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Research Interests
My research advances natural-hazard risk engineering by linking structural engineering, human behavior, and mitigation policy to reduce tornado-driven housing losses and improve community safety. I develop scalable, data-driven frameworks for multi-hazard resilience using experimental testing, probabilistic modeling, and lifecycle benefit-cost analysis that capture both physical vulnerability and societal impact. Across my work, I aim to translate evidence from structural performance to community-scale outcomes into practical, equitable strategies that inform design, diagnostics, and hazard mitigation decisions.
Ongoing Research
Probabilistic lifecycle benefit–cost analysis for tornado-resistant residential design
A major component of my Ph.D. research develops a probabilistic lifecycle benefit–cost analysis (BCA) framework to evaluate the feasibility of tornado-resistant design for residential buildings, particularly in the central United States where tornado hazards are frequent but most homes are not explicitly designed for tornado loads.
The framework integrates tornado hazard characterization, building fragility functions, and loss estimation across multiple cost components, including repair, debris removal, relocation, and casualty-related impacts, and propagates uncertainty through Monte Carlo simulation. By incorporating indirect losses and explicitly linking engineering performance to societal consequences, this work supports evidence-based decisions about adopting tornado-specific design provisions.
This work is currently under review in the ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering.
Integrating human behavior with infrastructure modeling for tornado shelter access
Recognizing that tornado outcomes are shaped not only by building vulnerability but also by protective decisions and access to safe shelter, my current work couples household behavior with infrastructure and built-environment impacts to better quantify protection gaps.
In collaboration with behavioral researchers, I model how warning reception, shelter availability, and preparedness interact with hazard exposure and housing characteristics. I use survey-informed behavioral inputs to simulate sheltering decisions under uncertainty.
This approach can inform targeted interventions, such as outreach in high-burden areas, or screening and retrofitting candidate facilities for community shelter designation aimed at reducing disparities in tornado safety across urban and rural communities.
Completed Research
Wind Performance of Sheathing-to-Rafter Connection of light-frame wood construction
My MS research focused on the cyclic behavior of roof sheathing-to-rafter connections in light-frame wood construction, with direct relevance to the performance of manufactured housing. I designed a component-level experimental program and evaluated multiple connection configurations to quantify strength and stiffness degradation as well as energy dissipation under wind-type loading.
The results provided parameters for calibrating and validating hysteretic models used in performance-based wind design. They helped clarify how connection details influence the capacity losses that can develop under repeated loading.
This work has produced two manuscripts: Dao et al. 2025, and the second manuscript is under review in the Engineering Structures journal
Wind-fatigue diagnostics for cantilever overhead sign structures (COSS)
My early work addressed wind-induced fatigue failures in cantilever overhead sign structures, where cracks in box-connection details can pose serious roadway safety risks.
In an experimental program, I used Digital Image Correlation (DIC) to measure full-field strain and directly observe crack initiation and growth. This effort established a lower detectable crack-length threshold than previously reported and informed fatigue-monitoring protocols and inspection intervals adopted by the project sponsor.
The work was documented in a technical report to the Mid-America Transportation Center (Collins et al. 2023)
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