Marc-Ansy Laguerre earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering (CE) in 2015 from the State University of Haiti and his master’s degree in CE in 2019 from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2024, he received his PhD in CE from Rice University, where he will remain for his postdoctoral work. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 2017 for his academic achievements and his dedication to using engineering to enhance his home country of Haiti’s infrastructure. For his PhD, he conducted pioneering research on evaluating retrofitting techniques to enhance the seismic resilience of reinforced concrete buildings in Haiti. During his postdoctoral work at Rice, he aims to continue working in seismic risk mitigation and leverage the use of machine learning and structural health monitoring methods to improve seismic analysis of civil infrastructure systems.

Besides his research, Marc-Ansy is dedicated to employing effective teaching methods and fostering inclusive education. In 2018, he created an online platform called Genie 360, which explains civil engineering concepts in Haitian Creole to sensitize Haitians to their country’s seismic vulnerability. He has also delivered several presentations across various online platforms and TV broadcasts to aid in seismic risk mitigation in his country. In 2019, as part of a Haiti-MIT initiative aimed at creating a more inclusive educational system, he produced a series of videos explaining mathematical concepts to high school students. He also enrolled in the Center for Teaching Excellence at Rice University from 2021 to 2024, earning a graduate certificate in teaching and learning. As a faculty member, Laguerre plans to use an interactive lecturing style and feature accomplished engineers from minority groups to foster inclusion and demonstrate diverse paths to success.

Research Interests

Earthquake Engineering; Design of Aseismic Building; Seismic Retrofitting