Ph.D. Luís Pinzón, doctorate student of the Escuela de Caminos, pioneer in seismic research

Monday, February 10, 2025

The dotorate of the Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics and current director of the Centro de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica de la Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua - Panamá, Ph.D. Luis Pinzón. has been awarded two prestigious prizes in the field of seismic engineering. These recognitions not only highlight his dedication and effort, but also the relevance of his studies in the mitigation of seismic risks at a global level.

 

 

The first of these awards is the Award for the Best Doctoral Thesis in Pure or Applied Geophysics of the García Siñeriz Foundation, which recognizes the doctoral thesis developed at the Escola de Camins - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya under the direction of Ph. D. Luis Pujades, professor emeritus and Ph.D. Albert Macau, Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya. This award highlights the importance of his research and the resulting scientific products.

The second recognition is the Shah Family Innovation Prize of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), which distinguishes young researchers with an excellent track record, whose scientific and technological advances have had a significant impact on earthquake engineering. This award reinforces the commitment of Ph.d. Luis Pinzón with research and innovation for the reduction of seismic risks.

The awardee's doctoral thesis focuses on the analysis of the effects of seismic directionality and the influence of soil conditions on seismic risk. His investigation is structured in three main blocks: the effects of seismic directionality, the seismic classification of the site and the dynamic soil-structure interaction. Thanks to this work, 10 scientific articles have been published in indexed journals, demonstrating the relevance and impact of the study, both in the scientific community and in the practice of seismic engineering.

By Ph.D. Luis Pinzón, training at the Escuela de Caminos at the UPC has been an invaluable experience and highlights the institution's academic excellence and access to cutting-edge resources. Under the guidance of Ph.d. Lluís Pujades, has been able to develop research with real impact on the mitigation of seismic risk, marking a before and after in his career as a researcher.

Finally, the director of Centro de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica de la Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua, recommends that young people interested in civil engineering consider the Ph.D. programs offered at the Escola de Camins. The university offers an environment of academic excellence, cutting-edge technologies, highly qualified and internationally recognized professors, and the opportunity to develop research with global impact. The international collaboration and the interdisciplinary approach of the Escuela de Caminos - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya programs is one of the best options for specializing in this field.

 

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