Laura Lowes joins the faculty at University of Washington following two years as a faculty at Stanford University and completion of her PhD at UC Berkeley. Her recent research focuses on developing tools for modeling the non-linear response of structural systems subjected to severe loading. An on-going project investigates finite element modeling of reinforced concrete building components and includes development of concrete, steel, and bond-zone material models, development of non-local bond element formulations and investigation of solution algorithms for systems that exhibit localized softening. A second project seeks to develop a numerical model characterizing the response of reinforced concrete beam-column joints under earthquake loading for use in analysis of buildings and bridges. A third project investigates the application of fiber optic sensors and high-resolution finite element models in health monitoring of structural systems.