PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
F. Estéfan T. Garcia
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2018
M.S., Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2014
B.S., Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 2013, summa cum laude
Estéfan joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2021. He completed his PhD at UC Berkeley studying the propagation of earthquake surface fault rupture through granular media and the interaction of surface fault rupture with the built environment. His current research interests are in granular systems and the characterization of such systems using advanced imaging and modeling techniques. When not in his office, you can find Estéfan biking on roads and trails or climbing at his local rock gym.
Awards
Geotechnique 75th Anniversary Early Career Award
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Chancellor’s Fellowship at University of California, Berkeley
Current Students
Cassandra Champagne
PhD Candidate
Cyrena Ridgeway
PhD Candidate
Cyrena Ridgeway joined the University of Michigan Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Fall 2021. She completed her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Civil Engineering at New Mexico State University. She completed a master’s thesis focused on geothermal ground improvement using encapsulated phase change materials. Her current research interests are in the characterization of granular systems using advanced modeling techniques. When Cyrena finds some free time she likes spending it with her family, hiking with her dogs, and fishing.
Debadrita Das
PhD Student
Fan Yi
Visiting PhD Student (Tianjin University)
Previous Team Members
Xin Hui Ooi (Caltech Class of ’23; co-advised through the SURF program at Caltech)
Leina Kaehr (B.S. 2023)