skip to Main Content
Ian Robertson

Emeritus Professor of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering
Arthur N.L. Chiu Distinguished Professor
Office: Holmes Hall 381
Phone: (808) 956-6536
E-mail:  ianrob@hawaii.edu

Areas of Specialty and Research Interest

  • Structural engineering: Structural analysis and design for building and bridge structures of reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete and structural steel. Structural response to earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and long-term effects. Multi-hazard mitigation and structural rehabilitation. Field reconnaissance after natural hazard events.

Education

  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas, 1990
  • M.S., Civil Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas, 1985
  • B.S., Civil Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1978

Professional Registration

  • Registered Structural Engineer (S.E.) in Hawaii, since 1996

Experience

  • Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Structures), University of Hawaii, 2005 – 2024.
  • Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Structures), University of Hawaii, 1997- 2005
  • Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering (Structures), University of Hawaii, 1992- 1997.
  • Project Engineer/Associate, Walter P. Moore and Associates, Houston, TX, 1989- 1992.
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Rice University, Houston, TX, 1986-1989.
  • Project Manager, Ove Arup Inc. and S.M. Goldstein Construction Co., Johannesburg, South Africa, 1984-1986.
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Rice University, Houston, TX, 1982-1984.
  • Design Engineer, Ove Arup Inc., Johannesburg, South Africa, 1980-1982.

Courses Taught (in the last five years)

  • CEE 271: Applied Mechanics II (S’16)
  • CEE 370: Mechanics of Materials
  • CEE 485: Reinforced Concrete Design (F’16, F’17, F’18, F’19, F’20)
  • CEE 484: Structural Loads (S’18, S’19, S’20)
  • CEE 486: Structural Steel Design (S’18, S’19, S’20)
  • CEE 683: Advanced Reinforced Concrete Design (S’16, S’17)
  • CEE 685: Advanced Structural Steel Design
  • CEE 687: Prestressed Concrete Design

Professional Activities

  • Member and past chair, Hawaii Earthquake and Tsunami Advisory Committee (HETAC) (since 1994).
  • Member and past president, Structural Engineers Association of Hawaii, SEAOH (since 1996).
  • Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) (since 1985).
    Member, ASCE 7 main committee (since 2018).
    Vice-Chair, ASCE 7 Tsunami Loads and Effects subcommittee (TLESC) (since 2011).
  • Member, American Concrete Institute (ACI) (since 1985).
    Member, ACI Committee 209, Creep and Shrinkage in Concrete.
    Member, ACI Committee 352, Joints in Monolithic Concrete Structures.
  • Member, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) (since 2010).
  • UH Manoa Representative, Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) (since 1996).
  • Member and Co-director, Structural Extreme Event Reconnaissance Network (StEER) (since 2018).
  • Member, Network Coordination Office (NCO) for NSF funded Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) (since 2017).

Awards and Honors

  • Fulbright Scholar – Rice University, 1982-1984.
  • Arthur N.L. Chiu Distinguished Professorship, 2017 to present.
  • Outstanding Faculty Award in Civil Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1994 and 1997.
  • Hi Chang Chai Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1999, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2020.
  • Engineering News-Record: Top 25 Newsmakers – 2016.
  • Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper, ACI, March 2009.
  • Dr. Chiu Hurricane Preparedness Award, May 2012.
  • Best Journal Paper in Structural Hazards category, ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, 2018

