Andrew Whittaker elected to National Academy of Engineering

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Andrew S. Whittaker, a SUNY Distinguished Professor at the University at Buffalo and an internationally renowned scholar and engineer, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in its Class of 2026.

Election to the NAE is one of the highest professional honors bestowed upon an engineer. Academy membership honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education. According to NAE, Whittaker’s election recognizes his work “advancing performance-based earthquake engineering, seismic isolation, and damping systems for buildings, bridges and nuclear power plants.”

“Professor Whittaker’s election to the National Academy of Engineering is a fitting tribute to an exceptional scholar whose research has significantly advanced the safety of infrastructure around the world,” said UB president Satish K. Tripathi. “Over his career, Dr. Whittaker has been highly influential in shaping guidelines, standards, codes and practice in civil and structural engineering. His dedication to excellence exemplifies the intellectual leadership of our UB faculty, and we are proud to see the real-world impact of his work — protecting communities and critical infrastructure — distinguished among the most consequential contributions in engineering today.”

Whittaker’s work and leadership are directly responsible for several American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standards, including those associated with seismic design criteria for nuclear facilities, blast protection of buildings, seismic assessment and retrofit of existing buildings, and more.

“As Andrew’s longtime colleague, I know firsthand that he is a truly outstanding scholar with a deep commitment to excellence, a leader within his school and field, and an excellent university and professional citizen,” said A. Scott Weber, UB provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Through his research and his collaborations within the practicing, international structural engineering community, he has greatly advanced his field and had a tremendous impact on how structures are protected from natural and man-made disasters. Congratulations to Andrew on this well-deserved recognition.”    

Whittaker has also been instrumental in helping to develop Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines, seismic evaluations and resilience assessments. He is credited with significant contributions to the first generation of tools for performance-based earthquake engineering in the 1990s, and he led the structural engineering products team that helped write the second generation of these tools in the 2000s.

“Election to the National Academy of Engineering reflects the global impact and distinction of Professor Whittaker’s work,” said Kemper Lewis, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “His leadership, scholarship, and mentorship have helped shape the fields of civil and earthquake engineering. We are incredibly proud to see his lifetime of dedication to the engineering profession recognized at the highest level.”

Whittaker has worked throughout his career to develop seismic protective devices and systems, characterizing seismic hazard, performance-based seismic design, and other mission-critical systems and technologies. He has been honored by ASCE — an authoritative source for codes and standards that protect the public — with multiple awards for his contributions to earthquake, blast, impact, and performance-based engineering, and for his work in the energy sector. He has received ASCE’s Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. Energy Award, the Walter P. Moore, Jr. Award, Nathan M. Newmark Medal and Distinguished Membership.

Whittaker is known internationally for his work in the nuclear energy sector and has chaired the ASCE Nuclear Standards Committee for over a decade. He has prepared contract reports and a topical report on seismic isolation for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In 2024, he was a member of a White House working group on Nuclear Power Plant Management and Delivery. In 2023, Whittaker was the inaugural recipient of the Untermyer & Cisler Reactor Technology Medal from the American Nuclear Society.

“Andrew Whittaker has spent his entire career advancing civil and earthquake engineering. His contributions have made countless communities and structures safer and more resilient,” said Alan Rabideau, professor and chair in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. “I can think of no better recognition for Professor Whittaker than election to the National Academy of Engineering.”

Whittaker’s research funding includes grants and awards from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Highway Administration, and many others.

He joined UB in 2001, and he received his doctorate and master’s degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Melbourne. In 2025, Whittaker received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Melbourne, the university’s highest honor, and he was elected to the University of California, Berkeley’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni.