Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 2016
  • M.S., Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 2013
  • B.S., Civil Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2012
  • B.S., Architectural Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2012
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Civil, Louisiana, #0049546
  • Professional Engineer Structural, Texas, #153019
Academic Appointments
  • Lecturer, The University of Texas at Austin, Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, 2023
Professional Honors
  • “Kick***” Award, Space Exploration Technologies (2021 Q2, 2022 Q3)
  • Excellence Award, Exponent (2019 Q2)
  • Andrews Fellowship, Purdue University (2012-2016)
  • Outstanding Graduate Student, Purdue University (Fall 2015)
  • SE Solutions Structures Scholarship, Purdue University (Fall 2015)
  • Chancellor’s Scholarship, Missouri S&T (2007-2011)
Professional Affiliations
  • ASCE Aerospace Division, Advanced Materials & Structures Committee, Vice Chair
  • ASCE Aerospace Division, LIEDAC Lunar Design Guidelines Loads Committee, co-Chair
  • ACI Committee 133 Disaster Reconnaissance, Voting Member
  • ACI Committee 445B Seismic Shear, Voting Member

Dr. Laughery is a licensed civil engineer specializing in forensic investigations of buildings and structures. He performs root-cause analyses to determine the origin of failures of structures built using steel, concrete, wood, and masonry. He has investigated the scope of structural damage caused by earthquakes, wildfires, extreme storms, explosions, impacts, earth movement, and more. He also has worked on disputes on complex civil engineering infrastructure projects involving adequacy of engineering designs, engineers' professional standard of care, and changes in design and construction work scope.

Dr. Laughery's work experience includes structural analysis and design of aerospace ground support equipment, from launch tower infrastructure to blast shielding, as well as analysis of other critical infrastructure like test stands. These structures experience extreme demands and are subject to special performance requirements, including highly concentrated loads, blast loads, and acoustics. He also has experience with civil engineering R&D for 3D-printed residential buildings, as well as design of structural elements, connections, and foundations for these buildings.

He is also experienced in the planning and execution of structural test programs. His doctoral research on the seismic response of concrete frames reinforced with ultra-high strength steel involved first-of-their-kind experimental shake table tests. His post-doctoral work included test planning and analysis of largest-of-their-kind pile caps, as well as structural testing of walls to investigate the cause of failure of a building during the Tohoku Earthquake.

Dr. Laughery serves as Vice-Chair for the ASCE Aerospace Advanced Materials and Structures Committee, co-Chair for the ASCE LIEDAC (Lunar Infrastructure Engineering, Design, Analysis and Construction) Guidelines Loads Subcommittee, and actively serves on the ASCE LIEDAC Structures Committee. He is also a voting member of two American Concrete Institute committees: ACI 133 Disaster Reconnaissance, for which he was deployed to document damage after earthquakes in 2016 in Taiwan, and in 2017 in South Korea, and ACI 445B Seismic Shear.