[2] Upon graduation in 1936 he returned to Buenos Aires but was soon moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the group of William M. Murray as a Guggenheim Fellowship[3] and then to the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal as a Visiting Professor.
[4] In 1946 he left Buenos Aires for good, joining the Illinois Institute of Technology where he became the Head of the Stress Analysis Section and in 1956 he became a Professor of the Civil Engineering Department.
Durelli was an outstanding experimental stress analysts known for his work in brittle lacquer techniques, photoelasticity, and moiré methods.
Durelli gave the SESA Murray Lecture in 1965 and was named the eighth Honorary Member of the Society in 1972, a position held until his death in 2000.
Durelli Award in his honor in 2004 to recognize a young professional who has introduced an innovative approach or method in experimental mechanics.