Abstract:

CIGIDEN is a multidisciplinary research centre that brings together investigators and professionals from four universities in Chile, working on six research lines that includes earth sciences, engineering, social science, and economics. Similarities between the strategic concepts of QuakeCoRE and CIGIDEN are striking. Although we never had the chance to formally exchange research ideas before, we share many of the same research goals, the focus on a systemic view of resilience, an even the internal structures to carry out the research. Moreover, we both refer to our countries as socio-natural hazard laboratories that integrate scientific and local knowledge, and from that living laboratory see a national strategic advantage to channel this into a clear opportunity for natural, social, human and physical/economic development. This talk will explore some of the large synergies that may be established between CIGIDEN and QuakeCoRE in terms of research and development associated with this anomaly of being natural laboratories. The presentation will be structured in three parts. First, a description of the Chilean natural hazard context and its governance, including an external diagnosis, which will provide the audience with the proper framework to better understand the research priorities taken by CIGIDEN as described in the second section of the presentation. Finally, in its third part, some specific case studies will be presented and discussed as examples of the types of impacts CIGIDEN’s research has generated along its decade of development.    

Biography:

Juan Carlos de la Llera was the dean of Engineering at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC) from 2010-2022. He is a PUC Civil Engineer (’85) and obtained his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley (’94). His research covers the fields of seismic protection of structures, seismic risk analysis of complex systems, and nonlinear structural dynamics. Currently, he is one of the PIs of CIGIDEN, and president of the Public Technological Resilience Institute, Itrend. He has numerous publications and patents in the field, commanded the creation of a national strategy for Disaster Resilience, and was part of the National Innovation Council for 12 years. He participated in the creation of a new Ministry of Science and Technology. Besides his academic awards, he obtained the 2011 Endeavor Entrepreneur Award for the performance of his seismic protection technology during the 2010, Chile earthquake, and the National Innovation Trajectory Award in 2017.  Professionally, he has led the development and use of seismic protection technologies in Chile and South America in more than 100 large structures.

CIGDEN: Centro de Investigación para la Gestión Integrada del Riesgo de Desastres or the Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management