Biography and education
Dr. Kostas Kalfas is an Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering at Texas State University. Prior to joining Texas State University, Dr. Kalfas was an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Tyler from 2023-2025. Dr. Kalfas received his Ph.D. Degree (2023) in Structural Mechanics and Earthquake Engineering from the Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, Texas. He holds a M.Sc. (2015) in Bridge Engineering from the University of Surrey in the UK, and a 5-year Diploma (2012) in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in Greece. He has published more than 30 papers in archival journals and conference proceedings. He has worked as a site engineer and as a bridge designer in Greece, Germany and the UK. Dr. Kalfas is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng MICE) in the UK and a Member of Task Groups 1.1 ‘Improving Seismic Resilience of Reinforced Concrete Structures’ and 4.1 ‘Bearings & Joints’ of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE).
Teaching Interests
Research Interests
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Kalfas, K., Vaiana, N., & Makris, N. (2025). A rate-independent phenomenological model for the characterization of pressurized sand dampers. ASCE, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, 151(4), 04025007. https://doi.org/10.1061/JENMDT/EMENG-7959
- Forcellini, D., & Kalfas, K. (2025). A framework to quantify the impact of deterioration on the seismic resilience of structures. Structure and Infrastructure Engineering. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/15732479.2025.2591824
- Karimipetanlar, M., El Shamy, U., Kalfas, K., & Makris, N. (2024). The influence of particle shape on crushing pattern and energy dissipation within a pressurized sand damper. Computers and Geotechnics, 166, 106020. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2023.106020
- Karimipetanlar, M., El Shamy, U., Kalfas, K., & Makris, N. (2023). Numerical simulations of particle behavior and breakage within a pressurized sand damper subjected to cyclic loading. ASCE, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, 150(1), 04023106. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1061/JENMDT.EMENG-7365
- Kalfas, K., Makris, N., & El Shamy, U. (2023). Assessment of the design parameters of pressurized sand dampers from component testing. ASCE, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, 149(10), 04023072. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1061/JENMDT.EMENG-7013
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: NSF Travel Grant/Award: Attend the 2025 Natural Hazard Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Summer Institute for Early-Career Faculty, NSF. 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: NSF Primary Travel Award: Attend the Natural Hazards Research Summit; College Park, MD; funds provided by the NSF, NSF. 2024
- Award / Honor Recipient: 1st Prize Award for the Dynamics Student Paper Competition. Title: “Estimation of the design parameters of pressurized sand dampers from experiments”., ASCE EMI. 2022
- Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Graduate Student Award in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of the SMU Lyle School of Engineering, SMU. 2022
- Award / Honor Recipient: 24th Young Researchers’ Conference, Institution of Structural Engineers (24 YRC IStructE): 2nd Prize Award for the best poster presentation. Title: “Pressurized sand damper as a sustainable solution for the response modification of structures”., Institution of Structural Engineers. 2022
Featured service activities
- Member
IABSE: Member of Target Group 1.1: Improving Seismic Resilience of Reinforced Concrete Structures (Elected Member – Since 2024)
- Reviewer / Referee
Structural Engineering, ASCE
- Reviewer / Referee
Engineering Mechanics, ASCE
- Reviewer / Referee
Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Elsevier
- Reviewer / Referee
Bridge Engineering, ICE
- Reviewer / Referee
Buildings, MDPI