in research-related activities.

Research Interests

Professor Ghiaasiaan’s research focuses on multiphase flow and heat transfer phenomena in energy systems and thermal management. His work addresses experimental and theoretical studies of cryogenics and cryocoolers, two-phase flows, boiling, condensation, and miniature scale transport processes, with applications in power generation, refrigeration, and thermal systems design. He actively involves students in advancing understanding of complex flow and heat transfer mechanisms through innovative experimental methods and modeling.

Recent Publications

• Majumdar, A., LeClair, A, Hartwig, J., Ghiaasiaan, S.M. Two-dimensional network flow modeling of no-vent tank filling of a cryogenic tank with thermodynamic vent system assisted injector, Cryogenics. 146, 104004, 2025.
• Ghavami, A., Ghiaasiaan, S.M.  Thermal conductivity of some ceramic materials at cryogenic temperature, ASME J. Heat Transfer, 145, 043501, 2023. 
• Perrella, M., Ghiaasiaan, S.M. Hydrodynamic resistance parameters of regenerator filler materials at cryogenic temperatures, Cryogenics, 117, 103320, 2021.
• Baldwin, M.R., Ghavami, A., Ghiaasiaan, S.M., Majumdar, A.A., Pool boiling in liquid hydrogen, liquid methane and liquid oxygen: a review of available data and predictive tools, Cryogenics, 115, 103240, 2021.
• Baldwin, M.R., Ghavami, A., Ghiaasiaan, S.M., Majumdar, A.A., Flow boiling in liquid hydrogen, liquid methane and liquid oxygen: a review of available data and predictive tools, Cryogenics, 116, 103298, 2021.

Biography

Costas Tsouris is a chemical engineer with a Diploma of Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki-Greece, and Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Syracuse University. Since 1992, he has worked in the Chemical Technology, Nuclear Science and Technology, Environmental Sciences, and Energy and Transportation Science Divisions at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He is currently a Joint Faculty with Georgia Institute of Technology and ORNL.

Research

Separations and chemical processing: Chemical conversions and separations, Process intensification, process innovation: Novel reactors, novel processes, separations enhanced by electric and magnetic fields, combined reaction/separation with applications in biofuels production, Separations for energy applications: electrosorption of ions and electrical double-layer formation in energy storage devices, nuclear fuel reprocessing, liquid extraction, phase separation, Conventional and biofuel cells: Performance characterization via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and neutron imaging, Carbon capture and storage: CO2 capture and storage (CCS), integrated assessment of CCS, Role of gas hydrates in energy problems: a means for carbon storage in the deep ocean, a source of natural gas, a method for water desalination, Transport and fate of biological and inorganic particles in the environment: colloidal and surface interaction forces

Prof. Armistead (Ted) Russell is the Howard T. Tellepsen Chair and Regents’ Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech, where his research is aimed at better understanding the dynamics of air pollutants at urban and regional scales and assessing their impacts on health and the environment to develop approaches to design strategies to effectively  improve air quality.  He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology, conducting his research at Caltech’s Environmental Quality Laboratory.  His B.S. is from Washington State University. Dr. Russell was a member of EPA’s Clean Air Science Advisory Committee (CASAC) and a member of the National Research Council’s Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology.    He has served on and chaired multiple NASEM committees.  He chaired the CASAC NOx-SOx, Secondary NAAQS review panel, the Ambient Air Monitoring Methods Subcommittee and the Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis’ Air Quality Modeling Subcommittee. 

Research

Professor Russell’s research interests are conducting fundamental and applied studies on air quality modeling, health effects of air pollutants, aerosol dynamics, environmental economics and control strategy design, atmospheric chemistry, computer modeling and numerical methods, including application of emerging artificial intelligence approaches to improving air quality and environmental management globally.

Education

Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 1985

M.S., California Institute of Technology, 1980

B.S., Washington State University, 1979

Teaching

Professor Russell’s teaching interests include environmental engineering principles and their application to critical issues, air quality and the formation, fate and impacts of air pollution, and mathematical methods in environmental engineering.

Distinctions & Awards

• Dixy Lee Ray Medal, ASME (2025)
• Arthur Stern Distinguished Paper Award, Journal of Air and Waste Management (2023)
• Foreign Fellow, Canadian Academy of Engineering (2023)
• Environmental Science and Technology, Super-Reviewer (2021)
• Frank A. Chambers Excellence in Air Pollution Control Award, Air and Waste Management Association (2020)

Jorge Macedo, Ph.D., P.E., is an Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he has been a faculty member since 2018 and currently holds the Frederick Olmsted Early Career Professorship. His research focuses on extreme events engineering, with an emphasis on earthquakes, mining geotechnics, and AI-driven, physics-informed engineering to advance performance-based assessments of critical infrastructure.

His cross-disciplinary research program has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), state agencies including the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), as well as industry partners. In 2022, Dr. Macedo received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award for his work at the intersection of mining geotechnics and data science. He has also received the Young Researcher Award from the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), along with multiple research and teaching awards from Georgia Tech and other institutions. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Macedo has extensive industry experience, serving as a subject matter expert (SME) and member of International Technical Review Boards (ITRBs) for major global mining projects. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for Earthquake Spectra and the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (JGGE), among other professional service roles.

Research

Dr. Macedo’s research focuses on extreme events engineering, with an emphasis on earthquakes, mining geotechnics, and AI-driven, physics-informed engineering to advance performance-based assessments of critical infrastructure.

Teaching

Dr. Macedo teaches several undergraduate and graduate courses focused on geosystems, data science, and extreme events engineering. He developed and leads a data analytics course that introduces students to foundational concepts in data science and artificial intelligence. He is also a strong advocate for innovative pedagogical approaches that effectively communicate engineering concepts to non-engineering audiences.

