Thursday, July 2, 2015

Soltani Receives Nancy L. Mergler Dissertation Completion Fellowship



CEES doctoral student Hoda Soltani was recently selected as one of seven recipients of the inaugural Nancy L. Mergler Dissertation Completion Fellowship for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Soltani’s research is guided under the direction of professor "Muralee" Muraleetharan and concerns analysis, modeling, and prediction of the lateral response of single piles in soft clay where the top layers of the soil have been improved by cement deep soil mixing. In the future, this work has the potential to lead to more cost effective and safer design of pile-supported structures in weak soils. It can also be applied in retrofitting of older buildings and bridges. After graduation, she plans to seek a full-time position in industry or academia where she can continue working on assessment of the existing structures and ways of enhancing their performance against earthquake or other vibration-induced excitations.