Michel Soto Chalhoub

Who is Michel Soto Chalhoub?

Michel Soto Chalhoub is a civil engineer who pioneered modern practice in shock, vibration, and seismic design using energy dissipating devices [ref]. He developed his methodologies while at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his Ph.D. in dynamics and seismic design.

He focused his research and his product development projects on critical facilities that are needed to remain functional during and in the aftermath of a major tremor such as fire command centers, hospitals, and transportation facilities. Chalhoub applied advanced structural dynamics to projects such as TITAN IV Solid Motor, Disney theme parks, and offshore docking cells. Chalhoub became well known for his work on fluid-structure interaction as researchers, to-date, use his work as a historic reference on structures and fluids in some of the most seismically active countries such as Japan, Turkey, and Iran. He was awarded the Graduate Student Instructor Award at the University of California in 1988, and the Engineer of the Year Award at the Parsons Corporation in Pasadena in 1990 for pioneering work in applied dynamics to solve environmental problems.