Published: Oct. 7, 2016

Vice Chancellor for Research Terri Fiez, Outstanding Postdoc Awardees Mohammad Hariri and Francisco Müller-Sánchez, and OPA Director Leah Colvin

From left to right: Vice Chancellor for Research Terri Fiez, Outstanding Postdoc Awardees Mohammad Hariri and Francisco Müller-Sánchez, and OPA Director Leah Colvin.

Mohammad Hariri, a researcher in Victor Saouma's structural engineering lab, has been honored as an outstanding postdoc by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA). The award was presented during the 7th annual National Postdoc Appreciation Week in September. 

"Dr. Hariri is a leader in this field, and demonstrates a commitment to seeking career development and service opportunities," the OPA said. 

Hariri earned his BS and MS in hydraulic structures from K.N. Toosi University of Technology in Tehran. He completed his PhD in earthquake engineering at CU Boulder in 2015 before beginning his postdoctoral work. Hariri also serves as an adjunct lecturer.

"My research is dedicated to improving safety assessment methodology of infrastructures and developing complex models to quantify probability of collapse risk in structures," he said. "These are matters of critical importance to our nation’s engineering, construction, and alternative energy industries." 

Hariri tackles these problems using a combination of approaches, including structural mechanics, earthquake engineering, material science and applied statistics/mathematics.

"Specifically, my goal is to answer these critical questions: What is the failure risk in the infrastructures? What are the measures of the reliability and vulnerability for the progressive damage? How can we improve the resilience of the infrastructural communities under extreme event?"

Beichuan Yan, a postdoctoral researcher in geotechnical engineering, was also a finalist for the award.