ZENON MEDINA-CETINA, PHD
Associate Professor and holder of the Zachry Career Development Professorship II
Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Director of the Stochastic Geomechanics Laboratory (SGL)
Mosbacher Research Fellow at the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy of the Bush School of Government and Public Service
Courtesy Joint Appointments in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, the Department of Ocean Engineering, the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering, and the Department of Geography (College of Arts and Sciences)
Dr. Zenon Medina-Cetina is an expert on probabilistic risk assessment and management of geo-systems, which components vary in space and time. He received the College of Engineering Excellence Award for Outstanding Contributions, and holds the Zachry Career Professorship II endowment “in recognition of his many accomplishments and future potential.” He is the author of 34 peer-reviewed journal publications, 53 conference papers, and over 80 other government, industry, and academic scholarly products. Dr. Medina-Cetina has been awarded over $7.4 million in research from various sources and contributed over 53.7 million to TAMU. His international research diplomacy approach has materialized in the integration of large transdisciplinary teams to formulate models aimed at improving the stability of regional social, economic, and environmental systems. Dr. Medina-Cetina teaches courses in Bayesian Risk Networks, Stochastic Mechanics, Geomechanics, Geotechnical Engineering, and leads the Introduction to Research Abroad Program (IRAP), an international multidisciplinary program for freshman and sophomore students. Dr. Medina-Cetina has chaired and graduated 14 doctoral and 13 master students, and mentored 4 postdoctoral scholars, 33 master and 38 undergraduate students. He is a Fellow of the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT), past Chair and President of SUT in the U.S., and a former Fulbright Scholar.
Education
Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Baltimore MD, USA
- PhD, Civil Engineering (Stochastic Mechanics), 2006
- MSc, Civil Engineering (Stochastic Mechanics), 2005
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
- ME, Civil Engineering (Geostatistics), 1996
Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan (UADY), Merida Yucatan, Mexico
- BSc, Civil Engineering (Soil Dynamics) – Highest Honors, 1994
Professional Experience
Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station Texas, USA
- Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Associate Professor, 2014 – Present
- Assistant Professor, 2008 – 2014
- Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy of the Bush School of Government and Public Service
- Mosbacher Research Fellow, 2024 – Present
- Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering
- Associate Professor (Courtesy Joint Appointment), 2022 – Present
- Department of Geography
- Associate Professor (Courtesy Joint Appointment), 2018 – Present
- Department of Ocean Engineering
- Associate Professor (Courtesy Joint Appointment), 2017 – Present
- Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering
- Associate Professor (Courtesy Joint Appointment), 2013 – Present
SIMULA, Oslo, Norway – National Laboratory
- Computational Geoscience Division, Research Scientist, 2007 – 2008
Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Oslo, Norway Computational Geomechanics Division, International Centre for Geohazard
- Research Scientist, 2007 – 2008
Westhill University (American Accredited University in Mexico), Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
- Division of Mathematics, Science and Technology
- Division Head, 1999 – 2001
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
- Facultad de Ingenieria
- Adjunct Professor (Probability, Statistics), 1997 – 2000
Auvinet Guichard Consulting, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
- Senior Research Engineer, 1997 – 1999
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
- Instituto de Ingenieria, Division de Geotecnia
- Research Engineer, 1994 – 2001
Honors & Awards
- Zachry Excellence in Teaching Award, Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University (TAMU), 2022.
- College of Engineering Excellence Award for Outstanding Contributions in Research, Teaching, Scholarship, Professional Service, and Student Interaction, TAMU, 2022.
- Zachry Career Development Professorship II, Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, TAMU, 2022.
- Faculty Development Leave, Faculty Affairs & College of Engineering, TAMU, 2021
- Zachry Career Development Professorship II, Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, TAMU, 2019.
- Research Impact Award, Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, TAMU, 2018.
- Leadership Award, Zachry Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, TAMU, 2017.
- The Kenneth L. Clinton Award for Leadership on International Collaborations, Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), Texas A&M University – Commerce, Commerce, TX, 2017.
- Fellow, Society for Underwater Technology, London, United Kingdom, 2012.
- Fulbright Scholarship, U.S. Department of State, Washington D.C., 2001.
- Research Scholarship, Instituto de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico, 1995 – 2000.
- Research Fellowship, III Scientific Residence, Mexican Academy of Sciences, México, 1996.
- Research Fellowship, II Scientific Residence, Mexican Academy of Sciences, México, 1995.
- Research Fellowship, IV Summer of Scientific Research: Summit of Talents, Mexican Academy of Sciences, México, 1994.
- Undergraduate Thesis (Highest Honor), Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan (UADY), 1994.
