OUR PEOPLE
Academic Credentials
- Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2024
- M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2020
- B.A.Sc., Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada, 2019
Professional Affiliations
- American Concrete Association (ACI), Committee 445D Shear and Torsion Databases
- Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC)
- Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
Dr. Jerry Zhai specializes in earthquake engineering and structural analysis, design, and performance assessment. His expertise extends to probabilistic assessment and failure analysis of reinforced concrete structures under extreme loading. Prior to joining exponent, Dr. Zhai was a postdoctoral researcher investigating innovative seismic retrofit solutions for unreinforced masonry and reinforced concrete structures.
Dr. Zhai's Ph.D. research focused on the design of shallow foundation systems including mat foundations and spread footings, with an emphasis on developing recommendations for design and constructability when using high-strength steel reinforcement. As part of his research, Dr. Zhai performed large scale structural tests on full-depth mat foundation members and analyzed various foundation configurations using high-fidelity nonlinear finite element models. This work informed developments to reinforced concrete design codes such as ACI 318-25 and provided valuable data on failures in reinforced concrete structures. Combined with his postdoctoral researcher experience with testing fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) retrofit systems, Dr. Zhai has experience in all aspects of large-scale structural testing, from initial design conception to the final testing stages.