# Ashraf Habibullah

> Ashraf Habibullah is the founder, President, and CEO of Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI), the Berkeley-based company behind ETABS and SAP2000 - structural engineering software used in 160+ countries to design buildings like Taipei 101 and One World Trade Center. A Pakistani-American engineer who once dreamed of being a rockstar, Habibullah has spent 50 years turning the structural engineering profession from slide rules to software, earning election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2024. Equally passionate about ballet, photography, and the arts, he co-founded the Diablo Ballet and the Engineers' Alliance for the Arts, championing the idea that engineers need as much human skill as technical skill.

- **Role:** President and CEO at Computers and Structures, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI), Engineers' Alliance for the Arts, Diablo Ballet (co-founder), UC Berkeley College of Engineering Advisory Board, Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) - Honorary Member, Structural Engineers Association of Southern California - Honorary Member, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) - Honorary Member, National Academy of Engineering
- **From:** Pakistan
- **Nationality:** Pakistani-American
- **Education:** B.S. in Civil Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Pakistan, M.S. in Civil (Structural) Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
- **Known for:** Founded CSI in 1975 and grew it into a global leader with software used in 160+ countries, Co-developed ETABS with Dr. Edward L. Wilson - recognized as 'Top Seismic Product of the 20th Century' by Applied Technology Council and Engineering News-Record, Software suite (ETABS, SAP2000, SAFE, CSiBridge, PERFORM-3D) used to design Taipei 101, One World Trade Center, and thousands of other iconic structures

## Career timeline

- **1947** — Born in Pakistan
- **1969** — Earned B.S. in Civil Engineering from NED University of Engineering and Technology, Pakistan
- **1970** — Earned M.S. in Structural Engineering from UC Berkeley; studied under Ed Wilson, Ray Clough, T.Y. Lin
- **1971** — Joined McClure and Messinger as a structural engineer
- **1974** — Moved to Earthquake Engineering Systems
- **1975** — Founded Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI) in Berkeley; taught a landmark UC Extension course attended by 187 engineers, which became his first customer base
- **1975** — Began developing structural engineering software for personal computers at night while working engineering projects by day
- **1993** — Co-founded the Diablo Ballet, a professional ballet company in the San Francisco Bay Area
- **1997** — Founded the Engineers' Alliance for the Arts, introducing high school students to engineering through annual bridge design competitions
- **2005** — Received ASCE George Winter Award for leading development of structural analysis software and founding Engineers Alliance for the Arts and Diablo Ballet
- **2007** — Departed as main sponsor of Diablo Ballet
- **2010** — Received SEAONC H.J. Brunnier Lifetime Achievement Award
- **2011** — CSI received ACI Charles S. Whitney Medal
- **2013** — Inducted into UC Berkeley CEE Academy of Distinguished Alumni
- **2017** — Received ASCE SEI President's Award; elected Honorary Member of EERI
- **2024** — Elected to the National Academy of Engineering for structural engineering software development and advocacy of the engineering profession

## Achievements

- Founded CSI in 1975 and grew it into a global leader with software used in 160+ countries
- Co-developed ETABS with Dr. Edward L. Wilson - recognized as 'Top Seismic Product of the 20th Century' by Applied Technology Council and Engineering News-Record
- Software suite (ETABS, SAP2000, SAFE, CSiBridge, PERFORM-3D) used to design Taipei 101, One World Trade Center, and thousands of other iconic structures
- Elected to the National Academy of Engineering (2024)
- ASCE George Winter Award (2005)
- SEAONC H.J. Brunnier Lifetime Achievement Award (2010)
- ACI Charles S. Whitney Medal (awarded to CSI, 2011)
- UC Berkeley CEE Academy of Distinguished Alumni (2013)
- UC Berkeley Foundation Trustees' Citation Award (2014)
- ASCE SEI President's Award (2017)
- Honorary Member: SEAONC, Structural Engineers Association of Southern California, EERI
- Co-founded Diablo Ballet (1993), a professional ballet company
- Founded Engineers' Alliance for the Arts (1997), engaging students with engineering and arts
- Contra Costa County Arts Recognition Award (1998)
- San Francisco Business Arts Award (2004)

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Elected to the National Academy of Engineering for structural engineering software development and advocacy of the engineering profession.
- **2024-09** — Addressed over 150 UC Berkeley CEE students at Banatao Auditorium on the importance of interpersonal skills and human engineering.

## Links

- Website: https://csiamerica.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ashrafhabibullah
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/CSiAmericaSoft
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AshrafHabibullah/videos
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashrafhabibullah/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/computersandstructures

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ashraf-habibullah
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-17