About

Gustavo A. Araújo R.

Gustavo A. Araújo R. is a PhD candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University (expected December 2026), where he works at the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center. His research combines experimental testing, nonlinear finite-element modeling, and GPU-accelerated simulation to study reinforced concrete and low-damage mass timber–steel structural systems under earthquake loading.

Background

I received BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia, where I worked with Prof. Carlos A. Arteta on reinforced concrete shear wall buildings, thin lightly reinforced concrete walls, and masonry-infilled moment-resisting frames.

Gustavo A. Araújo R. receiving his BS in Civil Engineering diploma at Universidad del Norte, 2018

BS graduation, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, 2018.

In 2020 I moved to the United States for an MS in Wood Science at Oregon State University. At OSU I worked with Profs. Barbara G. Simpson, Andre R. Barbosa, and Arijit Sinha on the design, experimental testing, and numerical modeling of a three-story mass timber building with pivoting walls and buckling-restrained energy dissipators, in collaboration with the TallWood Design Institute. See the OSU three-story test project for testing videos.

Gustavo A. Araújo at the Oregon State University structural laboratory during three-story mass timber testing

At the OSU structural laboratory during three-story mass timber testing, November 2022 (TallWood Design Institute).

At Stanford, my doctoral research includes NSF-funded work on GPU-accelerated nonlinear analysis and participation in the NHERI Converging Design project, including Phase II shake-table testing of a six-story mass timber building at UC San Diego in January 2024. See the six-story shake-table project for recordings from the test.

NHERI Converging Design team members at the UC San Diego shake-table facility during Phase II testing

Investigators on site during the final days of six-story mass timber shake-table testing at UC San Diego

Team members on site during the final days of Phase II shake-table testing, UC San Diego, January 2024 (NHERI Converging Design).

In July 2024 I attended the 18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (18WCEE) in Milan, Italy, with the Simpson Lab. I presented Accelerating Finite-Element Structural Elastic Dynamic Analysis Using GPU Computing (lab recap).

Simpson Lab group at the 18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering in Milan, Italy

Gustavo A. Araújo R. at the 18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering in Milan, Italy

18WCEE, Milan, Italy, July 2024 — Simpson Lab group and at the conference (photos courtesy of Simpson Lab).

In May 2025 I participated in the Stanford Engineering Centennial Showcase with the Simpson Lab, presenting a scaled shaking-table demo of mass timber rocking walls with BRBs and outreach on NHERI Converging Design testing (lab recap).

Gustavo A. Araújo R. presenting a scaled mass timber rocking-wall model at the Stanford Engineering Centennial Showcase

Simpson Lab team with the shake-table model built for the Centennial Showcase demo

Stanford Engineering Centennial Showcase, May 15, 2025 — outdoor demo and Simpson Lab team with the model (photos courtesy of Simpson Lab).

Before graduate school, I completed a PEER summer internship at UC Berkeley (2017), working on nonlinear modeling of reinforced concrete wall buildings with OpenSees under Prof. Jack P. Moehle, and worked as an engineering intern at Ingenia Structural in Colombia.

2017 PEER summer interns at the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley

PEER summer interns, 2017 — Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley.

Current interests

  • Nonlinear finite-element analysis
  • GPU-accelerated computing
  • Earthquake engineering and seismic risk
  • Mass timber and low-damage structural systems
  • Reinforced concrete

Teaching

  • Winter 2025 — Teaching Assistant, CEE 282: Nonlinear Structural Analysis, Stanford University
  • 2018–2019 — Graduate Teaching Assistant, Statics, Universidad del Norte
  • 2014–2017 — Undergraduate Peer Tutor, Universidad del Norte (Statics, Mechanics of Materials, Differential Equations, Soil Mechanics, Structural Analysis)

Service & leadership

Since 2022 I have been an active member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Student Leadership Council. I served as Seismic Design Competition (SDC) Chair (2022–2023), Lead SDC Chair (2023–2024), and Co-President (2024–2025). I also delivered an online OpenSees workshop in Spanish through Universidad del Norte and participated in the 2025 EERI Learning From Earthquakes Travel Study in Mexico City.

2025 EERI Seismic Design Competition participants and team members at Berkeley, California

2025 EERI Seismic Design Competition, Berkeley, CA.

2025 EERI Learning From Earthquakes travel study participants at the United Nations office in Mexico City

2025 EERI Learning From Earthquakes travel study group at Torre Reforma, Mexico City

2025 EERI Learning From Earthquakes Travel Study — United Nations office (above) and Torre Reforma (below), Mexico City. Photos courtesy of EERI.

Education

Degree Institution Field Year
PhD (in progress) Stanford University Civil & Environmental Engineering Expected Dec 2026
MS Oregon State University Wood Science 2023
MS Universidad del Norte Civil Engineering (Structures) 2021
BS Universidad del Norte Civil Engineering 2018

Honors & awards

  • Shah Fellowship on Catastrophic Risk, Stanford University (2025–2026)
  • EERI Learning From Earthquakes Travel Study Participant, Mexico City (2025)
  • PEER Lightning Talks Contest — Runner-up, UC Berkeley (2023)
  • PEER Pitches Contest — Winner, UC Berkeley (2022)
  • Cum Laude Distinction (MS Thesis), Universidad del Norte (2021)
  • Tallwood Design Institute Fellowship, Oregon State University (2020–2022)
  • Provost’s Distinguished Graduate Scholarship, Oregon State University (2020)
  • Diploma for Graduate of Excellence, Universidad del Norte (2018)

Media & profiles

Email, affiliation, and professional profiles are on the Contact page.