Introduction of Professor Jonathan D. Bray, 2022 Seed Lecturer

It is my distinct honor to introduce Prof. Jonathan D. Bray as the 2022 Seed Lecturer. He is the Faculty Chair in Earthquake Engineering Excellence at the University of California at Berkeley, where he has taught since 1993, and his many accolades include his election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2015. Prof. Bray was selected for this award for his lasting contributions to geotechnical earthquake engineering through his research, technical leadership, and graduate student mentorship.

The wide range of Prof. Bray’s research contributions start with his doctoral research on fault rupture, which was performed with Prof. H. B. Seed, and has continued with a number of subsequent Ph.D. students. This work has provided approaches for understanding the mechanics of fault rupture propagation and the implications in engineering practice. Jon and his students have also made significant contributions to the seismic performance of earth structures, developing practical methodologies for estimating permanent seismic displacements that are used extensively in engineering practice. Jon’s research is also recognized in the field of liquefaction engineering, specifically for the testing, characterization, and assessment of liquefiable soils with fines of variable plasticity and the evaluation of liquefaction consequences.

Very relevant to Prof. H. B. Seed’s philosophy, Jon has led the field in founding the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association. Under Jon’s leadership, GEER has contributed immensely to the systematic collection of high-quality earthquake reconnaissance data following the occurrence of earthquakes around the world. This work has greatly contributed to the field of geotechnical earthquake engineering by collecting perishable data that have advanced the field in a way that would have been impossible otherwise. More than anybody else in the field, Jon not only has a career-long impressive record of documenting case histories and using field observations to advance the state of the art and practice of geotechnical earthquake engineering, but through GEER, he also has created the opportunity for others to contribute and lead in this area.

I could continue to list Jon’s numerous research accomplishments, but I would rather focus the rest of my comments on the impact Jon has had on the field through his mentoring of graduate students. To date, Jon has supervised over 35 Ph.D. students during his career, and 12 of us have followed in Jon’s footsteps to pursue careers in academia. In preparing the Seed nomination letter, Dimitrios Zekkos and I reached out to Jon’s former students to ask them how Jon influenced their education and careers. It turned into a reunion of sorts, as we reminisced about the impact he had on us through his advice and guidance. Jon loved to use sports analogies to provide motivation, and he often shared memorable quotes to emphasize specific life lessons such as focusing on our goals and accepting that we all make mistakes from which we can learn. And because of this unique way he mentored us, we still remember those lessons decades later. In some ways, Jon’s achievements in mentoring students toward academic careers has broadened his influence on the profession because it has created an entire generation of geotechnical engineering faculty members who are now impacting another generation of civil engineers.

And finally, on a personal level, I know I would not be where I am today without the mentoring, advice, and friendship of Jon Bray. Almost 25 years after finishing my Ph.D. under his supervision, he is still the first person I call when I need professional or personal advice. So, on behalf of all of your former graduate students all around the world, congratulations, Jon, on being selected as the 2022 Seed Lecturer.