GUEST SPEAKERS
Dr Yiannis Tsompanakis is Professor in the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering of the Technical University of Crete, Greece, and Head of Computational Dynamics & Energy (CODEN) Research Group. His research and engineering interests and expertise include structural and geotechnical earthquake engineering, geoenvironmental engineering, soil-structure interaction, structural optimization, probabilistic mechanics, structural integrity assessment, seismic vulnerability & mitigation of geohazards, life-cycle analysis & performance-based design, artificial intelligence methods in engineering, etc. His research results have been presented in more than 250 publications. He has also organized journal special issues, edited volumes, as well as several conferences, special sessions and mini-symposia. He is member of the editorial board and reviewer in many scientific engineering journals. Ηe serves as the Technical Editor of the Structure and Infrastructure Engineering Journal (Taylor & Francis Publ.).
Anastasios Sextos is Professor of Earthquake Engineering at the University of Bristol and holds a dual appointment at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). At Bristol he leads the Earthquake & Geotechnical Engineering Research Group and directs the SoFSI National Research Facility, a flagship UK laboratory for advanced soil–structure interaction studies developed under the UKCRIC programme. He previously served for more than a decade at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Prof. Sextos has coordinated major international collaborations across Europe, Asia, and North America, including Horizon Europe and EPSRC programmes, and has pioneered innovative seismic solutions for critical infrastructure and school safety in vulnerable communities. He serves on the Eurocode 8 Project Teams, is President of the National Committee for Pre-earthquake Assessment of Public Buildings in Greece, and sits on international scientific committees, editorial boards, and research evaluation panels. His work spans experimental and computational earthquake engineering, seismic design, soil-structure interaction and infrastructure resilience.
Baki Ozturk is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkiye, specializing in earthquake engineering, structural dynamics, and the seismic performance of reinforced concrete structures. His research integrates analytical modeling, experimental insights, and performance-based engineering principles to improve the seismic safety and resilience of the built environment.
Dr. Ozturk received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, U.S.A., where he conducted research on nonlinear structural behavior, dynamic response of RC systems, and advanced seismic assessment methodologies. His subsequent academic career has focused on developing practical and scientifically rigorous tools for evaluating and mitigating earthquake risk. He is well known internationally for his research work on structural control systems and historical monumental buildings.
Prodromos Psarropoulos is a Structural and Geotechnical Engineer holding a PhD in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering from National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). He has a blend of academic and industry experience encompassing nearly three decades – primarily in the areas of Computational Dynamics, Soil Dynamics, Dynamic Soil–Structure Interaction, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineeringand Seismic Design of various structures and geostructures. His researchwork has mainly been published viamore than 40 publications in scientific journals. Since 2014 he is a Senior Teaching and Research Associate in the School of Rural, Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering of NTUA, whilerecently he has been an Otto Mønsted Visiting Professor at the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering of Aarhus University in Denmark. In the past he has been (a) one of the Scientific Collaborators of the Greek Organization of Standardization, (b) the Secretary of Technical Committee 341 (Geotechnical Investigation & Testing) of CEN (i.e., the European Committee for Standardization), and (c) the Secretary of Technical Committee 19 (Preservation of Historic Sites) of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.
Christos is a Senior Structural Engineer, specializing in seismic resilience and advanced earthquake engineering. As a Partner and Head of Seismic Design at EQUIDAS Consulting Engineers, his expertise encompasses seismic rehabilitation of existing structures (RC or masonry), soil-structure interaction, and isolation/damping systems. He is actively involved in the Hellenic Association for Earthquake Engineering (HAEE/EТAM) and has participated in numerous post-earthquake reconnaissance missions globally (1999-2023). A respected contributor to the field, he has co-authored over 40 scientific papers. He holds key positions in international and national organizations, including being a Fellow of IABSE and an active member of several IABSE and FIB Task Groups as well as serving on the EPPO/OASP Permanent Scientific Committees for supporting the Seismic Codes.