# Kit Miyamoto

Dr. Hideki "Kit" Miyamoto (born 1963) is a Japanese-American structural engineer known for being the founder-CEO of Miyamoto International, a global structural engineering and disaster risk reduction organization. He is also the chairman of California's Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, which investigates earthquakes and recommends policies for risk reduction.

## Early life and education

Miyamoto was born and raised in Tokyo and studied earthquake engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and California State University. He lives in Los Angeles.

## Career

Miyamoto started his career in structural engineering and later focused on disaster resiliency, response, and reconstruction. He provides policy consultation to the World Bank, USAID, UN agencies, governments and private sector. He has led teams of professionals on response and reconstruction projects after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2011 Japan earthquake, 2015 Nepal earthquake, 2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes and other seismic risk reduction programs along with disaster risk mitigation policy work.
Miyamoto was elected as a chair of the California Seismic Safety Commission in October 2020. He has formerly served as a seismic safety commissioner for eight years where he has advocated for increased resiliency in California.

## Innovations

Dr. Miyamoto was responsible for the seismic retrofit of the Theme Building, an iconic Space Age structure at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The innovative retrofit consisted of adding a tuned mass damper (TMD) to the top of the building's core. The TMD option was selected because it was less expensive, protected the building's architectural features, and minimized building closure. This was the first time this retrofit had been achieved in the United States.

## Awards and recognitions

| Year | Award | Institution or Publication | Distinction |
| 2024 | Award of Excellence | Engineering News Record | Recognition of trajectory in engineering, disaster risk reduction, and post-disaster and post-conflict response across the globe. |
| 2022 | Most Admired CEO | Sacramento Business Journal | Honorees for this award program were nominated by Business Journal readers and staff and chosen through a vote of their peers. |
| 2015 | Humanitarian Award | American Society of Civil Engineers of Sacramento | The award is given annually to an outstanding Sacramento Section member who supports ASCE's mission through dedication of time and involvement with humanitarian efforts, local Section affairs, safety, social services, and the like. |
| 2013 | G. Brooks Earnest Technical Lecture Award | American Society of Civil Engineers | This Award lecture is presented by an outstanding individual of National and/or International prominence, preferably one who is renowned in the field of Civil Engineering. |
| 2013 | 1st Annual Business Innovation & Economic Development Award | Haiti Renewal Alliance | |
| 2012 | Allied Professions Honor Award | American Institute of Architects California Council | The award celebrates a member of an allied profession who is committed to enhancing and contributing to the field of architecture and architectural design. |
| 2012 | Distinguished Alumni | California State University, Sacramento | The Distinguished Service Award recognizes professional achievements and community service to alumni. |
| 2011 | Distinguished Alumni | California State University, Chico | The Distinguished Alumni Award honors alumni from California State University for their outstanding contributions to their communities. |
| 2011 | Fellow | American Society of Civil Engineers | |
| 2011 | Frederick W. Panhorst Structural Engineering Award | American Society of Civil Engineers | |
| 2011 | Top 25 Newsmakers | Engineering News Record | Special recognition to Engineering News Record stories chosen by ENR editors. |
| 2011 | Alfred E. Alquist California Seismic Safety Commissioner | Seismic Safety Commission | The Seismic Safety Commission (SSC) investigates earthquakes, researches earthquake-related issues and reports, and recommends to the Governor and Legislature policies and programs needed to reduce earthquake risk. |
| 2011 | Community Service Award | Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce | |
| 2011 | Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award | Zweig Group | The Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award is given each year to someone working in an architecture, engineering, planning or environmental firm who has made tremendous impacts on the company through courageous leadership. |

## Earthquake Response

Dr. Kit Miyamoto plays a key role in earthquake damage assessment, building safety, capacity building, and reconstruction strategies to improve seismic resilience around the world. His work focuses on failure mechanisms and improved construction practices to reduce future earthquake risks.
| Seismic Event | Contributions | Outcomes and impact |
| Sichuan, China (M-8.0, 2008) | Observation and assessment of collapsed schools and other buildings, identifying issues with non-ductile concrete construction | Provided recommendations on improving construction practices and seismic safety of buildings |
| Port-au-Prince, Haiti (M-7.0, 2010) | Damage assessment and reconstruction planning | Assessed 430,000 buildings and developed a repair program for damaged structures Trained over 600 local engineers and 6,000 masons in seismic-resistant construction techniques Helped repair nearly 10,000 houses, impacting over 100,000 people |
| Tōhoku, Japan (M-9.0, 2011) | Damage assessment and tsunami impacts | Observed failures of seawalls and nuclear power plant cooling systems Provided recommendations on improving tsunami resilience of coastal infrastructure |
| Gorkha District, Nepal (M-7.8, 2015) | Damage assessment in Kathmandu and remote villages | Evaluated safety of damaged buildings and provided repair recommendations Advised on reconstruction strategies and seismic strengthening of structures |
| Manabí Province, Ecuador (M-7.8, 2016) | Damage assessment in affected coastal areas | Worked with local officials to evaluate building safety and develop reconstruction plans Provided training to local engineers on post-earthquake assessment techniques |
| Paktika, Afghanistan (M-5.9, 2022) | Damage assessment to develop repair strategies for traditional mud brick buildings | Provided recommendations on improving earthquake resistance of vernacular construction techniques Trained local engineers and masons on proper repair and reconstruction methods |
| Osmaniye and Gaziantep, Türkiye-Syria (M-7.8, 2023) | Damage assessment to heavily damaged areas, building collapses and failures | Evaluated reasons for widespread destruction, including poor construction quality and lack of code enforcement Provided recommendations on improving building safety and reconstruction strategies |

## Publications

* Haiti earthquake 2021: Findings from the repair and damage assessment of 179,800 buildings, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (2024)
* Seismic Risk Assessment and Retrofit of School Buildings In Developing Countries, 11th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Los Angeles, California (2018)
* Seismic Collapse Probability of Structures with Viscous Dampers per ASCE 7–16: Effect of Large Earthquake, 11th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Los Angeles, California (2018)
* Damage Assessment and Seismic Retrofit of Heritage and Modern Buildings in the Aftermath of 2015 Nepal Earthquake, 11th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Los Angeles, California (2018)
* Design of Structures with Dampers per ASCE 7–16 and Performance for Large Earthquakes, Structures Congress, Houston, Texas (2018)
* Cost-Effective Seismic Isolation Retrofit of Heritage Cathedrals in Haiti, 16th World Conference on Earthquake, Santiago, Chile (2017)
* Transparent Global Earthquake Risk And Loss Estimation, Tokyo, Japan (2013)

## Media

Major media such as CNN, LA Times, NY Times and Rolling Stone have mentioned, represented, or interviewed him. He was also featured in the “Designing for Disaster” exhibit at the National Building Museum.