Biography

Dr. Don Anderson officially retired effective 1 July 1999 after a 33-year academic career with the Department. A gala retirement party was held and attended by active and emeritus faculty, staff, family, friends and former students.

Don received his BSc degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Alberta in 1956. He then worked as a design engineer and field engineer in Edmonton from 1956-1960. He received his MS in Civil Engineering in 1962 from the University of Illinois and his PhD in Engineering Mechanics from Stanford University in 1965. He worked as a research engineer at the Stanford Research Institute before joining UBC as an Assistant Professor in July 1966. Don was promoted to Associate Professor in 1976 and Full Professor in 1990.

As a faculty member, he has made significant contributions in the areas of nonlinear analysis of structures for seismic excitation, theoretical and experimental analyses of masonry for seismic conditions, code provisions for masonry design, dynamic nonlinear response of blast loaded structures, and wall and shell instability analysis.

Dr. Anderson’s advice has been sought on several world-class projects both near and far because he is outstanding in his field of applied mechanics. He has been part of special visiting delegations to sites of major earthquakes around the world; documentation of the findings from these visits has helped to shape current practice. He is recognized as the consultant’s consultant – a role he excels at among both the members of the external engineering community and his Department colleagues in the areas of structural and geotechnical engineering.

Throughout his academic career, Don was always a champion of students. His door was always open, and more often than not, a student was either sitting in a chair talking with Don or discussing concepts on the board. Over many years, Don provided excellent service to the Department in several roles, including course scheduling, graduate advising, curriculum committee work, and five years as Assistant to the Head. Don remains active as an emeritus and member of the Department.

Research Interests

Earthquake engineering, solid mechanics, structural analysis, structural dynamics.