Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ, 2025
  • M.S., Civil Engineering, Washington State University, 2021
  • B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Cuenca, 2018
Professional Honors
  • Engineering Structures Featured Paper Award, 2024
  • Davenport Leadership Fellowship, 2023
  • John Roberson Thesis/Dissertation Award, 2022
Professional Affiliations
  • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), associate member
  • Structural Engineering Institute (SEI)
  • American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)

Dr. Jerves specializes in assessing and improving the performance of buildings under extreme loads, including earthquakes, wind, and other natural or man-made hazards. His expertise spans performance-based design, structural modeling, and risk assessment to ensure safety and functionality under demanding conditions. He also focuses on timber and mass timber systems — such as cross-laminated timber — addressing their design, structural behavior, connection detailing, and long-term durability. His work integrates large-scale experimental testing with advanced modeling and probabilistic methods to evaluate uncertainty and support resilient, code-compliant solutions.

During his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, Dr. Jerves developed and assessed mass timber rocking systems for seismic resilience, integrating them with traditional wood light-frame walls to reduce collapse probability, damage, and downtime after earthquakes. His work advanced sustainable, high-performance structural design and earned him the Davenport Leadership Fellowship for academic excellence and leadership. Previously, at Washington State University, he focused on creating durable structural wood composites and mass timber products, receiving the John Roberson Award for innovation. This research combined material manufacturing, mechanical characterization, and structural integration to support commercialization and broader adoption.

Dr. Jerves has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, presented at multiple conferences, and contributed as a guest lecturer and teaching assistant for graduate-level structural engineering courses. He brings extensive experience in large-scale structural testing, advanced nonlinear modeling, and probabilistic methods for risk and uncertainty assessment.