Research Grants

  1. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “Testing, Evaluation, and Specification of Self-Consolidating Concrete Using Hawaiian Aggregate”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 20-23.
  2. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “EAGER: Operationalization of the Structural Extreme Event Reconnaissance (StEER) Network”, funded by NSF, 18-20.
  3. Robertson, I. (Senior Personnel) “Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure: Network Coordination Office”, funded by NSF, 16-20.
  4. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “Advancing Best Practices for the Analysis of the Vulnerability of Military Installations in the Pacific Basin to Coastal Flooding under a Changing Climate”, funded by SERDP, 16-20.
  5. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Five-year Monitoring of Seismic Instrumentation in the Kealakaha Bridge”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 15-20.
  6. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Field Monitoring of Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR)”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 14-19.
  7. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “Development of Corrosion Monitoring Baseline”, funded by Haseko Homes, Inc., 12-14.
  8. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Collaborative Research: RAPID – Post-Disaster Structural Data Collection Following 11 March 2011 Tohoku, Japan Tsunami”, funded by NSF, 11-12.
  9. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Post & Pier Foundation Retrofit Performance under Cyclic Lateral Loading”, funded by Hawaii State Civil Defense, 11-12.
  10. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Supplement to Seismic Instrumentation of the Kealakaha Stream Bridge”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 10-14
  11. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “NEESR-Hybrid Masonry Seismic Structural Systems”, funded by NSF, 09-13.
  12. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Coastal Bridge and Port Vulnerability to Tsunami and Storm Surge”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 09-14.
  13. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Windborne Debris Impact Testing Phase II”, funded by Hawaii State Civil Defense, 09-11.
  14. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Hawaii County All-Hazard Assessment of Critical Facilities”, funded by Hawaii State Civil Defense, 08-10.
  15. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “Development of flexible concrete joints for deck structures with deteriorated mechanical joints and corrosion damage”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 07-11.
  16. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Investigation of Post and Pier Earthquake Damage”, funded by Hawaii State Civil Defense, 07-09.
  17. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Windborne Debris Impact Testing Phase I”, funded by Hawaii State Civil Defense, 07-09.
  18. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “University of Hawaii System Hazard Mitigation Plan”, funded by Hawaii State Civil Defense, 07-09.
  19. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Use of Self-Consolidating Concrete for Bridge Drilled Shaft Construction”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 06-11.
  20. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “NEESR – Development of Performance Based Tsunami Engineering, PBTE”, funded by NSF, 05-09.
  21. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Damage Survey from Hurricane Katrina”, funded by NSF, 05-06.
  22. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Island Mapping of Chloride Deposition Rate”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 05-09.
  23. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Five Year Monitoring of Corrosion Field Specimens”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 04-09.
  24. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Soil Investigation & Soil-Structure Interaction Modeling of the Kealakaha Bridge”, funded by Hawaii State DOT, 04-06.
  25. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “Instrumentation and Monitoring of FRP Shear Retrofit of the Salt Lake Boulevard Bridge”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 04-09.
  26. Robertson, I. (P.I.), “Seismic/Tsunami Construction, Phase 1: A Pilot Study”, funded by Washington State Emergency Management Department, 03-04.
  27. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Seismic Instrumentation and Monitoring of the Kealakaha Stream Bridge”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 00-05.
  28. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Corrosion of Galvanized Fasteners used in Cold-Formed Steel Construction”, funded by HUD and NASFA, 00-01.
  29. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Instrumentation and Long-Term Monitoring of the H3 North Halawa Valley Viaduct”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 94-04.
  30. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “Use of Advanced Composites for Hawaii Bridges with Application to Renovation of Historic Bridges”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 94-04.
  31. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Testing of Prestressed Concrete Beams Repaired with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers”, funded by Hawaii State DOT, 00-01.
  32. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “Hysteretic Modeling of Slab-Column Connections subjected to Seismic Loading”, Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER/NSF), 99-01.
  33. Robertson, I. (Co-P.I.) “Durability of Concrete made with Hawaiian Aggregates in Marine Environment”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 98-03.
  34. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “H3 North Halawa Valley Viaduct Load Test”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 97-99.
  35. Robertson, I. (P.I.) “H3 North Halawa Valley Viaduct:  Instrumentation and Long-term Monitoring”, funded by FHWA and Hawaii State DOT, 94-99

Journal Publications (2010 – 2017 sample)

