Ashraf Habibullah-Founder, President and CEO of Computers & Structures Inc.,USA
Ashraf is the Founder and CEO of Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI) based in California. He is one of the greatest role models who has revolutionized the Structural Engineering profession over the years and also been my inspiration behind the development of this Structural Stalwarts platform. He came to Berkeley from his native Pakistan to earn a Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering from UC Berkeley in 1969.
During the mid-1970s, the personal computer revolution was exploding and Ashraf knew that universities were developing software capable of transforming the way structural engineers work. Being a student of some of our industry giants at UC Berkeley like Ed Wilson, Ray Clough, T.Y.Lin, Frank Baron, Joe Penzien, Alex Scordelis, Anil Chopra, Graham Powell among others, Ashraf was destined to do something great for the profession as well.
At a time when there was not even Microsoft and when engineers used the slide rule to design and analyze structures, Ashraf took the bold move of bringing his idea of doing something with software for Structural Engineering even after facing criticism from quite a number of people. With all the hard work, dedication and attitude of always growing & always learning he founded CSI, Inc. in 1975, where he was a one-man company initially with working on projects during the day and developing software at nights.
Today CSI Inc. is a pioneering leader in developing software in Structural and Earthquake Engineering and is been used in more than 180 countries to design the most iconic structures around the world. Ashraf has a spirit and philosophy that sets him apart which you will come across in his video above. He is adamant that young engineers should think beyond technology to cultivate deep personal beliefs and pride in their craft, and also make efforts to have powerful communication skills and an understanding of human psychology and human chemistry.
I promise this small video will help you in feeling proud of our Structural Engineering profession and also enkindle you with the belief of achieving higher feats in our profession.