Distinctions & Awards

• Selected global chair for the TC221 (Tailings and Mine Waste) committee of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.
• Selected by the Frontiers in Built Environment Journal as a Rising Star in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
• 2023 Young Researcher Award, International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering -TC203 Committee.
• 2023 Knight Piesold Research Award
• 2023 Georgia Tech CEE Bill Schutz Junior Faculty Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching.
• 2022 NSF CAREER award, National Science Foundation, United States.
• 2022 Frederick L. Olmsted Early Career Professorship, Georgia Tech.
• 2022 CEE Young Faculty Research Award, Georgia Tech.
• 2021 Outstanding Reviewer, ASCE/JGGE Journal.
• Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, University of California Berkeley.
• 2014 Excellence Award for Doctoral Studies, Peruvian Government.
• 2014 Jane Lewis Ph.D. Fellowship, University of California Berkeley.
• 2013 Jane Lewis M.S. Fellowship, University of California Berkeley.
• 2007 “Eduardo de Habich” Award. Summa Cum Laude, National University of Engineering, Peru.

Publications

1. *Macedo, J., Abrahamson, N. (2026). Magnitude thresholds to evaluate the damage from induced-seismicity earthquakes to earth dyke structures. Frontiers in Built Environment Journal, Rising Stars in Geotechnical Engineering issue. Accepted for Publication.
2. *Macedo, J., Torres, P., Santamarina, C. (2026). On the potential of nuclear magnetic resonance for assessing water content and saturation in mine tailings. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (ASCE/JGGE). Accepted for publication.
3. *Bokkisa, V., Macedo, J., Arduino, P. (2026). On the integration of an ACST-based bounding surface model. Computer and Geotechnics (COGE) International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107911.
4. *Arnold, C., Macedo, J., Bray, J. (2026). Insights on the cyclic response of plastic and nonplastic mine tailings. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (SDEE) Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soildyn.2025.109814.
5. *Arnold, C., Macedo, J., Bray, J., Moug, D., Atalay, F., Bassal, P., Liu, C., Bikçe, M., Durgunoğlu, T. (2025). Field characterization of areas in İskenderun affected by liquefaction during the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake. Earthquake Spectra (EERI) journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/87552930251378227. 
6. *Liu. C., Macedo, J., Abrahamson, N.,  Kottke, A. (2025). A nonergodic ground motion model for Turkiye. Bulletin of Seismological Society of America (BSSA) Journal. https://doi.org/10.1785/0120250142
7. *Liu, C., Macedo, J., Rodriguez, A. (2025). Leveraging Physics-Informed Neural Networks in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering: An Assessment on Seismic Site Response Analyses. Computer and Geotechnics (COGE) International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2025.107137
8. *Bokkisa, V., Macedo, J. (2025). Challenges in NorSand to model CSD stress paths and proposed modifications. Canadian Geotechnical Journal. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2024-0546
9. *Bokkisa, V., Macedo, J. (2025). Influence of anisotropic consolidation on the instability of loose granular soils under undrained and drained loading. Canadian Geotechnical Journal. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2023-0683.
10. *Liu. C., Macedo, J., Abrahamson, N., Lacour, M., Gullerce, Z., Kottke, A., Ozacar, A. (2025). Modeling Path Effects Due to 3D Velocity Structure for Nonergodic Ground-Motion Models: A Case Study Using Turkish Ground-Motion Data. Bulletin of Seismological Society of America (BSSA) Journal. https://doi.org/10.1785/0120240055

Research Gate profile

Gerald Wayne Clough is President Emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. A graduate of Georgia Tech in civil engineering, he was the first alumnus to serve as President of the Institute. 

The Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, which officially opened its doors in August 2011, is named in his honor. Clough has garnered many other awards and honors, including the title of President Emeritus, two Norman Medals, eight honorary degrees, and membership in the National Science Board.

After earning his doctorate, Clough began his academic career as an assistant professor at Duke University in 1969. He joined the faculty at Stanford University in 1974 first as an associate professor and then later as full professor. In 1982, he joined the faculty of Virginia Tech as a professor of civil engineering and served as head of their Department of Civil Engineering for seven years. In 1990, Clough became dean of the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. Clough continued his research and instruction of graduate students at Virginia Tech in addition to his administrative responsibilities. Clough's research focused on geotechnical engineering, including earthquake studies, numerical analysis, soil structure interaction, in-situ testing, and underground openings. In 1993, he became provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Washington. Clough cofounded the United States Universities Council of Geotechnical Engineering Research (USUCGER), and served as the organization's first president during 1993.

Dr. Southworth joined the Georgia Tech faculty in February 2012. Prior to joining Tech, Dr. Southworth spent 28 years as an employee of the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory located in East Tennessee, leaving ORNL as a Distinguished R&D Staff member in December of 2011. Prior to joining ORNL in 1984 he was a faculty member in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and before that he was a research officer in the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds in England. Dr Southworth has published extensively on transportation planning topics, and been involved in the management of a number of large transportation data and modeling projects that have produced widely used datasets and software tools. While at ORNL he received a number of awards for his research contributions. Most of this research has been for federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Agency for International Development, and various branches of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Homeland Security and Transportation. He has also carried out research for, among others, the National Science Foundation, the Transportation Research Board, the Brookings Institution, the Pew Center for Global Climate Change, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Georgia, New York, and Tennessee State Departments of Transportation. He regularly serves on regional and national review panels dealing with data, statistical and mathematical modeling issues in both freight and passenger transportation.

Research

Freight and passenger demand and supply modeling, Sustainable transportation systems and their supply chains, Transportation planning methods, Electric vehicle markets and policies, Public transit system planning and cost-benefit analysis, Land-use transportation interaction, Energy efficient urban form