Elsie Lappin is a structural engineering researcher specializing in nondestructive evaluation, structural health monitoring, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Her work focuses on developing technologies that improve how critical infrastructure and engineered systems are inspected, evaluated, and maintained.

Her research has included the development of robotic ultrasonic inspection systems, AI-assisted defect characterization, and advanced nondestructive evaluation methods for welded steel. She has conducted research in collaboration with transportation and energy organizations, including the Georgia Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory.

Elsie founded Lappin Industries LLC to translate emerging inspection technologies from research into practical tools for industry. She is also an inventor of patent-pending technology for three-dimensional defect mapping and identification in structural welds.