  1. Zhang, Lin and Panos D. Prevedouros. User Perceptions of Signalized Intersection Level of Service Using Fuzzy Logic. Transportmetrica, 7, No. 4, pp. 279-296, Taylor & Francis Journals, July 2011.
  2. Yu, Xin (Alyx), Goro Sulijoadikusumo and Panos Prevedouros. Analysis of Downstream Queues on Upstream Capacity Expansion of Urban Signalized Intersection. Journal of Transportation Systems Engineering and Information Technology, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 98-108, Elsevier, 2012.
  3. Yu, Xin (Alyx) and Panos Prevedouros, Left Turn Prohibition and Partial Grade Separation for Signalized Intersections: Planning Level Assessment. ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering, Vol. 139, No. 4, pp. 399-406, April 2013.
  4. Mitropoulos, Lambros and Panos D. Prevedouros, Sustainability Assessment for Transportation Vehicles. Transportation Research Record, 2344: 88-97, 2013.
  5. Yu, Xin (Alyx) and Panos Prevedouros, Performance and Challenges in Utilizing Non-Intrusive Sensors for Traffic Data Collection. Advances in Remote Sensing, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 45-50, 2013.
  6. Mitropoulos, Lambros and Panos D. Prevedouros, Multicriterion Sustainability Assessment in Transportation: Private Cars, Carsharing, and Transit Buses. Transportation Research Record, 2403: 52-61, 2014.
  7. Mitropoulos, Lambros and Panos D. Prevedouros, Emissions and Cost Model for Urban Light Duty Vehicles. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Vol. 41, pp. 147-159, Elsevier, 2015.
  8. Mitropoulos, Lambros and Panos D. Prevedouros, Urban Transportation Vehicle Sustainability Assessment with a Comparative Study of Weighted Sum and Fuzzy Methods. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, Vol. 142, (4). ASCE, 2016.
  9. Mitropoulos, Lambros and Panos D. Prevedouros, Incorporating Sustainability Assessment in Transportation Planning: An Urban Transportation Vehicle Based Approach, Transportation Planning and Technology, Vol 39, (5), 2016.
  10. Shi, Liang and Panos D. Prevedouros, Operational Analysis of Roundabouts with a Mix of Driverless Vehicles. Forthcoming in Transportation Research Record,DOI: 10.3141/2615-14, TRB, 2017.
  11. Yu, Xin (Alyx) and Panos Prevedouros, Risk Assessment: Method and Case Study for Traffic Projects. Journal of Modern Transportation, 25(4), pp. 236–249, Springer, 2017.

Books

  1. Robertson, I. N., “Tsunami Loads and Effects: Guide to the Tsunami Design Provisions of ASCE 7-16”, ASCE Publications, Sept. 2020.
  2. Hess, D., Hwang, D.J., Fellenius, K., Robertson, I., Stege, M., and Chutaro, B., 2015, “Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards; Republic of the Marshall Islands”, UH Sea Grant, pp. 81.
  3. Chock, G., Robertson, I., Kriebel, D., Francis, M., and Nistor, I., Tohoku, Japan, Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011, Performance of Structures under Tsunami Loads, American Society of Civil Engineers, Structural Engineering Institute, pp. 350, 2013.

