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 related to the modeling of uncertainties in load and response characteristics of the built infrastructure and energy-generating structures.  His current focus is on improving the design practice for wind turbines and, hence, their reliability, especially for complex inflow turbulence conditions and extreme climate events such as thunderstorm downbursts and hurricanes.  He is also engaged in research and review work related to probabilistic risk assessment for nuclear power plants and reactors; probabilistic seismic hazard and ground motion analyses; and stochastic response of fixed and floating offshore platforms.  Other efforts deal with uncertainty quantification directed toward climate change, coastal protection, and ocean renewable energy.  He has served as Chair of the Executive Committee 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 Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 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 Board-Certified Diplomate of the Academy of Coastal, Ocean, Port & Navigation Engineers (ACOPNE).  From 2008 to 2025, he was 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.  Since 2022, Lance has been serving on a 20-member National Academies’ Marine Board, an internationally recognized source of expertise on maritime transportation, marine technology and offshore development.

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 awarded the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Teaching Award three times (in 2007, 2015 and 2026) 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, the BP America Production Company, the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI), and the UT-Austin Portugal program.

In 2024-25, Lance was on leave from UT-Austin and served as Program Director with the Office of International Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation, where he managed the Global Centers program (FY24 budget, $82 million).  In 2022, Lance was a Fulbright-Nehru Project Specialist at MEPCO Schlenk Engineering College, Tamil Nadu.