Nicolas Ambraseys
Encyclopedia
Professor Nicolas Neocles Ambraseys Dip.Eng DIC PhD FICE FREng (Greek
: Νικόλαος Αμβράζης, born 1929 in Greece) is a Greek Engineering Seismologist
. He was Professor
and now Emeritus Professor of Engineering Seismology and Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London
.
(Diploma
in 1952) and then Civil Engineering at Imperial College
specialising in Soil Mechanics
and Engineering Seismology. He worked with Professors Alec Skempton
and Alan W. Bishop
and obtained his PhD
degree in 1958; his thesis title was "The seismic stability of earth dams". He joined the staff in 1958 as a Lecturer and he was appointed a Reader
in Engineering Seismology in 1968 and full Professor of Engineering Seismology in 1974.
In 1968 he established the Engineering Seismology Section (ESEE) (now part of the Geotechnics Section) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Imperial College and served as its first Head from 1971 to 1994, until he retired and was reappointed as Senior Research Investigator. He founded and became the first chairman of the British National Committee of Earthquake Engineering.
His doctoral work on the seismic stability of dams (1958) dealt, among other issues, with the prediction of permanent displacements in earth dams after earthquakes and formed the basis of what is today known as the Newmark's sliding block
analysis method (1965). Newmark
himself acknowledged Ambraseys' contribution to this method through various discussions between the two researchers while the latter was a Visiting Professor at the University of Illinois.
He was extensively involved in the European Strong Motion Database project. He also worked on hydrodynamics and investigated how to calculate hydrodynamic forces on various types of structures. Moreover, his contribution to tsunamis has been significant, and there is an intensity scale named after him (Sieberg-Ambraseys Tsunami Intensity Scale) .
He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
, of the European Academy, of the Academy of Athens
and the medallist of a number of UK and European learned societies. Professor Ambraseys was invited in 2004 to deliver the 44th Rankine Lecture
of the British Geotechnical Society, titled Engineering, seismology and soil mechanics.
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
: Νικόλαος Αμβράζης, born 1929 in Greece) is a Greek Engineering Seismologist
Seismology
Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic,...
. He was Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and now Emeritus Professor of Engineering Seismology and Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
.
Curriculum
Professor Ambraseys studied Rural and Surveying Engineering at the National Technical University of AthensNational Technical University of Athens
The National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....
(Diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
in 1952) and then Civil Engineering at Imperial College
Imperial College Civil & Environmental Engineering
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London is located in the Skempton Building at the South Kensington Campus in London. It is one of the 9 main academic departments of the Faculty of Engineering. The current Head of the Department is Professor David A...
specialising in Soil Mechanics
Soil mechanics
Soil mechanics is a branch of engineering mechanics that describes the behavior of soils. It differs from fluid mechanics and solid mechanics in the sense that soils consist of a heterogeneous mixture of fluids and particles but soil may also contain organic solids, liquids, and gasses and other...
and Engineering Seismology. He worked with Professors Alec Skempton
Alec Skempton
Sir Alec Skempton FRS was a leader in and founding father of Soil Mechanics. As a founding member of the Institution of Civil Engineers' Soil Mechanics and Foundations committees he studied at City and Guilds College London and established the Soil Mechanics course at Imperial College London,...
and Alan W. Bishop
Alan W. Bishop
Professor Alan Wilfred Bishop MA PhD DIC DSc was a British Geotechnical Engineer and an academic at Imperial College London.He was known for the Bishop's method of analysing soil slopes. After his graduation from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Bishop worked under Alec Skempton and obtained his PhD...
and obtained his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree in 1958; his thesis title was "The seismic stability of earth dams". He joined the staff in 1958 as a Lecturer and he was appointed a Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in Engineering Seismology in 1968 and full Professor of Engineering Seismology in 1974.
In 1968 he established the Engineering Seismology Section (ESEE) (now part of the Geotechnics Section) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Imperial College and served as its first Head from 1971 to 1994, until he retired and was reappointed as Senior Research Investigator. He founded and became the first chairman of the British National Committee of Earthquake Engineering.
Scientific work
His major research focuses on Engineering Seismology and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering. He specialised in Earthquake Hazard Assessment, the earthquake resistant design of geotechnical structures (dams and foundations) and strong-motion seismology; on which he published widely, provided consulting services and edited work of other colleagues in numerous journals.His doctoral work on the seismic stability of dams (1958) dealt, among other issues, with the prediction of permanent displacements in earth dams after earthquakes and formed the basis of what is today known as the Newmark's sliding block
Newmark's sliding block
The Newmark's sliding block analysis method is an engineering method used to calculate the permanent displacements of soil slopes during seismic loading. It is also simply called Newmark's analysis or Sliding block method of slope stability analysis.-History:The method was proposed by Nathan M...
analysis method (1965). Newmark
Nathan M. Newmark
Nathan Mortimore Newmark was an American structural engineer and academic. He was awarded the National Medal of Science for engineering.-Early life:...
himself acknowledged Ambraseys' contribution to this method through various discussions between the two researchers while the latter was a Visiting Professor at the University of Illinois.
He was extensively involved in the European Strong Motion Database project. He also worked on hydrodynamics and investigated how to calculate hydrodynamic forces on various types of structures. Moreover, his contribution to tsunamis has been significant, and there is an intensity scale named after him (Sieberg-Ambraseys Tsunami Intensity Scale) .
He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Royal Academy of Engineering
-Overview: is the UK’s national academy of engineering. The Academy brings together the most successful and talented engineers from across the engineering sectors for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering....
, of the European Academy, of the Academy of Athens
Academy of Athens
Academy of Athens may refer to:* Platonic Academy* Academy of Athens...
and the medallist of a number of UK and European learned societies. Professor Ambraseys was invited in 2004 to deliver the 44th Rankine Lecture
Rankine Lecture
The Rankine Lecture is hosted in March each year by the British Geotechnical Association. It is widely viewed as the most prestigious of the invited lectures in Geotechnics.The lecture commemorates W. J. M...
of the British Geotechnical Society, titled Engineering, seismology and soil mechanics.