Name: Payam Khashaee
Hometown: Tehran, Iran
Major: Ph.D. candidate, Mechanical Engineering
Class of 2003
Driving south from the SMU campus along Central Expressway, there is
a new commercial complex at the intersection of Knox Street called Knox
Park Village. Payam Khashaee can point to this building and say he helped
design it.
Actually, Payam can drive around the Metroplex and point to numerous buildings
in which he has played a role in their construction. Payam is an expert
in structural engineering, with a particular interest in the design of
earthquake-resistant structures.
Payam received offers to attend some of the world’s best engineering
graduate schools, but he chose SMU over many other universities
because of the opportunity to work with Professor Bijan Mohraz.
Professor Mohraz, who also is from Iran, is known worldwide for
his expertise in earthquake engineering,and Payam already
seems destined for an international reputation himself. He already
has presented his pioneering research on energy-based seismic design
at several national meetings and international conferences.
Payam’s work on buildings throughout the Metroplex stemmed from
internships in 2001 with Mullen & Powell - TechniStructures Inc.,
a structural engineering consulting firm in Dallas. In 2002 he did a
summer internship with John A. Martin and Associates Inc. in Los Angeles,
one of the best companies in the field of earthquake engineering. Payam
worked on a seismic retrofit of the 12-story San Francis Memorial Hospital
in San Francisco and seismic anchorage of communication systems in more
than 20 hospital campuses throughout California. He is spending the summer
of 2003 working for Thornton-Tomasetti Inc. which is recognized for designing
Petronas Towers, the world’s tallest skyscrapers, in Kuala Lampur.
In addition to his internships and research, Payam has taught undergraduate
courses in mechanical engineering and served as the president and treasurer
of the Graduate Student Council. As for his plans once he completes his
Ph.D., Payam says he is still trying to decide whether to pursue a career
in teaching or work in industry.
