Elaina Sutley, associate professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering and associate dean for impact and belonging at the University of Kansas School of Engineering, was recently awarded the 2025 Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists in the physical sciences and engineering category.
Administered by the New York Academy of Sciences, the Blavatnik Awards honor outstanding early-career researchers in three categories: life sciences, chemical sciences, and physical sciences and engineering. The winners of each category receive an unrestricted award of $250,000. Dr. Sutley is the only woman laureate among this year’s three Blavatnik Award recipients.
Dr. Sutley’s research centers on natural hazards and disasters, community resilience, and long-term housing recovery with a focus on modernizing building codes across the country. Through her work, she aims to help policymakers and local leaders make informed decisions that ensure people living in hazard-prone areas are kept safe and with stable housing before, during, and after disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and tornadoes.
Dr. Sutley earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Alabama. She holds a Ph.D. in the same discipline from Colorado State University.