ProfessorBrendon Bradley

Professor Brendon Bradley is an internationally recognised researcher in earthquake engineering, specialising in engineering seismology, strong ground-motion prediction, seismic response analysis, and seismic performance and loss estimation. His work advances the modelling of ground-motion intensity, structural and geotechnical system response, and risk-informed decision-making for resilient infrastructure.

Brendon completed his BE(Hons) in 2007 and PhD in 2009. Before joining the University of Canterbury in 2010, he worked at GNS Science in Wellington and as a postdoctoral fellow at Chuo University in Tokyo, Japan. He has extensive consulting experience in seismic hazard analysis, ground-motion selection, structural and geotechnical response modelling, and seismic risk and loss assessment.

He is a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand (2021), Fellow of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (2022), and Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi (2022). Brendon was a co-founder of QuakeCoRE: New Zealand Centre for Earthquake Resilience, serving as Deputy Director (2016–2018) and Director (2019–2024). He is currently Editor of Earthquake Spectra and serves on the Editorial Board of the Bulletin of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering.

His contributions have been recognised through numerous national and international awards, including the 2023 UC Research Medal, 2021 ISSMGE Bright Spark Lecture Award, 2018 NZGS Geomechanics Award, 2016 Prime Minister’s MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize, 2016 ASCE Norman Medal, 2015 Shah Innovation Prize, 2014 TC203 Young Researcher Award, 2015 UC Teaching Award, 2014 New Zealand Young Engineer of the Year Award, 2014 Shamsher Prakash Foundation Research Award, 2013 Rutherford Discovery Fellowship, 2012 Ivan Skinner EQC Award, and the 2008 NZSEE Research Prize.

[updated May 2026]

Find more information on PhD and postdoc research opportunities at Brendon's personal website: www.brendonbradley.com