Professor Brendon Bradley

College of Engineering, University of Canterbury/Director of QuakeCoRE

Celebrating 25 years of the Marsden Fund Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden

"We can't predict when an earthquake will hit but we can predict how strong the ground shaking will be at certain geographic locations," Professor Brendon Bradley says. His award-winning research is being used to set new international building design codes, and several major rebuilding projects in Christchurch are being influenced by his findings.

Brendon is a Professor of Earthquake Engineering and Director of QuakeCoRE; the New Zealand Centre for Earthquake Resilience – a network of over 180 active researchers. The research uses sophisticated seismic hazard analysis and assessment modelling, and pioneering ground motion simulation to identify and mitigate earthquake impacts.

Brendon's modelling relies on physics-based data, examining the geological and geophysical properties of rock and soil at specific locations. This differs from traditional ground motion modelling, based primarily on observation and generalised information.

Since 2012, and with the help of two government-funded super computers in Auckland and Wellington, QuakeCoRE has been working on a system to model the “process” of an earthquake. This help quake experts make more informed predictions about how the ground will move in a certain spot.

"Our idea is basically to get to a point where we provide the same sort of information as a weather forecaster would tell you … Just as when you have a severe weather warning, we would provide you the same information about severe ground shaking and the consequence to buildings," says Brendon.

About the Marsden Fund 25 Series

Marsden Fund Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden was established by the New Zealand government in 1994. Since then, it has driven world-class research in New Zealand by supporting and incentivising excellent researchers to work on their best and boldest ideas, to connect internationally, leading to new knowledge and skills with the potential for significant downstream impact for Aotearoa.

To celebrate 25 years of Marsden Funding, this series pf regional lectures, online profiles and videos shines a light on 25 researchers to reflect on the depth and breadth of research excellence supported by this funding. Over coming months, there will be 15 regional lectures and 10 online profiles to explore #Marsden25.