Research in this area focuses on the behavior of structures and materials under extreme demands, and the development and characterization of new high-performance structural systems and materials.

Current research projects focus on structural fire engineering, advanced structural systems for seismic resistance, rehabilitation and preservation of infrastructure, novel structural materials, structural assessment and health monitoring, reliability-based design, novel structural materials and smart systems, and performance-based engineering methodologies.

Research in the group is multi-disciplinary and involves theory, computation, laboratory experimentation, and field studies. The department leads the MSU Center on Structural Fire Engineering and Diagnostics.