Professor Bea has over 48 years of experience in engineering and management of design, construction, maintenance, operation, and decommissioning marine systems including offshore platforms, pipelines, and floating facilities. He has been teaching at the University of California at Berkely since 1989. He is co-director of the Marine Technology and Management Group Center for Risk Mitigation.
Ph.D. - Center for Oil & Gas Engineering, University of Western Australia, 2000
M.S.E. - Civil Engineering, University of Florida, 1960
B.C.E. - Civil Engineering, University of Florida, 1959
Risk Assessment and Management, Reliability, Human and Organizational Factors, Quality Assurance & Quality Control, Design, Construction, Maintenance, Operations, Decommissioning, Ocean engineered systems (platforms, pipelines, ships).
Ralph Peck Medal, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2002
Blakely Smith Medal Lifetime Achievements in Ocean Engineering, Society of Naval Architects &Marine Engineers, 2001
National Academy of Management, 1994
National Academy of Engineering, 1989
Marine Board, National Academy of Engineering, 1989
American Society of Civil Engineers Croes Medal, 1978
Recent Publications
Journal Papers
• Storesund, R., R.G. Bea and Y. Huang, "Simulated Wave-Induced Erosion of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Levees during Hurricane Katrina," Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering, August 2010, Vol. 136, pp. 177-189, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000033.
• Bea, R., D. Cobos-Roa, and R. Storesund, "Overview of New Orleans Levee Failures: Lessons Learned and Their Impact on National Levee Design and Assessment," Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, December 2009, Vol. 134, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2008)134:5(556).
• Bea, R. and D. Cobos-Roa, "Discussion of "Stability of I-Walls in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina"," Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, December 2009, Vol. 134, pp. 1-4.
• Bea, R. and D. O'Reilly, "Discussion of "Analysis of the Stability of I-Walls with Gaps between the I-Wall and the Levee Fill"," Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, December 2009, Vol. 134, pp. 1-3.
• van Heerden, I., G.P. Kemp, R. Bea, G. Shaffer and J. Day, "How a Navigation Channel Contributed to Most of the Flooding of New Orleans During Hurricane Katrina," Journal of Organization Review, October 2009, pp. 1-18, doi: 10.1007/s11115-009-0093-8.
• Shaffer, G.P., J.W. Day, S. Mack, G.P. Kemp and I. van Heerden, "The MRGO Navigation Project: A Massive Human-Induced Environmental, Economic, and Storm Disaster," Journal of Coastal Research, 2009, Vol. 54, pp. 206-224, doi: DOI:10.2112/SI54-004.1..
• Bea, R., I. Mitroff, D. Farber, H. Foster and K.H. Robert, "A New Approach to Risk: The Implications of E3," Journal of Risk Management, February 2009, Vol. 11, pp. 30-43, doi: 10.1057/rm.2008.12.
• Cobos-Roa, D. and R.G. Bea, "Three-Dimensional Seepage Effects at Three New Orleans Levee Breaches During Hurricane Katrina," Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, December 2008, Vol. 13, pp. 1-26.
• Seed, R.B., R.G. Bea, R.I. Abdelmalak, A. Athanasopoulos-Zekkos,G.P. Boutwell, J.L. Briaud, C.Cheung, D. Cobos-Roa, L. Ehrensing,A.V. Govindasamy, L.F. Harder, K.S. Inkabi, J. Nicks, J.M. Pestana, J. Porter, K. Rhee, M.F. Riemer, J.D. Rogers, R. Storesund,X. Vera-Grunauer, and J. Wartman, "New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. I: Introduction, Overview, and the East Flank," Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, May 2008, Vol. 34, pp. 701-717, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2008)134:5(701).
• Seed, R.B., R.G. Bea, A. Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, G.P. Boutwell, J.D. Bray, C. Cheung, D. Cobos-Roa, L. Ehrensing, L.F. Harder Jr., J.M. Pestana, M.F. Riemer, J.D. Rogers, R. Storesund, X. Vera-Grunauer, and J. Wartman, "New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. II: The Central Region and the Lower Ninth Ward," Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, May 2008, Vol. 34, pp. 718-739, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2008)134:5(718).
• Seed, R.B., R.G. Bea, A. Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, G.P. Boutwell and J.D. Bray, "New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. III: The 17th Street Drainage Canal," Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, May 2008, Vol. 34, pp. 740-761, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2008)134:5(740).
• Seed, R.B., R.G. Bea, A. Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, G.P. Boutwell and J.D. Bray, "New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. IV: Orleans East Bank (Metro) Protected Basin," Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, May 2008, Vol. 34, pp. 762-779, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2008)134:5(762).
• Bea, R.G., "Managing the Unpredictable," Journal Mechanical Engineering, March 2008, Vol. 3, pp. 1-5.
• Ferrari Jr., J. and R. Bea, "Doing E&P Business Abroad - Entailed Risks and the Importance of Ethical Practices," Oil & Gas Financial Journal, July 2006, Vol. 7, pp. 1-9.
• Farber, D.A., R.G. Bea, K. Roberts and K. Inkabi, "Reinventing Flood Control," Tulane Law Review, July 2006, Vol. 81, pp. 1085-1127.
• Bea, R., "Reliability and Human Factors in Geotechnical Engineering," Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, May 2006, Vol. 132, pp. 631-643, doi: 10.1115/1.1904637.
Conference Papers
• Bea, R.G., "Failure of the New Orleans 17th Street Canal Levee & Floodwall During Hurricane Katrina," Proceedings of the GeoCongress 08, ASCE, March 2008, pp. 1-20.
• Bea, R.G., "Reliability Assessment & Management Lessons from Hurricane Katrina," Proceedings, 6th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, ASCE, June 2007, pp. 1-12.
• Bea, R.G., "Lessons From Failure of the Flood Protection System for the Greater New Orleans Area During Hurricane Katrina," Proceedings, 6th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, ASCE, June 2007, pp. 1-10.
• Seed, R.B., R.G. Bea, A. Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, G.P. Boutwell and J.D. Bray, "Investigation of Levee Performance in Hurricane Katrina: The New Orleans Drainage Canals," Proceedings, Geo Institute, Geo-Denver 2007, ASCE, February 2007, pp. 1-16.
• Seed, R.B., R.G. Bea, A. Anthanasopoulos-Zekkos, G.P. Boutwell and J.D. Bray, "Investigation of Levee Performance in Hurricane Katrina: The Inner Harbor Navigation Channel," Proceedings Geo Institute, Geo-Denver 2007, ASCE., February 2007, pp. 1-16.
• Kardon, J.B., R.G. Bea and R.B. Williamson, "Validity and Reliability of Forensic Engineering Methods and Processes," Proceedings, 4th Forensic Congress, ASCE, October 2006, pp. 1-11.
Technical Reports
• Seed, R.B., R.G. Bea, A. Anthanasopoulos-Zekkos, G.P. Boutwell and J.D. Bray, Investigation of the Performance of the New Orleans Flood Protection Systems in Hurricane Katrina on August 29,2005, Vol. I: Main Text and Executive Summary, Vol. II: Appendices, U.S. Library of Congress, July 2006, Vol. 1 & 2, 315-355.
Other Publications
• Seed, R.B., P.G. Nicholson, R.A. Dalrymple, J.A. Battjes and R.G. Bea, "Preliminary Report on the Performance of the New Orleans Levee Systems in Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005," Report to National Science Foundation, March 2009, Vol. 1, pp. 255.