Dimitrios Lignos

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Full Professor

dimitrios.lignos@epfl.ch +41 21 693 24 27

+41 21 693 24 27
EPFL > ENAC > ENAC-SGC > SGC-ENS

EPFL ENAC IIC RESSLAB
GC B3 485 (Bâtiment GC)
Station 18
1015 Lausanne

+41 21 693 24 27
Office: GC B3 485
EPFL > ENAC > IIC > RESSLAB

Web site: Web site: https://resslab.epfl.ch/

EPFL ENAC IIC-GE
GC B3 484 (Bâtiment GC)
Station 18
1015 Lausanne

+41 21 693 24 27
Office: GC B3 485
EPFL > ENAC > IIC > IIC-GE

+41 21 693 24 27
EPFL > ENAC > ENAC-DEC > ENAC-DIR

Web site: Web site: https://www.epfl.ch/schools/enac/about/organization/

+41 21 693 24 27
EPFL > VPA-AVP-DLE > AVP-DLE-EDOC > EDCE-ENS

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Fields of expertise

-Performance-Based Design
-Multi-scale Experimental Testing
-Nonlinear Analysis with Emphasis on Deterioration Phenomena
-Seismic Design & Assessment of Steel and Composite-steel Concrete Structures
-Assessment and Retrofitting of Existing Structures

Biography

Dimitrios Lignos is a Full Professor and Department Chair of the Civil Engineering Institute (IIC Director) at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He joined EPFL in 2016 from McGill University, Canada, where he was a tenured Associate Professor. Prior to that he was a postdoctoral researcher at Kyoto University (2010) and Stanford University (2009). He holds degrees in Structural Engineering (Stanford University, M.S. 2004, Ph.D. 2008) and Civil Engineering (NTU, Athens, 5-year Diploma 2003). Prof. Lignos’s research focuses on the fundamental understanding of extreme limit states such as structural collapse. The research combines physical experimentation across scales, data-driven techniques along with the development of physics-based and engineering-oriented models for nonlinear finite element analysis to exploit and implement new design paradigms in seismic design. His awards include the 2025 Special Achievement Award by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the 2022 Raymond Reese Research Prize and the 2019 Walter L. Huber Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) among others. As a member of the Project Team 2, he wrote the new chapters on the steel and composite steel concrete structures in the second generation of Eurocode 8 Parts 1-1 and 1-2 and the new Clause 9 of Eurocode 8 Part 3 for the seismic assessment of existing steel structures. Prof. Lignos is a member of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) S16 technical committee for Steel Structures and SIA-263 in Switzerland. Since 2025 he serves as an Editor in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, the journal of the International Association for Earthquake Engineering.

Current work

Structural stability of steel and composite-steel concrete structures
Computational mechanics-based simulation
Inverse plasticity problems
Seismic design for deconstruction
Low-damage structural systems
Seismic risk assessment

Education

Post-Doctorate

Seismic Assessment of Existing Tall Structures under Long-Duration Ground Motions, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Scholar

Kyoto University

09/2009 - 08/2010

Post-Doctorate

Seismic Retrofit of Existing Steel Structures with Innovative Materials

Stanford University

09/2008 - 09/2009

Ph.D.

Sidesway Collapse of Deteriorating Structural Systems under Seismic Excitations

Stanford University

09/2004 - 09/2008

Master or Science

Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering, Program: Structural Engineering and Geomechanics

Stanford University

09/2003 - 06/2004

Diploma

Civil Engineering/Structural Engineering, Diploma Thesis: Evaluation of Nonlinear Analysis Methods for Seismic Assessment of Steel Structures

National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)

10/1998 - 06/2003

Awards

2025 : Special Achievement Award : American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)

2022 : Raymond C. Reese Research Prize : American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

2019 : Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize : American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

2011 : Outstanding Teaching Award : McGill University, Faculty of Engineering

2013 : State-of-the-Art in Civil Engineering Award : ASCE

2014 : Christophe Pierre Award for Research Excellence - Early Career : McGill University, Montreal, CanadaThe Christophe Pierre Award for Research Excellence recognizes excellence in research by academic staff in the Faculty of Engineering.

Publications

Infoscience publications

List of Peer Reviewed Publications

2025

Journal Articles

A torsional fiber element and a multiaxial softening model to simulate cyclic interactive buckling in wide-flanged steel members

A. Maity; A. Kanvinde; D. I. Heredia Rosa; A. de Castro e Sousa; D. G. Lignos

Computers and Structures. 2025. DOI : 10.1016/j.compstruc.2025.107970.

