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Sabine Loos, PhD

Sabine Loos is a Mendenhall Research Fellow at the USGS in collaboration with the Natural Hazards Center at University of Colorado, Boulder. Her work surrounds understanding user needs for earthquake information to support increased accessibility and more equitable disaster decision making. She focuses on near-real-time earthquake products from the National Earthquake Information Center. 

Professional Experience

  • Visiting Researcher, Earth Observatory of Singapore, Singapore – 2019-2020 

  • Consultant to the World Bank and NASA JPL-ARIA – 2017

Education and Certifications

  • PhD in Civil Engineering, Stanford University, 2021 

  • MS in Sustainable Design & Construction, Stanford University, 2018 

  • BS in Civil Engineering, The Ohio State University, 2016 

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • Co-chair of the Natural Hazards Center Annual Researchers Meeting 

  • Co-founder of the Risk & Resilience DAT/Artathon 

  • Core member of the Environmental Justice Task Force for the U.S. Geological Suvey 

  • Research affiliate at the Natural Hazards Center at University of Colorado Boulder 

  • Guest editor for Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences and the International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 

Honors and Awards

  • Mendenhall Research Fellow, U.S. Geological Survey and Natural Hazards Center at University of Colorado Boulder, 2021-2023 

  • U.S. Geological Survey STAR Award, 2022 

  • John A. Blume Fellowship in Earthquake Engineering, 2021 

  • Best Graduate Student Paper Award, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, 2020 

  • Best Visual Design, World Bank & Mapbox VizRisk Challenge, 2019 

  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2016-2019 

Science and Products

Developing and implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for earthquake engineering, earthquake science, and rapid damage assessment

Executive SummaryMacroseismic observations and analysis connect our collective seismological past with the present and the present to the future by facilitating hazard estimates and communicating the effects of ground shaking to a wide variety of audiences across the ages. Invaluable ground shaking and building damage information is gained through standardized, systematic approaches for assigning
Authors
David J. Wald, Tatiana Goded, Ayse Hortascu, Sabine Chandradewi Loos

Non-USGS Publications**

Loos, S., Levitt, J., Tomozawa, K., Baker, J., & Lallemant, D. (2022). Efficacy of Damage Data Integration: A Comparative Analysis of Four Major Earthquakes. Natural Hazards Review, 23(4), 04022026. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000581
Loos, S., Lallemant, D., Baker, J., McCaughey, J., Yun, S.-H., Budhathoki, N., Khan, F., & Singh, R. (2020). G-DIF: A geospatial data integration framework to rapidly estimate post-earthquake damage. Earthquake Spectra, 36(4), 1695–1718. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755293020926190
Loos, S., Baker, J., Khan, F., McCaughey, J., Banick, R., Budhathoki, N., & Lallemant, D. (2022). Beyond building damage: an approach to rapidly estimate post-disaster obstacles to recovery. (in review).
Lallemant, D., Loos, S., McCaughey, J. W., Budhathoki, N., & Khan, F. (2020). Informatics for Equitable Recovery: Supporting equitable disaster recovery through mapping and integration of social vulnerability into post-disaster impact assessments (pp. 1–51) [Report]. Nanyang Technological University. https://doi.org/10.32656/ier_final_report_2020
Bhattacharjee, G., Soden, R., Barns, K., Loos, S., & Lallemant, D. (2021). Factors affecting earthquake responders’ building damage information needs and use. Earthquake Spectra, 87552930211030300. https://doi.org/10.1177/87552930211030297
Lallemant, D., Soden, R., Rubinyi, S., Loos, S., Barns, K., & Bhattacharjee, G. (2017). Post-Disaster Damage Assessments as Catalysts for Recovery: A Look at Assessments Conducted in the Wake of the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal, Earthquake. Earthquake Spectra, 33(1_suppl), 435–451. https://doi.org/10.1193/120316EQS222M

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Human-Centered Earthquake Impact Information: Learn more about USGS Mendenhall Fellow Sabine Loos

Human-Centered Earthquake Impact Information: Learn more about USGS Mendenhall Fellow Sabine Loos

Translating earthquake science into engineering-based risk and loss assessments is an important tool for disaster management decision-making...

Read Article

Science and Products

Developing and implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for earthquake engineering, earthquake science, and rapid damage assessment

Executive SummaryMacroseismic observations and analysis connect our collective seismological past with the present and the present to the future by facilitating hazard estimates and communicating the effects of ground shaking to a wide variety of audiences across the ages. Invaluable ground shaking and building damage information is gained through standardized, systematic approaches for assigning
Authors
David J. Wald, Tatiana Goded, Ayse Hortascu, Sabine Chandradewi Loos

Non-USGS Publications**

Loos, S., Levitt, J., Tomozawa, K., Baker, J., & Lallemant, D. (2022). Efficacy of Damage Data Integration: A Comparative Analysis of Four Major Earthquakes. Natural Hazards Review, 23(4), 04022026. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000581
Loos, S., Lallemant, D., Baker, J., McCaughey, J., Yun, S.-H., Budhathoki, N., Khan, F., & Singh, R. (2020). G-DIF: A geospatial data integration framework to rapidly estimate post-earthquake damage. Earthquake Spectra, 36(4), 1695–1718. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755293020926190
Loos, S., Baker, J., Khan, F., McCaughey, J., Banick, R., Budhathoki, N., & Lallemant, D. (2022). Beyond building damage: an approach to rapidly estimate post-disaster obstacles to recovery. (in review).
Lallemant, D., Loos, S., McCaughey, J. W., Budhathoki, N., & Khan, F. (2020). Informatics for Equitable Recovery: Supporting equitable disaster recovery through mapping and integration of social vulnerability into post-disaster impact assessments (pp. 1–51) [Report]. Nanyang Technological University. https://doi.org/10.32656/ier_final_report_2020
Bhattacharjee, G., Soden, R., Barns, K., Loos, S., & Lallemant, D. (2021). Factors affecting earthquake responders’ building damage information needs and use. Earthquake Spectra, 87552930211030300. https://doi.org/10.1177/87552930211030297
Lallemant, D., Soden, R., Rubinyi, S., Loos, S., Barns, K., & Bhattacharjee, G. (2017). Post-Disaster Damage Assessments as Catalysts for Recovery: A Look at Assessments Conducted in the Wake of the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal, Earthquake. Earthquake Spectra, 33(1_suppl), 435–451. https://doi.org/10.1193/120316EQS222M

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Human-Centered Earthquake Impact Information: Learn more about USGS Mendenhall Fellow Sabine Loos

Human-Centered Earthquake Impact Information: Learn more about USGS Mendenhall Fellow Sabine Loos

Translating earthquake science into engineering-based risk and loss assessments is an important tool for disaster management decision-making...

Read Article

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government