Ashraf Habibullah received his M.S. (1970) degree in Civil (Structural) Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and B.S. (1969) degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Karachi, Pakistan. From 1975 to the present, he has served as Founder, President, and CEO of Computers & Structures, Inc. (CSI). He is a registered civil and structural engineer in California.
Mr. Habibullah has led research and development efforts for CSI software for nearly four decades. CSI is recognized globally as a pioneering leader in the development of software tools for structural and earthquake engineering. CSI software is used by thousands of engineers in more than 160 countries for the design of major projects, including the One World Trade Center in New York, the east span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, the Burj-e-Khalifa in Dubai, and the Centenario Bridge over the Panama Canal. CSI software is also widely used for research and education and CSI has generously donated software to numerous universities in many developed and developing countries. Mr. Habibullah is also recognized for his tireless work in supporting the arts and for championing the oft-overlooked artistic aspects of structural engineering.
Mr. Habibullah has received a number of awards and honors in recognition of his contributions, including: Charles S. Whitney Medal from the American Concrete Institute (ACI, 2011); H.J. Brunnier Lifetime Achievement Award from the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC, 2010); American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) George Winter Award (2005); Outstanding Individual Contribution to the Arts Community Award from the San Francisco Business Arts Council (2004); Community Involvement Award for the Structural Engineers Association (2000); and Arts Recognition Award from the Contra Costs County Board of Supervisors (1998).
Over the years, Mr. Habibullah has provided Berkeley with a range of valuable software for use in research and education. CSI software has been provided to the following University-related organizations at no cost or at steep academic discount: Department of Architecture, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, College of Environmental Design, Forest Products Laboratory, and Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center. In addition, he has served as an instructor for 15 years in Structural and Earthquake Engineering at U.C. Berkeley Extension. He has also served as a committee member for the Joseph Penzien Graduate Fellowship Fundraising Committee, provided a major grant to the Berkeley Center for South Asian Studies Urdu Language Program, and for many years sponsored the Berkeley Seismic Competition Team.