Paul Santi

About Me / Short Bio

I am a Professor of Geological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, where I have been on the faculty since 2001.  Previously, I taught for 6 years at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and worked for 6 years as an engineering consultant in San Francisco and Denver.  My recent research has focused on analysis, prediction and mitigation design for debris flows, landslide analysis, and general geologic hazard analysis.  In 2024, I received the Schuster Medal for excellence in Geohazards Research in North America from AEG and the Canadian Geotechnical Society  I am a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, I have been the chair of the Engineering Geology Division of that organization, and I have been the President of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists.  I am currently the director of the Institute for Initiatives in Latin America, which manages multiple research projects with a partner universities in Peru.

Research

• Hazards and mitigation of post-wildfire debris flows
• Debris-flow avulsion
• Prediction and analysis of long-runout landslides
• Linking landslides to earthquake occurrence and irrigation
• Rockfall analysis and recurrence
• Geologic hazards mapping and analysis