ASCE has honored Therese P. McAllister, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, Dist.M.ASCE, with the 2025 Vilas Mujumdar Resilience Award. She was chosen for advancing research of risk-based decision-making for sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems through the integration of the performance of physical infrastructure and socioeconomic systems and for leadership in developing science-based ASTM standard guidelines for community disaster resilience planning and economic benefits.
The nomination of McAllister for the Vilas Mujumdar Resilience Award highlights a transformative body of work dedicated to advancing the science and application of community resilience in civil infrastructure. A nationally recognized leader, she has played a pivotal role in identifying and addressing critical gaps in resilience measurement and risk-informed decision-making. As the technical lead at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and deputy chief of the Materials and Structural Systems Division, she catalyzed the development of the NIST-funded Center of Excellence on Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning – an effort engaging over 100 researchers across 14 universities.
Her work integrates physical infrastructure performance with social and economic systems to guide decision-making and policy at the community level. Notable achievements include authorship of influential reports, development of resilience metrics and modeling frameworks, and leadership in publishing the NIST Community Resilience Planning Guide. She also led efforts to create two ASTM standards directly influencing disaster resilience planning in the U.S.
McAllister’s research contributions – extensively published and cited – have advanced methodologies for structural reliability, post-disaster recovery modeling, and resilience-based design. Her leadership across ASCE technical committees and code development processes further exemplifies her commitment to translating research into practice.
This nomination underscores McAllister’s visionary leadership, technical expertise, and sustained impact on resilience science, aligning closely with the intent of the Vilas Mujumdar Award to honor contributions that prepare communities to withstand and recover from natural hazards and other disruptive events.
The Vilas Mujumdar Resilience Award recognizes an ASCE member who has made a definite contribution to the advancement of resiliency.
