Biography

Nelson Lam is Professor and leader of the Structures and Buildings Discipline in Department of Infrastructure Engineering at The University of Melbourne. He has 40 years of experience in structural engineering, and has been working in the specialized field of earthquake engineering and structural dynamics in the past 32 years, and impact engineering in the past 12 years. He is member of the Structural College Board of Engineers Australia, Editor-in-chief of the Australian Journal of Structural Engineer, member of the Seismic and Dynamic Events Panel commissioned by the London Headquarter of The Institution of Structural Engineers, and also member of the standing committee for future revisions to the Australian standard for seismic actions. His achievement in research in earthquake engineering was recognized by the award of the Chapman Medal (1999) and Warren Medal (2006) by Engineers Australia; and Chapman Medal for the second time in 2010, and for the third time in 2020. He is also recipient of Award for Teaching Excellence given out by Engineers Australia in 2012 and Academic Staff Teaching Award by Melbourne School of Engineering in 2013. He is lead author of the professional guidebook titled Design of Buildings and Structures in Low to Moderate Seismicity Regions which was launched in 2018. The book can be accessed online FREE by visiting the website: http://quakeadvice.org . His early career as a structural engineer was with Scott Wilson International in the 1980’s and attained British chartered engineer status during that period. He was awarded the degree of BSc in civil engineering with first class honours at the University of Leeds, England in 1981, MSc degree in concrete structures at Imperial College of Science & Technology, London in 1982 and PhD in earthquake engineering at The University of Melbourne in 1993.