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Siamak Sattar (Fed)
Group Leader
Dr. Siamak Sattar is the Leader of the Earthquake Engineering Group in the Materials and Structural System Division at the Engineering Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In this capacity, he oversees NIST’s research activities as the lead agency of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) (Public Law 115-307). Dr. Sattar is committed to advancing measurement science to reduce earthquake risk and enhance public safety and economic security. His research focuses on functional recovery, performance-based design of concrete and Fiber Reinforced Polymer-retrofitted structures, and uncertainty quantification. During his tenure at NIST, Dr. Sattar has led significant projects, including developing two congressionally mandated reports on improving the functional recovery of the built environment (NIST SP-1254) and immediate occupancy building performance objective following natural hazards (NIST SP-1224). Over the last decade, his research produced technical information for use by code and standard committees to reduce buildings' seismic risk and improve the built environment's recovery after earthquakes. Dr. Sattar serves on multiple standard and technical committees. He is a voting member of the ACI-369 Committee on Seismic Repair and Rehabilitation, the ACI-374 Committee on Performance-based Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures, and the Functional Recovery Task Committee of the Provisions Update Committee (PUC). He also chairs the ACI-374A committee on Functional Recovery and serves as the vice-chair of the PUC Functional Recovery sub-committee on the Recovery Categories and Performance Metrics. Dr. Sattar is dedicated to developing early career researchers and has mentored multiple undergraduate, master’s, Ph.D., and post-doctoral researchers.
Dr. Sattar has received recognition for his research and leadership from several organizations, including NIST, the Department of Commerce (DOC), the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), the Structural Engineering Association of Northern California (SEAONC), and the Structural Engineering Association of California (SEAOC). Notably, he recently received the prestigious Department of Commerce Gold Medal for his research and leadership in functional recovery of the built environment and the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for his research on improving seismic design criteria and evaluation of buildings.
Dr. Sattar received his master's and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. Prior to that, he worked for four years as a practicing structural engineer specializing in the design of concrete and steel structures.
Awards
2025 Faculty Mentor of the Year Award - Honorable Mention - Presented by the Graduate School and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs of the University of Maryland in recognition of dedicated mentorship and guidance of postdoctoral scholars. This award recognizes faculty members or affiliates at the University of Maryland who have gone above and beyond to provide outstanding mentorship and support for postdocs. Postdoctoral fellows submit their mentor's name for consideration for this award based on the faculty member or affiliate who exemplifies the qualities of an excellent mentor.
NIBS 2025 Innovator Award - NIST, FEMA, ATC, and STPI were awarded in recognition of their leadership and technical contributions to develop the NIST SP-1254 report to Congress titled “Recommended Options for Improving the Built Environment for Post-Earthquake Re-occupancy and Functional Recovery Time Report”. The NIBS (National Institute of Building Sciences) champions those who push boundaries and are at the forefront of innovation. The NIBS Innovator Award recognizes individuals, organizations, or projects that have made groundbreaking advances and significant technological contributions to the built environment.
2024 SEAOC Structural Engineering Excellence Award in Research, Standards, and Guidelines - Drs. Sattar and Cook were awarded in recognition of their leadership and technical contributions to a six-year project on benchmarking evaluation methodologies for existing reinforced concrete buildings. The SEAOC (Structural Engineers Association of California) Structural Engineering Excellence (SEE) Awards recognize outstanding achievements in structural engineering with the "Research, Standards, and Guidelines" category, specifically honoring projects or efforts that demonstrate significant contributions to the advancement of structural engineering practice through the development of new research, standards, or design guidelines.
Housner Fellowship - The Housner Fellows Program was developed by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute to recognize promising and motivated young to mid-career professionals with the confidence, skills, and sense of responsibility needed to exercise leadership by developing Fellows’ capacity for advocacy and leading efforts to reduce earthquake risk.