Journal Publications

  1. Clemens K., Stolle J., Robertson I., Achiari H., Mikami T., Nakamura R., Takabatake T., Nishida Y., Shibayama T., Esteban M., Goseberg N., Nistor I., Engineering Lessons from the 28 September 2018 Indonesian Tsunami: Scouring Mechanisms and Effects on Infrastructure, Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering, ASCE, in print.
  2. Blain, C.A., Bobet, A., Browning, J., Edge, B., Holmes, W., Johnson, D., LaChance, M., Ramirez, J., Robertson, I., Smith, T., Thompson, C., Vielma, K., Zehner, D., and Zuo, D., The Network Coordination Office of NHERI (Natural Hazard Engineering Research Infrastructure), Journal of Frontiers in Built Environment, in print.
  3. Aranguiz, R., Esteban, M., Takagi, H., Mikami, T., Takabatake, T., Gomes, M., Gonzalez, J., Shibayama, T., Okuwaki, R., Yagi, Y., Shimizu, K., Achiari, H., Stolle, J., Robertson, I., Ohira, K., Nakamura, T., Nishida, Y., Krautwald, C., Goseberg, N., Nistor, I., The 2018 Sulawesi tsunami in Palu city as a result of several landslides and coseismic tsunamis, Coastal Engineering Journal, Japan Society of Civil Engineers, June 2020, doi.org/10.1080/21664250.2020.1780719
  4. Robertson, Ian N., and Newtson, Craig, Improving Concrete Durability through use of Corrosion Inhibitors, ACI Materials Journal, V. 116, Issue 5, pp. 149-160, Sept. 2019.
  5. Stolle J., Krautwald C., Robertson I., Achiari H., Mikami T., Nakamura R., Takabatake T., Nishida Y., Shibayama T., Esteban M., Nistor I., Goseberg N., Engineering Lessons from the 28 September 2018 Indonesian Tsunami: Debris Loading, Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2019-0049
  6. Mikami T., Shibayama T., Esteban M., Takabatake T., Nakamura R., Nishida Y., Achiari H., Marzuki R.A.G.,  Marzuki M.F.H., Stolle J., Krautwald C., Robertson I., Aranguiz R., Ohira K., Tsunami Heights and Damage Caused by the 2018 Sulawesi Earthquake, Pure and Applied Geophysics, 2019, 176: 3291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-019-02258-5.
  7. Chock, G.Y.K., Carden, L., Robertson, I., Wei, Y., Wilson, R., and Hooper, J., Tsunami-Resilient Building Design Considerations for Coastal Communities of Washington, Oregon, and California, Journal of Structural Engineering, 144(8), 04018116-1-12, June 2018. [2108 Best Journal Paper in Structural Hazards category, Journal of Structural Engineering]
  8. Kriebel, D.L., Lynett, P.J., Cox, D.T., Petroff, C.M., Riggs, H.R., Robertson, I.N., and Chock, G.Y.K. Energy Method for Approximating Overland Tsunami Flows, Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 143(5), September 2017.
  9. Rockwood, D., Teles da Silva, J., Olsen, S., and Robertson, I.N., Tran, T., Design and prototyping of a FRCC modular and climate responsive affordable housing system for underserved people in the Pacific island nations, Journal of Building Engineering, Nov. 2015, pp. 268-282.
  10. Seiffert, B.R., Ertekin, R.C., and Robertson, I.N., Wave loads on coastal bridge and the role of entrapped air, Applied Ocean Research, August 2015.
  11. Robertson, Ian, and Johnson, Gaur, Learning Through Hands-On Reinforced Concrete Beam Experiments, ACI Concrete International, Vol. 37, No. 7, July 2015, pp. 40-45.
  12. Hayatdavoodi, M., Ertekin, R.C., Robertson, I.N., and Riggs, H.R., Vulnerability assessment of coastal bridges on Oahu impacted by storm surge and waves, Natural Hazards, Vol. 79, No. 2, July 2015.
  13. Seiffert, B.R., Ertekin, R.C., and Robertson, I.N., Effect of Entrapped Air on Solitary Wave Forces on a Coastal Bridge Deck with Girders, Journal of Bridge Engineering, June 2015.
  14. Robertson, I.N., Paczkowski, K., Riggs, H.R., and Mohamed, A., Experimental Investigation of Tsunami Bore Forces on Vertical Walls, Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, Vol. 135 No. 2, May 2013, pp. 021601-1 to 8.
  15. Chock, G., Carden, L., Robertson, I., Olsen, M.J., and Yu, G., Tohoku Tsunami-Induced Building Failure Analysis with Implications for USA Tsunami and Seismic Design Codes, Earthquake Spectra, Vol. 29, No. S1, March 2013, pp. S99-S126.
  16. Robertson, I.N., Chock, G., and Morla, J., Structural Analysis of Selected Failures Caused by the 27 February 2010 Chile Tsunami, Earthquake Spectra, Vol. 28, No. S1, pp. S215-S243, June 2012.
