Krawinkler was a native of Innsbruck, Austria, born on April 6, 1940.
[2] Krawinkler then completed a master's degree at California State University San Jose, funded by a Fulbright Scholarship between 1965 and 1967.
[5] He was appointed John A. Blume Professor within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1991.
"[8] That same year, Krawinkler was diagnosed with a brain tumor that necessitated surgery performed in February 2012.
[4] He died in Palo Alto, California, on April 16, 2012, while seeking further treatment.