The PEER research program aims to provide data, models, and software tools to support a formalized performance-based earthquake engineering methodology. Within the broad field of earthquake engineering, PEER's research currently is focused on six thrusts, these being Building Systems, Bridge and Transportation Systems, Lifelines Systems, Earthquake Hazard Characteristics, Social Sciences and Information Technologies/Data Science in support of the methodology implementation. The six thrusts have the following components
The PEER research program funds and coordinates research in support of the PEER mission in performance-based earthquake engineering. The broad scope of the mission requires an equally broad research agenda. The program includes elements of fault rupture; transmission of seismic waves from the source to the site; local site response as affected by local geologic conditions; interaction among the soil, foundation, and structure components; analysis of system dynamic response; assessment of the performance of the structural and nonstructural systems; consequences in terms of casualties, capital costs, and post-earthquake functionality; and decision-making to respond to earthquake effects or to change the design parameters to effect improved performance.
To accomplish its research program, PEER involves researchers from the earth sciences, engineering, and social sciences communities, who work together to develop an integrated approach to the performance-based earthquake engineering problem.