Professor Tobriner is Curator, College of Environmental Design Documents Collection. Most recently, Member, EERC & NSF Reconnaissance Team, Kobe, Japan earthquake; and Head, EERI Reconnaissance Team, Umbria-Marche earthquakes in Italy. Editorial consultant, Encarta Encyclopedia, Microsoft Corp. Author of The Genesis of Noto, an 18th Century Sicilian City, republished as La Genesi di Noto, una città italiana del Settecento.

He has written more than forty articles about Mesoamerican cities, Baroque architecture and cities in Italy, the history of engineering, and reconstruction after earthquakes in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Recent awards include a Getty Senior Fellowship and an award from the Getty Grant Program. Teaches courses on the history of architecture and cities, Baroque architecture, Mesoamerican architecture & urbanism, engineering history, the history of reconstruction after seismic disasters, and social responsibility in architecture.

Current research activity includes the history of the Cathedral of Noto, Sicily, which collapsed in 1996, the history of San Francisco architecture and engineering, and the history of earthquakes and reconstruction in 18th century Europe.