  17. Olsen, M.J., Garlock, M., Cheung, K.F., Yamazaki, Y., Yim, S., Robertson, I.N., Burgos, L., Piaskowy, S., Young, Y.L., and Butcher, S., Damage Assessment using ground-based LIDAR for the 2010 Chile Earthquake and Tsunami, Earthquake Spectra, Vol. 28, No. S1, pp. S179-S197, June 2012.
  18. Brandes, H.G., Robertson, I. N., and Johnson, G.P., Soil and Rock Properties in a Young Volcanic Deposit, Island of Hawaii, ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 137, No 6, June 2011, pp. 597-610.
  19. Brandes, H.G., Nicholson, P.G., and Robertson, I. N., Damage assessment and seismic modeling of dams in connection with the 2006 Hawaii Earthquakes, ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication No. 181, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics, 2008, 1-10.
  20. Kang, Thomas H.-K., Robertson, Ian, N., Hawkins, Neil, M, and Lafave, James, M., Recommendations for Design of Post-Tensioned Slab-Column Connections Subjected to Lateral Loading, PTI Journal, Post-Tensioning Institute, Vol. 6, No. 1, February 2008, pp. 45-59.
  21. Robertson, Ian N., Riggs, H. Ronald, Yim, Solomon C. S., and Young, Yin Lu, Lessons From Hurricane Katrina Storm Surge on Bridges and Buildings, Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering, Vol.133, No.6, American Society of Civil Engineers, Nov/Dec 2007.
  22. Kang, Thomas H.-K., Lafave, James, M., Robertson, Ian, N., and Hawkins, Neil, M., Post-Tensioned Slab-Column Connections, Concrete International, American Concrete Institute, Vol. 29, No. 4, April 2007, pp. 70-77.
  23. Robertson, I. N., and Johnson, G., Cyclic Lateral Loading of Non-Ductile Slab-Column Connections, ACI Structural Journal, Vol. 103, No. 3, May-June 2006, pp. 356-364.
  24. Robertson, Ian N., Prediction of vertical deflections for a long-span prestressed concrete bridge structure, Engineering Structures, Vol. 27, 2005, pp. 1820-1827.
  25. Robertson, I. N., and Li, X., Shrinkage and Creep Predictions Evaluated using 10-year Monitoring of the North Halawa Valley Viaduct, Shrinkage and Creep of Concrete, SP-227, Editors: N.J. Gardner and Jason Weiss, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Michigan, 2005, pp. 143-162.
  26. Johnson, G., and Robertson, I. N., Repair of Slab-Column Connections Using Epoxy and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer, ASCE Composites in Construction Journal, Vol. 8, No. 5, Sept-Oct 2004, pp. 376-383.
  27. Robertson, I. N., Agapay, A. A., and Nakashima, L. M., Field Retrofit of Prestressed Concrete T-Beam Using CFRP, Field Applications of FRP Reinforcement: Case Studies, SP-215, Editors: Sami Rizkalla and Antonio Nanni, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Michigan, 2003, pp. 335-348.
  28. Robertson, I. N., Kawai, T., Lee, J., and Enomoto, B., Cyclic Testing of Slab-Column Connections with Shear Reinforcement, ACI Structural Journal, Vol. 99, No. 5, Sept-Oct 2002, pp 605-613.
  29. Robertson, Ian Nicol, Survey of Education and License Requirements for Structural Engineers, ASCE Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education & Practice, Vol. 128, No. 3, July 2002, pp 120-124.
  30. Robertson, Ian N., 2000. Correlation of Creep and Shrinkage Models with Field Observations, The Adam Neville Symposium: Creep and Shrinkage – Structural Design Effects ACI SPECIAL PUBLICATION SP-194, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Michigan, pp 261-282.
  31. Robertson, Ian. N., 1997. Analysis of Flat Slab Structures Subjected to Combined Lateral and Gravity Loads. ACI STRUCTURAL JOURNAL, American Concrete Institute, Michigan. V. 94, No. 6.
  32. Robertson, Ian. N., and Ambrose, C. J., 1996. Analytical Representation of Flat Plate Structures under Vertical and Lateral Loads. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN DEFLECTION EVALUATION OF CONCRETE, SP-161, Edward G. Nawy – Editor, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Michigan, pp. 51-73.
  33. Robertson, Ian. N., and Durrani, A. H., 1992, Gravity Load Effect on Seismic Behavior of Interior Slab-Column Connections. ACI STRUCTURAL JOURNAL, American Concrete Institute, V. 89, No. 1, pp. 37-45.
  34. Robertson, Ian. N., and Durrani, A. H., 1991. Gravity Load Effect on Seismic Behavior of Exterior Slab-Column Connections. ACI STRUCTURAL JOURNAL, American Concrete Institute, V. 88, No. 3, pp. 255-267.
  35. Robertson, I. N., and Durrani, A. H., Welded Wire Fabric as Shear Reinforcement in Prestressed Concrete T-Beams, PCI Journal, V. 32, No. 2, March/April 1987, pp. 46-61.

 

Back To Top