Shabnam J. Semnani

Shabnam J. Semnani is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, and serves as Chair. Her research focuses on computational mechanics, materials science, geomechanics, machine learning in computational sciences and engineering, natural hazards such as earthquakes and landslides, and clean/renewable energy and decarbonization technologies. Semnani combines experiments, mechanics, computational methods, and statistical and machine learning techniques to address critical problems in infrastructure and sustainability. Her work includes characterization and modeling of heterogeneous materials and development of multi-scale and multi-physics models to link microstructure and macroscopic behavior. Applications of her research include landslide hazard assessment, earthquake physics, carbon sequestration, geothermal energy production, and advanced infrastructure materials.

Shabnam Semnani is a researcher at the University of California, San Diego, focusing on advanced computational and analytical methods in solid mechanics and geomechanics. Her work explores anisotropic material behavior, including transversely isotropic rocks and shale, with an emphasis on viscoplasticity, damage progression, and strain localization. She develops multi-scale models for nonlinear composite materials and integrates machine learning with physics-based approaches for geohazard assessment, such as landslide susceptibility under climate change. Her research also includes free vibration analysis of non-prismatic beams and the development of performance-portable simulation frameworks for subsurface applications.