Ian D. Williams


Work Experience

Exponent - Associate January 2023 - Present

  • Concrete forensics

  • Structural failure analysis

  • Public utility systems auditing

CDM Smith - Structural Engineer 2 August 2020 - December 2022

  • Design of environmental and water-containing structures

  • Concrete mix design evaluation and forensic investigation of existing structures

  • FEMA project consulting and data tool development


Professional Licenses

Professional Engineer, Civil - California

  • License #: 95742


Education

University of California, Berkeley – Berkeley, CA                                                        August 2014 – May 2019

  • Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering – Structural Engineering Mechanics and Materials

  • Thesis: Rethinking Concrete Ductility in Compression

  • Minors: Numerical Mathematical Methods, Computational Fracture Mechanics

University of California, Berkeley – Berkeley, CA                                                      August 2013 – May 2014

  • M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering – Structural Engineering Mechanics and Materials

Purdue University – West Lafayette, IN                                                                  August 2009 – May 2013

  • B.S. in Civil Engineering,


Research Experience

Postdoctoral Research Scholar, UC Berkeley                                        June 2019 – December 2019

Research Advisor: Hayden Taylor

Funding sources: Singapore National Research Foundation

·         Analyze and design new systems for energy efficient cooling and dehumidification specific to tropical climates

·         Use novel fabrication methods to manufacture prototype heat exchangers with minimal cost and embedded energy

·         Test prototype assemblies under lab conditions and in situ in Singapore

·         Advise graduate and undergraduate research assistants

Graduate Student Researcher, UC Berkeley                                                                   August 2016 – May 2019

Research Advisors: Claudia P. Ostertag, Hayden Taylor

Funding sources: Singapore National Research Foundation, Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center

·         Development of new techniques for additive manufacturing of cementitious materials

·         Hybrid simulation of corroded reinforced concrete bridge columns

·         Design and test energy efficient, multifunctional façade systems

 

Graduate Student Researcher, SinBerBEST (Singapore Office)                                            January 2016 – July 2016

Research Advisors: Claudia P. Ostertag, Hayden Taylor

Funding Sources: Singapore National Research Foundation

·         Test the thermal and mechanical properties of double-skinned concrete façade panels

·         Perform computational optimization of cementitious lattices to maximize strength and insulating properties while minimizing the amount of material used

·         Use rapid prototyping methods to manufacture octet lattices for mechanical and thermal testing

 

Graduate Student Researcher, UC Berkeley                                                         January 2014 – December 2015

Research Advisor: Claudia P. Ostertag

Funding sources: National Science Foundation

·         Test full-scale shear wall boundary elements to better understand the behavior of reinforced concrete elements constructed with HyFRC

·         Conduct isolated compressive tests of reinforcing bars embedded in HyFRC and conventional concrete to compare buckling behavior

·         Nonlinear finite element modeling of HyFRC and reinforcing bars to predict buckling response and material interaction

 

Undergraduate Researcher, Purdue University                                                        March 2013 – August 2013

Research Advisor: Santiago Pujol

Funding Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology

·         Study structural damage caused by the Joplin Tornado

·         Aid in the creation of a system to store and organize data

·         Assess and categorize structural damage

 

Research Assistant, Bowen Civil Engineering Research Lab                                               May 2011 – August 2011

·         Assist Professors, Students, and Technicians in assembling test apparatus

·        General lab maintenance


Teaching Experience

Graduate Student Instructor, Seismic Reinforced Concrete Design                                                    Fall 2016

·         Lead weekly discussion sections

·         Clarify difficult concepts and helped students with homework problems

Graduate Student Instructor, Civil Engineering Materials                               Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2017, Spring 2018

·         Co-teach weekly lab sessions

·         Guide students through various material experiments

·         Help students gain a deeper understanding of material behavior


Technical Skills

Mechanical Testing

·         Strength, Toughness, Hardness, Fracture, Abrasion Resistance, Fatigue

Thermal Testing

·         Thermal Transmittance, Solar Heat Gain

Computational

·         Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis

·         Nonlinear Structural Analysis

·         Programming – Matlab, Python, Tcl


Relevant Coursework

Linear and Nonlinear Finite Element Methods, Linear and Nonlinear Structural Analysis, Structural Dynamics, Civil Engineering Materials, Continuum Mechanics, Fracture Mechanics, Numerical Mathematical Methods, Numerical Solutions to Differential Equations, Advanced Matrix Computations


 Awards

  • Siemens Engineering for Change Design Challenge Winner 2020

  • Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award (for courses taught in 2018)                            Spring 2019

  • Strategic Research Fellowship                                                                                             Spring 2017

  • Popert Fellowship                                                                                                    Fall 2015, Fall 2016

  • Departmental Fellowship                                                                                    Fall 2013 – Spring 2014


Publications

Williams, I. D., Arteta, C., Shao, Y., & Ostertag, C. P. (2022). Hybrid fiber reinforced concrete special shear wall boundary element in compression. Engineering Structures (View on ScienceDirect)

Williams, I. D., Arteta, C., & Ostertag, C. P. (2017). Experimental Response of a HyFRC Boundary Element Under Pure Compression. 16th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering. Santiago, Chile. pp. 1092.

 

Williams, I. D., Arteta, C. A., & Ostertag, C. P. (2018). Computational Buckling Response of Reinforcing Bars Embedded in Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete ( HyFRC ). In G. Meschke, B. Pichler, & J. G. Rots (Eds.), Computational Modelling of Concrete Structures (EURO-C 2018) (pp. 561–567). Taylor & Francis, London.

 

Aghdasi, P., Williams, I.D., Salazar, B., Panditi, N., Taylor, H. K., Ostertag, C. P. (2018) Lightweight Octet-Truss Engineered Composite (OTEC) for Façade and Flooring Systems. Composite Structures.


Presentations

16th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering                                                                                 2017

·         Oral Presentation – Experimental Response of a HyFRC Boundary Element Under Pure Compression

·         Chairman of general session on Special Structures

Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center Annual Meeting                                                         2018

·         Oral Presentation – Hybrid Simulation and Seismic Testing of Environmentally Damaged Bridges

EURO-C Computational Modeling of Concrete and Concrete Structures                                                2018

·         Oral Presentation – Computational Buckling response of Reinforcing Bars Embedded in Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete (HyFRC)

Digital Concrete, ETH Zurich 2018

·         Oral Presentation – Octet Truss Engineered Composite (OTEC)


References

Claudia P. Ostertag, T.Y. and Margaret Lin Professor of Civil Engineering

University of California, Berkeley

Hayden Taylor, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

University of California, Berkeley

Principal, Structural Engineer and Technical Delivery Manager

CDM Smith