Dr. Benjamin Schafer

Biography

Benjamin W. Schafer is the Willard Lillian Hackerman Professor in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and directs the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute. Schafer has served in various leadership roles including as Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering and the Structural Stability Research Council, and has been involved with numerous committees within the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Steel Construction. His research focuses on designing resilient civil structures while utilizing minimal materials; he emphasizes the importance of stability, particularly in steel structures. Schafer is known for developing the Direct Strength Method for predicting the strength of cold-formed steel components, leading significant full-scale seismic tests on cold-formed steel buildings, and innovating solutions for steel wind turbine towers. His work has received extensive funding from various federal agencies and industry associations, and he actively works to translate research into practical codes and standards used by engineers. Over his career, Schafer has received several prestigious awards for his contributions in academia and engineering.

Research Interests

Awards