Dr Ashok K. Jain is Professor of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (formerly University of Roorkee), obtained his B.E. and M.E. degrees with honours from the University of Roorkee in 1972 and 1974, and a doctorate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1978. His main areas of interest include multistoreyed buildings, concrete and steel bridges, and nonlinear seismic response of structures. Besides teaching and research, he has been a structural consultant to various state and central government agencies as well as many private companies. A recipient of several awards, he has been a research fellow at the University of Michigan a visiting Professor at the McGill University, Montreal Director, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur and Head of Civil Engineering Department, I.I.T. Roorkee.