Sena Kizildemir simulates disasters to prevent building collapses

"A project engineer at Thornton Tomasetti’s applied science division in New York, Kizildemir uses simulations to study how buildings fail under extreme events such as impacts and explosions. The simulation results can help designers develop mitigation strategies."

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"She was born in Istanbul to a father who is a professional drummer and a mother who worked in magazine advertising and sales. Kizildemir and her older brother pursued engineering careers despite neither parent being involved in the field. While she became an expert in civil and mechanical engineering, her brother is an industrial engineer."

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"When starting a project, she and her team review building standards and try to identify new issues not yet covered by them. The team then adapts existing codes and standards, usually developed for well-understood hazards such as earthquakes, wind, and floods, to define simulation parameters."

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"Kizildemir says she wants every engineer to be able to improve their community. Her main piece of advice for recent engineering graduates is that “curiosity, discipline, and the willingness to understand things deeply, to see how things can be done better,” are the keys to success."