One of the newest members of the Graduate Group in Development Engineering is no stranger to disaster.

Luis Ceferino, a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, travels to disaster sites around the world to study how and why infrastructure fails, and how governments can build more resilient cities with limited resources.

His fieldwork spans earthquake zones in Turkey, Nepal, and Peru to hurricane-affected communities in New York and New Jersey. His research has revealed how factors like housing markets and economic inequality shape recovery just as much as the physical damage itself.

Now bringing that expertise to the MDevEng program, Ceferino mentors students on capstone projects and teaches Disaster Risk Analysis, a course covering infrastructure vulnerability and extreme-event modeling. Current projects with students include modeling flood risk in coastal communities and studying hospital earthquake response through virtual reality. 

“I think students just take an idea and give it its own direction, which is amazing,” says Ceferino, who recently won a prestigious NSF award. “I’m excited to be part of that kind of community and learn more about the students who come through the program.”