Brian McDonald Receives Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. Energy Award

Corporate Vice President and Principal Engineer recognized by American Society of Civil Engineers for contributions to U.S. energy sector

Exponent's Brian McDonald, Ph.D., S.E., F.ASCE, has won the ASCE 2026 Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. Energy Award. The award was established in 1992 to recognize "sustained and impactful contributions to energy sectors in the United States, including electrical power transmission, nuclear power generation, and DOE facilities, via consulting and leadership of ASCE standards committees, and the development of risk-informed, performance-based seismic design," states ASCE. 
 

"I am both delighted and humbled. Since climbing my first transmission tower in 1984, working in energy has been gifting me interesting challenges and talented friends — I wouldn't want to work in any other sector." 

Dr. McDonald is a California-licensed civil and structural engineer with over 35 years at Exponent, specializing in the design, assessment, and risk evaluation of critical structures. His experience spans industrial, nuclear, transportation, residential, and commercial facilities constructed of wood, concrete, masonry, and steel.

Dr. McDonald performs quantitative risk assessments for electrical transmission structures, power plants, nuclear facilities, and industrial sites, including loss estimation and retrofit strategies for California residences subject to severe earthquakes. His work also includes peer review of complex and safety-critical designs, applying state-of-the-art risk-informed, performance-based (RIPB) engineering principles. Dr. McDonald has expertise in assessing and mitigating wildfire ignition risks from overhead power lines and has partnered with utilities to develop risk-informed asset management frameworks.

Prior to joining Exponent, he served as a line designer and risk analyst at Wisconsin Power and Light and as Chief Analyst at Krawinkler, Luth & Associates. He has taught graduate courses in finite element analysis and structural performance at Stanford University, where he is an adjunct lecturer. Dr. McDonald chairs the ASCE committee responsible for nuclear structure design standards, serves on the Nuclear Standards Committee, and previously sat on the Board of Directors of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, contributing to structural code and standards development for existing structures.

About the Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. Award 

Stephen Davison Bechtel, Jr. was an American civil engineer, businessman, and co-owner of Bechtel Corporation. The son of Stephen Davison Bechtel, Sr. and grandson of company founder Warren A. Bechtel, he guided the firm's global expansion through major international projects, including King Khalid International Airport and Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia, oil platforms in the North Sea, and liquefied natural gas facilities in Algeria, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Bechtel Foundation donated funds to ASCE to support the Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. award, honoring contributions Bechtel made to the engineering profession and advancements in the design and construction of worldwide energy projects.