Her Story
About Mirna
Mirna Kassem is currently a postdoc at UC Berkeley in California, where she has worked for 5 years in geotechnical engineering. She earned her master's and PhD in geotechnical engineering from UC Berkeley after completing her undergraduate studies at the American University of Beirut on a fully funded scholarship, following her ranking second in the Lebanese Baccalaureate. Her research centers on predicting natural hazards, specifically landslides induced by hurricanes and earthquakes, at the community scale to enhance situational awareness and reduce risks. She has developed the CRISIS framework for public landslide prediction under various scenarios. Kassem has received the Jane Lewis Fellowship, Harry Bolton Seed Award, and Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award for her teaching contributions at Berkeley. She is a member of ASCE and AGU, serves on committees, and has been a committee member for 3 years with the American University of Beirut Northern California alumni chapter, organizing events to fund tuition for underprivileged students. Her dedication stems from her Lebanese background and resilience through natural and man-made disasters, including the Beirut explosion, motivating her to pursue impactful work helping communities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mirna
01What do you attribute your success to?
My Lebanese background and resilience from enduring many natural and man-made disasters, including being in Beirut during the explosion, which inspired me to do impactful work helping communities.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If you're passionate about it, go for it. The field is very rewarding because you can see the outcome helping people. Talk to people, go to the ground instead of just working behind a screen, and always keep the social aspect and communities in mind as 50% of the work.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Field work after disasters is physically and logistically challenging, especially for women in remote areas without facilities. Talking to affected people is rewarding but carries responsibility as they seek help beyond your expertise.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Transparency in contributions, diversity equity inclusivity (DEIB), being friendly and respectful of boundaries especially when interacting with communities after disasters, and kindness.
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