Lance Manuel

Biography

Lance Manuel is the Texas Atomic Energy Research Foundation Professor of Engineering in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering (CAEE). He earned his PhD degree in civil engineering from Stanford University.  Earlier, he earned a BTech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and an MS degree from the University of Virginia.  After his doctoral studies, he worked for 7 years as a consulting engineer, where his projects dealt with probabilistic seismic risk and hazard analysis for nuclear power plants, with data-driven forensics in various fields, and with the investigation of failures stemming from mechanics and materials issues.  He joined The University of Texas at Austin as an Assistant Professor in 1999.

At UT-Austin, Lance conducts research centered on the modeling of uncertainties in load and response characteristics of civil engineering infrastructure systems and convention as well as renewable energy generation systems.  His recent efforts deal with uncertainty quantification related to climate change and ocean renewable energy.  Lance serves on the Executive Committee, as Vice-Chair, of ASME’s Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering Division. He is a registered civil engineer in the states of Texas and California.

Lance is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a Fellow of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE, and a Diplomate of the Academy of Coastal, Ocean, Port & Navigation Engineers (ACOPNE).  He serves as Editor-in-Chief of ASME’s Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering.  In 2007, he served on a National Research Council committee that studied Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects; later, in 2011, he served on another National Research Council committee that studied Offshore Wind Turbine Structural and Operating Safety.

Lance was a recipient of the 2015 ASCE Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. Energy Award given in recognition of outstanding achievements in the energy field by a civil engineer. He was the 2012 McDonald-Mehta Lecturer, an honor reserved for nationally known scientists and experts in wind-related industries. In 2005, he was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to support his research on inflow turbulence, loads, and reliability-based design of wind turbines.

Lance was recognized with the Lockheed Martin Award for Excellence in Engineering Teaching in 2020. He was twice (in 2007 and 2015) awarded the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Teaching Award in recognition of excellence in engineering teaching. He was voted the Best CAEE Professor by the Student Engineering Council for 2015-16. 

Lance’s research sponsors include the National Science Foundation, the Department of the Interior’s United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (formerly, Minerals Management Service), the Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratories, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the American Iron and Steel Institute, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas Department of Transportation, and BP America Production Company.

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