Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Stanford University, 1990
  • M.S., Civil and Structural Engineering, Stanford University, 1977
  • B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1976
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Civil, Arizona, #31483
  • Professional Engineer Civil, California, #35844
  • Professional Engineer Civil, Idaho, #P-14524
  • Professional Engineer, Louisiana, #PE.0031972
  • Professional Engineer, Michigan, #6201056853
  • Professional Engineer, Missouri, #PE-2020013087
  • Professional Engineer, Mississippi, #16955
  • Professional Engineer Civil, Nevada, #12603
  • Professional Engineer, New York, #80356
  • Professional Engineer Civil and Structural, Oklahoma, #29770
  • Professional Engineer, Utah, #190526-2203
  • Professional Engineer, Virginia, #402049691
  • Professional Engineer Civil, Washington, #51768
  • Professional Engineer, Wisconsin, #19023-6
  • Licensed General Contractor (CA)
Professional Honors
  • California Preservation Foundation, Preservation Design Award in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of historic preservation for the Napa Courthouse Earthquake Repair, October 18, 2019
  • Commendation for service following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California
  • Commendation for outstanding service to the Urban Search & Rescue Response System during the Oklahoma City 6th Street bombing incident, April 19, 1995, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, State of California
  • Distinguished Service Citation, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  • Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society, Chapter Honor Member, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  • Outstanding Paper of 1992, American Society of Civil Engineers, Technical Council on Forensic Engineering, Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
  • 1989 Student Paper Award, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
  • ARCS Foundation Scholar, Stanford University
  • Certificate of Recognition, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Senior High Honors, University of Wisconsin
Professional Affiliations
  • American Society of Civil Engineers (Fellow)
  • Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (Member; Director 2008-2010)
  • Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (Member)
  • EERI Northern California Chapter (Member; Director 2005-2008)
  • International Code Council (Professional Member)

Dr. John Osteraas is a Corporate Vice President and Principal Engineer in Exponent's Buildings and Structures Practice. He specializes in the evaluation of the performance of buildings under extreme loads, including earthquake, wind, flood, landslide, explosion, high-energy impact, and construction failure.  

Dr. Osteraas' research has focused on performance of structures under seismic loading and full-scale instrumentation and testing of structures under dynamic loading. His expertise in structural and earthquake engineering includes structural safety and damage assessment; structural analysis; soil-structure interaction; seismic site response assessment; and analysis and design of wood, steel, concrete, masonry, and composite systems. His geotechnical engineering expertise extends to foundation and retaining structure analysis and design, slope stability analysis, and analysis of soil-structure interaction.

Drawing upon his construction experience, Dr. Osteraas addresses problems associated with design documents; construction materials; means and methods of construction; construction failures; application of design and construction codes and standards; properties, performance, response, and deterioration of construction materials; and repair methodology.

Dr. Osteraas has also served as a Structures Specialist with FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue program and has been deployed to New Orleans in 2005, the World Trade Center in 2001, and Oklahoma City in 1995 to assist with search and rescue activities. He was a founding Board Member and Corporate Secretary for Krawinkler Luth and Associates, Inc., a structural design firm, and has held research and consulting positions with the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center at Stanford University, the Counter Quake Corporation, Structural Research Inc., Engineering Research Inc., Marshall Erdman and Associates, and Fel-Pro Energy Systems.