Civil engineers have a great responsibility. In particular, the safety and load-bearing capacity of building structures play an important role in the design and construction process. Environmental factors such as earthquakes and high winds place particularly high demands on buildings, which must be taken into account in the design process. At the same time, environmental and climate protection requirements are increasing, as is the need to conserve resources. Researcher Anastasia Athanasiou is working in this area of conflict. As part of her newly established professorship in Natural Hazards and Structural Resilience, she is investigating the effects of various natural hazards on the performance of buildings. She is particularly interested in tall structures sited in combined wind and seismic environments.

The core of her research and teaching is hazard assessment and risk evaluation of structures in the context of earthquakes and wind. »My objective is to pioneer the adaptation of performance-based design methodologies, originally developed for seismic engineering, to the wind sector. This innovative approach aims to revolutionize wind-resistant structural design, enhancing building resilience and structural economy« she says. Wind and earthquake scenarios of increasing intensity will be tested, and advanced modeling and nonlinear simulation techniques will be used to reliably predict the dynamic effects of multiple hazards and to assess the safety of wind-sensitive buildings in earthquake-prone areas. Prof. Athanasiou's research in Weimar also includes the testing of building components under repeated wind and seismic loads.

Tenure-track professorship for the promotion of young academics

The appointment of Anastasia Athanasiou was made within the framework of the tenure-track programme of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, based on the Federal-Länder Programme for the Promotion of Young Academics. In addition, the professorship is supported by the Carl Zeiß Foundation within the framework of the CZS Fund for German Universities in the international competition for the best minds with personnel, material and investment funds. The declared aim is to (re)recruit top international scientists for Germany as a centre of science and scholarship together with the German Scholars Organization E.V. (GSO).

»Natural Hazards and Structural Resilience«
Inaugural Lecture by Junior Professor Anastasia Athanasiou
Thursday, 24 October 2024, 4 to 6 pm
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar,
Marienstr. 13, Lecture Hall A

The presentation language is English. Media representatives are welcome.

About Jun.-Prof. Anastasia Athanasiou

Already during her studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Anastasia Athanasiou specialised in the topic of earthquake safety of structures. After stations in the University of Catania and the State University of New York at Buffalo as part of her doctoral studies, she accepted a position as a post-doctoral researcher at Concordia University in Montreal (Canada). There, she focused on the performance-based design of medium-height steel structures for multiple hazards (wind and earthquake). During her academic career, she published numerous research papers. Dr. Athanasiou presented her research results at international conferences in Japan, Europe and North and South America. In 2013, she received a scholarship from Microsoft Research Advanced Technology Labs Europe; in 2022, the Best Presentation Award at the International Conference on Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure at Concordia University. In addition, Anastasia Athanasiou has been a scientific advisor to the Civil Engineering Association at Concordia University, financial director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Concordia Chapter and a reviewer for renowned journals such as Structures, Journal of Wind and Industrial Aerodynamics, Earthquake Spectra, Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Journal of Earthquake Engineering.

If you have any questions, please contact Junior Professor Anastasia Athanasiou, Chair of »Natural Hazards and Structural Resilience«, by e-mail: anastasia.athanasiou[at]uni-weimar.de or by telephone: + 49 (0) 36 43 / 58 49 40.