UBC experts on Great BC ShakeOut and disaster preparedness

On October 19, B.C. will hold the Great BC ShakeOut as part of efforts to prepare communities for a big earthquake in the region.

UBC experts are available to comment on the exercise, earthquakes and other natural disasters, and emergency preparation and management.

For information on ShakeOut events at UBC’s Vancouver campus, visit: https://ready.ubc.ca/are-you-prepared-for-an-earthquake/

Dr. Trevor Carey (he/him)
Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Tel: 604-822-2846
Email: trevor.carey@civil.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Geotechnical engineering, liquefaction and Cascadia subduction zone impacts
• Earthquake impacts and preparedness in B.C. and Pacific Northwest

Brett Gilley (he/him)
Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Tel: 604-719-9423
Email: bgilley@eoas.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Explaining landslides, earthquakes and natural disasters to a non-expert audience

Dr. Frank Lam
Professor, Department of Wood Science
Email: frank.lam@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Modelling and testing of timber components and structures subject to seismic and other loadings

Dr. Minghao Li (he/him)
Associate Professor, Department of Wood Science
Email: minghao.li@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Mandarin

• Timber engineering, mass timber, structural design, cross laminated timber, seismic resilience

Dr. Carlos Molina Hutt (he/him)
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Tel: 604-822-2196
Email: carlos.molinaHutt@civil.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Spanish

• Earthquake engineering, performance-based seismic design, seismic resilience, risk analysis, high-rise buildings, innovative structural systems
• Co-lead, UBC Disaster Resilience Research Network

Dr. Mehrtash Motamedi (he/him)
Research Associate and Engineering Manager, Earthquake Engineering Research Facility
Tel: 604-724-8712
Email: mmotamedi@civil.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Farsi

• Manages research and commercial testing projects at UBC’s Earthquake Engineering Research Facility

Dr. Sara Shneiderman
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Email: sara.shneiderman@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English 

• Preparedness, social and cultural impacts of disaster and disaster response
• Co-lead, UBC Disaster Resilience Research Network

Dr. Salman Soleimani-Dashtaki (he/him)
Research Associate and Sessional Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering
Tel: 604-338-3692
Email: salman@civil.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Farsi

• Civil infrastructure repair & strengthening, seismic building codes
• Earthquake-resistant cement

Dr. Coll Thrush (he/him)
Professor, Department of History
Tel: 778-237-8296
Email: coll.thrush@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Colonialism and seismology, Indigenous knowledge of earthquakes and tsunamis

Dr. Lisa Tobber
Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, UBC Okanagan
Email: lisa.tobber@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English

• Seismic design of buildings
• Structural engineering; developing resilient and smart cities through multi-hazard design procedures; development of innovative structural components; advanced numerical simulations; and experimental testing

Dr. Tony T.Y. Yang (he/him)
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Tel: 604-822-3864
E-mail: yang@civil.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Mandarin

• Structural and earthquake engineering
• Design and evaluation of structural systems under earthquake loads
• Developed multiple high-performance systems for earthquake applications
• Member of the standing committee for earthquake design, which writes the seismic design provision for the National Building Code of Canada
• Co-led a research expedition to Turkiye to study impacts of the February 2023 earthquake and implications for emergency management practices in Canada