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Last updated 20th March 2026

Dr. Nicola Chieffo is a civil engineer with expertise in seismic vulnerability assessment, risk analysis, and urban resilience. As of September 2024, he holds the position of Lecturer in Civil Engineering at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Huddersfield, UK.

Dr. Chieffo obtained his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II in 2013. From 2013 to 2017, he worked as a researcher at the Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture at the same university, focusing on large-scale vulnerability assessment and risk analysis.

In 2021, Dr. Chieffo earned his PhD in Civil Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Timisoara in Romania, with a dissertation centred on the seismic vulnerability assessment of historical masonry buildings under near-field earthquakes. This highlights his expertise in evaluating the vulnerability of structures in earthquake-prone areas.

He previously held a Post-Doc position at the Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE) at the University of Minho (Coordinator Prof. P.B. Lourenço), where his research focused on seismic vulnerability analysis and loss estimation in urban areas. Dr. Chieffo was actively involved in the Getty Foundation Project in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, evaluating multi-hazard impacts on historical sites such as the Wupatki National Monument in the United States.

Since 2019, he has been a member of the Research Unit led by Prof. A. Formisano within the Italian Network of University Laboratories for Seismic Engineering (ReLUIS), working in collaboration with the Italian CIvil Protection Department (DPC) on projects related to seismic risk mapping and damage scenarios.

Dr. Chieffo's research interests span a wide range of topics, including ground motion simulation, multi-hazard analysis, flood vulnerability, post-earthquake fire, site effects, fragility and damage curves, GIS, loss estimation, and urban resilience. His multidisciplinary approach contributes significantly to mitigating risks associated with natural disasters.

He has authored or co-authored numerous scientific articles on seismic risk and urban resilience, with his research gaining substantial recognition, having received 705 citations and achieving an h-index of 15. His work continues to influence the field of earthquake engineering and risk assessment.