Christos Varsamis

Dr. Varsamis is a civil engineer specializing in structural and earthquake engineering and concrete materials. He earned his Diploma in Civil Engineering and M.S. in Earthquake Engineering and Seismic Design of Structures from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. He subsequently continued his studies in the United States, where he was awarded a scholarship from the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation in support of his doctoral studies in Civil Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). In 2021, Dr. Varsamis earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from RPI and joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as a Lecturer, where he currently serves as a Senior Lecturer.

His research focuses on advancing high-performance, sustainable, and climate-resilient infrastructure through the analysis and optimization of structural systems and concrete materials, with an emphasis on translating research outcomes into improvements in engineering practice. His research areas include the performance of structures with seismic protection devices exhibiting both positive and negative stiffness, the optimized design of reinforced concrete shear walls and cores with boundary elements, the development of high-performance concrete materials, and the analysis and assessment of traffic signal infrastructure in New York State under multi-hazard loading. His broader research interests include the analysis and assessment of new and existing structures using performance-based and optimization-based procedures.

Dr. Varsamis currently serves as manager of the Concrete Laboratory at RPI and faculty advisor to the Concrete Canoe Team. He has taught a range of undergraduate and graduate courses in structural analysis and the design of steel and concrete structures.

Students interested in contributing to the canoe project can find more information in the Concrete Canoe Experience section, while current and previous course offerings can be found in the Teaching section.