Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell University, 1996
  • B.S., Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 1990
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer, Illinois, #62062247
  • Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Part 46 and Part 48 trained
  • Respirator and SCBA fit-tested and trained
Additional Education & Training
  • Completion of Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety course offered through the University of Wisconsin - Madison, 12-13 November 2019
  • Completion of Aircraft Accident Investigation Orientation for Aviation Professionals course offered by the NTSB, 27-28 October 2021
  • Completion of Accident Investigation Orientation for Rail Professionals course offered by the NTSB, 8-10 November 2021
  • Completion of Ethics for Engineers course offered by ASME, 5 January 2022
Professional Affiliations
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers—ASME (member)
  • American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics—AIAA (member)
  • Society for Risk Analysis—SRA (member)

Dr. Viz specializes in performance evaluation and mechanical analysis of railcar and aircraft structures. He also specializes in risk, reliability, and mechanical integrity assessments of a variety of process plant equipment such as pressure vessels and tanks, and certain types of transportation vessels including railcar tanks, intermodal vehicles, and over-the-road tank trailers. 

Dr. Viz also has experience in component life reliability assessments, "repair or replace" risk decisions, and statistical analysis of in-service component performance. Other areas of Dr. Viz's specific academic expertise include nonlinear finite element analysis, metal and composite material testing, fatigue and fracture mechanics, and statistical data reduction methods. He has investigated and/or consulted in matters involving railcar derailments, tank car ruptures, releases of hazardous materials in transportation, coal mining haulage accidents, rotor failures, bus rollovers, pressure vessel explosions, and other industrial accidents.

Given his expertise in engineering mechanics, Dr. Viz also performs engineering evaluations and analyses involving the mechanical performance of a variety of machines and products. Some of these devices include elements of cranes and lifting devices (e.g., wire rope failures, hydraulic and valve failures), elements of elevators, a variety of industrial machines (e.g., printing equipment, CNC machine tools, pumps, compressors), certain aspects of machine guarding and lock-out/tag-out procedures, and specialized evaluations of consumer products. Dr. Viz's involvement in these types of cases typically involves the synthesis and execution of a variety of engineering mechanics calculations and analyses. 

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Viz was a Product Development Engineer at the GATX Rail Corporation. His responsibilities included new rail car design and development, budget and schedule management, and sales and marketing support. Dr. Viz was also heavily involved in the regulatory environment concerning the transportation of hazardous materials in rail tank cars. Dr. Viz also served as a Specialist Engineer in the Structural Damage Technology group at the Boeing Company. He was responsible for the durability and damage tolerance analysis and testing of a wide variety of aircraft structures from wing and fuselage sections to individual fasteners. He has also taught probability, statistics, and mechanics of materials at the college level.