The IASSAR Awards Committee has honored Enrique Simbort Zeballos with the Best Paper Award at the 14th International Conference on Structural Safety and Reliability (ICOSSAR 2025), held June 1–6, 2025 on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
ICOSSAR is a premier global forum organized by the International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability (IASSAR), dedicated to advancing scientific research and applications in structural safety, risk, and reliability across engineering systems. The conference brings together leading academics, practitioners, and researchers to share innovations in structural analysis, probabilistic modeling, and risk assessment.
Awarded Research: A Breakthrough in Seismic Model Calibration
Mr. Simbort Zeballos’s paper, titled “Bayesian Nonlinear Finite Element Model Updating of a Full-Scale Bridge Column: Insights from Calibration of Inherent Damping Model,” stood out among a competitive field of international submissions.
The work forms part of his Ph.D. research, conducted under the supervision of Prof. Joel Conte, and focuses on Bayesian model updating of complex structural systems—a key challenge in modern structural engineering. This research advances Bayesian approaches for calibrating nonlinear finite element models, with a special emphasis on improving the characterization of inherent damping in reinforced concrete structures exposed to seismic loads.
Inherent damping represents the energy dissipation mechanisms in structural systems that are not otherwise captured by explicit material or mechanical models. Mr. Simbort Zeballos’s research demonstrates how Bayesian techniques can rigorously calibrate model parameters—including damping behavior—by integrating experimental data from full-scale bridge column tests and advanced statistical inference methods.
His findings reveal a pronounced response amplitude-dependent behavior of inherent damping during seismic excitation, offering new insights that can refine predictive modeling and structural performance analysis in earthquake engineering. This contributes to the ongoing development of more reliable digital twin and structural health monitoring frameworks for critical infrastructure.
Recognition at a Global Event
Receiving the Best Paper Award from IASSAR highlights both the technical rigor and innovative impact of Mr. Simbort Zeballos’s research within the international structural engineering community. The award places him among the forefront of young researchers whose work is poised to influence design, assessment, and resilience strategies for structures in seismic regions.
ICOSSAR 2025 continues a long tradition of excellence in structural safety research, fostering collaboration on topics ranging from probabilistic modeling and uncertainty quantification to seismic risk assessment and performance-based design.
