Michel Bruneau

Michel Bruneau is a SUNY Distinguished Professor and author of the book "The Blessings of Disaster: The Lessons That Catastrophes Teach Us and Why Our Future Depends on It". He is recognized for the impact of his research contributions to the design and behavior of structures subjected to extreme events, and in particular earthquakes. He is one of the most cited researchers in these fields. He is the lead author of the seminar 2003 paper that formulated the concept and expression of disaster resilience in a manner that has since driven research in this field. He has participated in various expert peer review panels, project advisory committees, and special project design teams. He is a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and – most significantly – Emeritus Director of a National Science Foundation’s national engineering research center focused on preventing disasters from extreme events. He has worked for more than three decades as part of multidisciplinary teams advancing the goal of disaster resilience and has received more than 20 prestigious awards for this innovative work, including a lifetime achievement award.