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
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Chancellor’s Fellowship at University of California, Berkeley
2013 Engineering Achievement Award for Student Welfare at University of California, Los Angeles
Professional Memberships
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association
Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society
Reviewer for the following journals:
International Journal of Geomechanics
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Granular Matter
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.
Julio Copana
PhD Student
Leina Kaehr
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Previous Team Members
Xin Hui Ooi (Caltech Class of ’23; co-advised through the SURF program at Caltech)