TEAM

Santosh Katuwal

Research areas
Seismic site response, ground motion modeling

Degree objective:    PhD (expected: 2027)

Santosh completed his Master’s degree at Purbanchal University, where he graduated in first position and received two Gold Medals for securing the top rank. At UNR, he was awarded the Nevada DRIVE Graduate Research Assistantship. Santosh works on integrating theoretical approaches and computational analysis to better understand site effects. His long-term goal is to develop tools and models that connect seismic data with engineering applications to support communities in reducing seismic risk.

Dominik Brozowski

Research areas
Soil liquefaction, numerical modeling

Degree objective:    PhD (expected: 2030)

Dominik is a third-year civil engineering student at UNR, graduating early with a Bachelor’s degree in May 2026. Dominik will continue his studies working towards a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering. He has internship experience at Nevada Department of Transportation with concrete and soils lab work, contractor quality control, and retaining wall design. Dominik’s research interests include numerical modeling, program implementation into models and structural materials.

Muhsin Acar

Research areas
Soil liquefaction, numerical modeling

Degree objective:    PhD (expected: 2029)

Muhsin earned his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Firat University in Türkiye, where he ranked first in the Faculty of Engineering. He also holds a Master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His master’s research focused on the numerical simulation of the dynamic response of concrete-faced rockfill dams. Prior to joining UNR, Muhsin served for over seven years as a Staff Engineer at the State Hydraulic Works of Türkiye. His research interests include soil liquefaction, non-linear dynamic analyses and the integration of advanced numerical modeling with field instrumentation to enhance the seismic resilience of critical infrastructure.

Carlos Fernández Portal

Research areas
Seismic site response, V_S profile uncertainty

Degree objective:    MS (expected: 2026)

Carlos earned his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the National University of Engineering in Lima, Peru. Before UNR, Carlos worked as a Research Assistant at CISMID (Peru). Carlos’ research interests include geotechnical earthquake engineering, dynamic soil behavior, and programming applications in Python for data analysis.

Cesar Manuel Sanchez Ore

Research areas
Soil spatial variability, tailings

Degree objective:    MS (expected: 2026)

Cesar holds a BS in civil engineering from the National University of Engineering in Peru. Before joining UNR, Cesar spent three years with WSP at the Lima office working in tailings dam projects. Cesar’s research interests include mine tailings and soil spatial variability.

Jessica Resong

Research areas
Site characterization, V_S profile data

Degree objective:    BS (expected: 2029)

Jessica is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, with minors in Aerospace and Mathematics. She is a member of the UNR Honors College and has been recognized on the Dean’s list.

GROUP PICTURES