Dr. Sissy Nikolaou Moderator

Sissy Nikolaou, PhD, PE, BC.GE, F.ASCE, is a senior geotechnical and earthquake engineer in the Engineering Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She serves as project lead investigator in the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) studying the 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. Sissy brings over 25 years of worldwide consulting experience critical infrastructure and high-rise buildings in her input to the NIST-led national hazard reduction statutory programs for earthquakes and windstorms (NEHRP and NWIRP). Her research for resilient lifelines is bridging multi-hazard engineering with financial returns on investments, with applications that can evaluate the risk landscape of communities and support their decisions. Sissy has served as ASCE-GI President and as Director of the Earthquake Engineering Institute (EERI) and the Applied Technology Council (ATC) and is the chair on the New York City Seismic Code and the vice-chair of the NIBS Lifelines Hub.