Advancing seismic risk assessment through physics-based numerical approaches to earthquake ground-motion modeling

SPEAKER:  Chiara Smerzini,

Professor of Structural Engineering at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Politecnico di Milano, Italy

TITLE: Advancing seismic risk assessment through physics-based

numerical approaches to earthquake ground-motion modeling

ABSTRACT:  With the advancement of high-performance computing, three-dimensional physics-based numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation have emerged as one of the most promising tools to address knowledge gaps arising from the sparsity of recorded ground motions, which often prevents a proper definition of seismic input for specific earthquake scenarios (e.g., in the near-source region of strong earthquakes), seismotectonic contexts (e.g., volcanic or induced seismicity), or complex site conditions (e.g., deep alluvial basins). By numerically solving the elastodynamic equations over large-scale domains, physics-based simulations enable the generation of region-specific ground motions with a detailed representation of their temporal and spatial variability, capturing the full physics of seismic wave propagation from the fault rupture to wave propagation and local site response in shallow geological layers. The main goal of this seminar is to present and discuss recent advances and ongoing challenges in the use of three-dimensional physics-based simulations to support a wide range of earthquake engineering applications. These include the simulation of historical and plausible earthquake scenarios, the development of validated datasets of simulated accelerograms for ground-motion modeling and performance-based engineering, as well as physics- and mechanics-based frameworks for the prediction of urban-scale seismic damage scenarios.

BIO: Chiara Smerzini is Associate Professor of Structural Engineering at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Politecnico di Milano, where she teaches courses related to Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics. She obtained her PhD in Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology from IUSS Pavia in 2010. Her research lies at the interface between engineering seismology and earthquake engineering, focusing on seismic hazard and risk assessment for large urban areas and critical infrastructure, the development and application of physics-based numerical methods for 3D seismic wave propagation in complex media, and the characterization of earthquake ground motion and its spatial variability for engineering applications, with implications for the definition of seismic actions in building codes. She has been involved—also as principal investigator and task leader—in numerous national and international research projects funded both by public institutions (including EU H2020, the Italian Ministry of University and Research, and Civil Protection Authorities) and by industry partners, such as Munich Re, swissnuclear, and EDF (France). She is the author of more than 70 publications in international journals and conference proceedings and has  been invited to speak at several international conferences.

DATE/TIME: Thursday 26 February 2026, at 2.30pm CET.

LOCATION:  Aula Magna - Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Via Mezzocannone n. 4

The colloquium will be broadcast also online, on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 841 4421 2706    |    Passcode: 656302