Glenn R. Bell, P.E., S.E.
Research Civil Engineer, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Glenn R. Bell is a Research Civil Engineer at NIST, where he is the Associate Lead Investigator of the National Construction Safety Team investigation of the Champlain Towers South Partial Collapse. From 1975 to 2020, he was employed at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH), were he worked in structural design, structural rehabilitation, and the investigation of failures. He investigated the 1981 walkways collapse at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Kansas City and served on SGH’s team that conducted analyses for NIST of the collapses of WTC Towers 1 and 2 during 9/11. Glenn was SGH’s CEO from 1995 through 2016.
Glenn’s professional passion is structural safety, especially in investigating failures and employing the lessons learned from them to improve practice and avert future disasters. He co-founded the American Society of Civil Engineer’s (ASCE) Technical Council on Forensic Engineering and was the principal driver in establishing Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures – U.S., where he currently serves as Director.
Glenn has received numerous recognitions for his contributions, including the ASCE President’s Award, the ASCE Forensic Engineering Award, and the IStructE Keith Eaton International Award.