Our team

About us.

Barbara G. Simpson
Assistant Professor
Email me: bsimpson@stanford.edu

I began my career with an architectural engineering degree at the University of Kansas. After receiving my undergraduate degree, I worked in Los Angeles at Thornton Tomasetti before pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley with an emphasis in structural engineering. I began my academic career as a faculty member at Oregon State University. Currently, I am an Assistant Professor at Stanford University.

I am passionate about education and research in engineering. After work, I have also been known to mountain bike, trail run, and practice my kettlebell swing. I am also an avid science fiction fan.

Current students

Gustavo Araújo Rodriguez

Ph.D. Candidate
Email me: garaujor@stanford.edu
Website: https://garaujor.su.domains/

I am a PhD student at Stanford University, specializing in Civil Engineering. My research focuses on leveraging GPUs to tackle computational challenges in high-fidelity dynamic simulations of civil structures.
I also have significant experience in experimental testing and numerical modeling of mass timber buildings, including the shake-table testing of a six-story mass timber building at the NHERI@UCSD facility.
Prior to attending Stanford, I earned BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from Universidad del Norte (Colombia) and an MS degree in Wood Science from Oregon State University.
I am also an active member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute’s Student Leadership Council (EERI SLC), organizing the annual Seismic Design Competition.

Akiri Seki

Ph.D. Candidate
Email me: sekia@stanford.edu

Hello! I am a Ph.D. student from Japan. Before I started my Ph.D. program, I asked myself what I would do if I did not need to work for my life in Japan, the answer was studying in a Ph.D. program, and still, it is. I consider my life is a sequence of experiments, and I believe a Ph.D. program is one of the best places to do whatever I want to try. In my research, I have been enjoying exploring the application of a real-time hybrid simulation to fluid-structure interaction problems. In my personal “experiment”, I am testing how running affects my body and mental state. Yes, I really like exploring whatever I’ve never done in my life. You may easily manipulate me by just saying, “You never know until you do. Why don’t you try it?”

Bryam Astudillo

Ph.D. Candidate
Email me: bryam.astudillo@stanford.edu
Website: www.bryamastudillo.com

I am a PhD candidate at Stanford University, specializing in Structural Engineering. With a strong commitment to seismic resilience, my research advances the design of high-performing earthquake-resistant structures using strongback frames and force-limiting connections. I have extensive experience in numerical simulation and full-scale testing, including shake-table testing of a 4-story Frame-Spine building at the E-Defense shake table in Japan.
Outside the lab, I enjoy programming, playing soccer, and spending time with family and friends.

Morgan McBain

Ph.D. Candidate
Email me: mmcbain@stanford.edu

I am a graduate student at Stanford University pursuing a PhD in Structural Engineering with a focus on sustainable and resilient structural design. To date, I have worked with Barbara Simpson on full-scale shake table testing of a six-story building with a mass timber rocking wall lateral system. My PhD work intends to focus on design optimization of such systems for both sustainability and functional recovery criteria. Prior to attending Stanford, I earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan. In my free time, I love to hike, ski, and spend time near the water.

Yun Ni

Ph.D. Candidate
Email me: yni23@stanford.edu

I am a PhD student in Structural Engineering at Stanford University. I hold a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Before pursuing my PhD, I worked as a geotechnical engineer for over three years at an engineering consultancy in New Zealand. My current research focuses on Real-Time Hybrid Simulation, with a particular emphasis on fluid-structure interaction testing for floating offshore wind turbines.

Elaine Liu

Ph.D. Student
Email me: ejl2401@stanford.edu

I am a Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering at Stanford University, specializing in offshore renewable energy applications. My research focuses on using real-time hybrid simulations to study the coupled dynamics of offshore structures and their mooring lines. I graduated with a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University, where I was actively involved with Underwater Robotics club and sustainability research on fog harvesting for clean water. In my free time, I enjoy reading, going to comedy shows and hiking. Feel free to reach out to learn more about my research!

Postdoctoral researcher

Shayan Razi, Ph.D.
Email me: shayanr@stanford.edu

I am a postdoctoral scholar at Simpson Lab at Stanford University, specializing in computational engineering mechanics. I completed his Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics and Materials, with a focus on the discrete simulation of buildings’ nonlinear responses and physics-informed neural networks (PINNs). I am currently working on a research project on the development of hybrid numerical-machine learning (ML) algorithms that more completely represent the simultaneous effects of multi-physics phenomena, particularly in modeling the effects of extreme environments on offshore turbines.