Dimitrios Lignos

Full Professor

Fields of expertise

Biography

Current work

Education

Awards

Publications

Infoscience publications

List of Peer Reviewed Publications

2025

Journal Articles

A torsional fiber element and a multiaxial softening model to simulate cyclic interactive buckling in wide-flanged steel members

A Force‐Based Beam‐Column Element With Selective Gradient‐Inelasticity for Softening Materials in 3‐Dimensional Nonlinear Analysis

Simulating Interactive Buckling in Steel Members Using a Torsional Fiber Element Integrated with a Multiaxial Local Buckling Constitutive Model

Hysteretic Behavior of Circular Hollow Section Panel Zones in Beam-to-Column Subassemblies with Large Panel Aspect Ratio

Special Issue: Large‐Scale Testing of Earthquake‐Resistant Structures: Accomplishments and Future Challenges

STEEL-3dPointClouds: dataset supporting quantification of residual life and reusability of steel beam-columns

A Multiaxial Plasticity Model with Softening for Simulating Inelastic Cyclic Local Buckling in Steel Beam Columns Using Fiber Elements

Proposed Stiffener Spacing Requirements for Intermediate Length Links in Eccentrically Braced Frames

Shake table tests on nonlinear steel fuses for the acceleration-control of nonstructural components

Evaluation of overstrength-based interaction checks for columns in steel moment frames

A Multiaxial Plasticity Model with Softening for Simulating Inelastic Local Buckling in Steel Beam Columns under Monotonic Loading through Fiber Elements

2024

Journal Articles

Full-Scale Tests to Characterize the Effect of Framing Action and Slab Continuity on the Collapse Capacity of Composite Frames Under Cyclic Loading

Uniaxial material model with softening for simulating the cyclic behavior of steel tubes in concrete-filled steel tube beam-columns

Cyclic pushover analysis for seismic response evaluation of a full-scale 10-story steel building tested on the E-Defense shake-table

Sharing data and code facilitates reproducible and impactful research

Conference Papers

Seismic Performance of Steel Moment-Resisting Frames Utilizing Dissipative Embedded Column Base Connections

A Novel Fiber Element to Simulate Interactive Local and Lateral Torsional Buckling in Steel Moment Frames

Modelling and Experimental Investigation of Ductile Crack Initiation in Welded Connections with Bevelled Backing Bars and Inelastic Panel Zones

Proposed Limits of Stiffener Spacing Requirements for Short and Intermediate Length EBF Steel Links

Theses

A Softening Constitutive Law and Gradient-Inelastic Fiber-Based Element for 3-Dimensional Frame Simulations Under Seismic Excitations

Patents

Beam-column joint structure

Student Projects

Comparative Design of Two-Storey Buildings Using the New Eurocode 8

Development of models for assessing corroded steel girder web panels in bridges

Assessment of resistance models according to SIA 263 and the new Eurocode 3 for lateral torsional buckling of I-shaped bridge girders

Assessment of existing steel structures

Experimental validation, numerical modelling and design comparison for steel beams against lateral torsional buckling

2023

Journal Articles

Backbone curve variations on steel building seismic response

Experiments and proposed model for residual stresses in hot-rolled wide flange shapes

Proposed Stiffener Spacing Requirements for the Seismic Design of Short Links in Eccentrically Braced Steel Frames

A Displacement-Based Fiber Element to Simulate Interactive Lateral Torsional and Local Buckling in Steel Members

Uniaxial Cyclic and Tensile Tests on Structural Metallic Materials

Influence of gravity connections and damper activation forces on the seismic behavior of steel CBF buildings with dissipative floor connectors

The automated collapse data constructor technique and the data-driven methodology for seismic collapse risk assessment

Full-Scale Experiments of Cyclically Loaded Welded Moment Connections with Highly Dissipative Panel Zones and Simplified Weld Details

Seismic Assessment and Retrofit of Pre-Northridge High Rise Steel Moment Resisting Frame Buildings with Bilinear Oil Dampers

Conference Papers

Experimental Evaluation and Modeling of Residual Stress Distributions for Hot-Rolled Wide Flange Steel Members

The new Chapter 9 of Eurocode 8 Part 3 for Seismic Assessment of Existing Steel Structures

Full Scale Experiments of a Composite Steel Moment Resisting Frame: Behavioral Insights and Implications on Seismic Design

Proposed Limits of Stiffener Spacing Requirements for EBF Links Within the Framework of Eurocode 8

Experimental Investigation of Instability-Free Welded Moment Connections With Simplified Weld Details

The use of ductile steel fuses for the seismic protection of acceleration sensitive non- structural components: Numerical and Experimental verification

Dissipative Embedded Column Bases for Enhanced Seismic Performance of Steel Moment Resisting Frames

Proposed Panel Zone Model for Beam-To-Column Joints in Steel Moment Resisting Frames

Digital-Image-Correlation for Simulating Cyclic Local Buckling in Steel Beams

Towards instability-free welded moment connections

Surrogate modelling for seismic collapse risk assessment of steel moment resisting frames

Hysteretic behaviour of welded connections with highly inelastic panel zones

Geometric tolerances of welded connections with inelastic panel zones

Proposed residual stress model for hot‐rolled wide flange steel cross sections

Student Projects

Finite element investigation of the Slotted-Hidden-Gap (SHG) connection for square HSS bracing members under cyclic loading

Response history analysis of steel buildings with highly inelastic panel zones

Use of Iron-Based Shape Memory Alloys for Anchor Yield Column Base Connections

Datasets

Database of Residual Stress Measurements on Hot-rolled Wide Flange Steel Cross Sections

2022

Journal Articles

Experimental Investigation of the Inelastic Cyclic Behavior of Concrete-Filled Double-Skin Tubular Beam-Columns with Corrugated Inner Skins and Ultrahigh-Strength Corner Tubes

Effect of thermomechanical treatment and microstructure on pseudo-elastic behavior of Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-Ni-(V, C) shape memory alloy