Alex Sixie Cao

Assistant Professor

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Alex leads the Risk and Infrastructure Systems Lab at NTU as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. His research connects structural mechanics, probabilistic modelling, and risk-informed decision-making. He studies how infrastructure systems behave and how safety decisions reflect changing climatic and societal conditions.

alex.caosx@ntu.edu.sg

Research

Three connected research streams.

Risk acceptance and safety

What levels of safety should society seek?

Reliability and robustness

How do systems perform and withstand damage?

Risk-informed decision-making

How should we act under uncertainty?

Background

2024–2026

Postdoctoral Researcher

Empa and ETH Zurich

Worked with Dr. Pedro Palma and Prof. Andrea Frangi on robustness, probabilistic system modelling, impact resistance, and the reliability of timber connections under complex loading.
2024

PhD in Civil Engineering

ETH Zurich

Developed analytical and numerical tools for progressive collapse and robustness of timber buildings, supported by full-scale impact testing.
2015–2020

Earlier studies

NTNU · Tsinghua University (2018–2019)

Studies at NTNU and Tsinghua University built a foundation in structural dynamics, continuum mechanics, and wind engineering.