Areas of Research
Dr. R.E. Baddour, P.Eng.
Research interests: Environmental hydraulics; Thermohaline buoyancy and
circulation; Nonlinear mixing; Stratified and two-phase flows; Bubble
aerators and wave breakers; Zebra mussel and ice control at water
intakes.
Research projects: Thermohaline mixing and circulation; Vortex dynamics
at water intakes; Surface jets; Energy dissipation; Water aeration and
wave attenuation; Aeration downstream of dams.
Dr. F.M. Bartlett, P.Eng.
Research interests: Highway bridge evaluation and
rehabilitation: mechanics, reliability and design; Structural safety and
code calibration; Large scale structural testing.
Research projects: Material properties of new and historical
bridge steels; Rehabilitation of post-tensioned voided slab bridges;
Steel plate girders with slender intermediate transverse stiffeners;
Bond of plain reinforcement in historical concrete structures. Behaviour
and design of strengthened hybrid built-up steel columns; Load paths in
light –frame construction: the “Insurance Research Lab for
Better Homes” project.
Dr. G.T. Bitsuamlak
Research interests: wind effects on the resiliency and
sustainability of the built-environment, multi-scale experimental and
computational wind engineering, bluff-body aerodynamics, structural
dynamics, aerodynamic and dynamic optimization and mitigation, building
science, wind load codification
Research projects: Multi-scale computational evaluation
of wind loads on buildings, wind/structure interaction, wind load on
emerging green infrastructure (solar panels, vegetated roofs, wind
turbines), effects of urban topography and complex terrain on wind load,
wind-driven-rain-intrusion through building envelope, aerodynamic
mitigation and optimization, wind directionality effects, wind-driven
natural ventilation.
Dr. A. El Damatty, P.Eng.
Research interests: Development of finite element models;
Dynamics of structures, response of structures to wind and earthquake
loading; Analysis and design of shell-type structures; Application of
composite materials in construction.
Research projects: Analysis of transmission towers under
downburst and tornado loads; Application of tuned liquid dampers to
control the vibration of structures; Development of coupled heat
transfer/stress analysis numerical code; Use of fiber reinforced plastic
sheets to retrofit steel structures. “Insurance Research Lab for
Better Homes” project.
Dr. M.H. El Naggar, P.Eng.
Dr. A. M.H. El Naggar, P.Eng.
Research interests: Static and dynamic analysis of piles;
Soil-structure interaction; Structural and soil dynamics; Earthquake and
offshore engineering; Design of machine foundations.
Research projects: Response of structures to wind, earthquake,
and wave loading considering the interactive effects of the supporting
medium; Development and testing of innovative base isolation system for
seismic applications; Seismic microzonation of urban areas; Efficient
design of manholes; Seismic performance of helical piles; Evaluation of
seismic local site effects; Development and installation of shaped spun
piles; Design of machine foundations (e.g. power plants, manufacturing
equipment, etc.).
Dr. H.M. Hangan, P.Eng.
Research interests: Experimental and computational fluid
dynamics; Bluff body aerodynamics; Turbulent flow structures in wakes,
boundary layers, jets and swirling flows; Wind engineering.
Research projects: Computational Wind Engineering (CWE) projects
in: wind-driven rain, air quality, aero acoustics, topographic flows;
Physical and numerical simulation of high intensity winds: downburst and
tornadoes.
Dr. José Herrera, P.Eng.
Research interest.
Functional nanomaterials for in-situ remediation of contaminated sites;
reaction engineering and catalysis, synthesis and characterization of
carbon nanotube based composites, drinking water quality.
Research projects: Synthesis testing and evaluation of
metal-based nanoparticles for environmental remediation; design and
synthesis of metal oxide nanomaterials for partial oxidation catalytic
processes, modeling and assessment of lead corrosion in drinking water
distributions systems, chemical modification of Single Walled
Carbon Nanotubes for incorporation in functional materials.
Dr. H-P Hong, P.Eng.
Research interests: Reliability-based assessment of existing
structures, code calibration, stochastic dynamic response, structural
reliability methods, earthquake engineering, and wind engineering.
Research projects: Reliability-based assessment of design codes
(offshore structures, concrete nuclear containment, and timber
structures); Safety evaluation of existing structures, infrastructure,
optimal maintenance and inspection of deteriorating systems; External
load and load combination analysis; Earthquake hazard and risk; Decision
making under uncertainty; “Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes” project.
Dr. G.A. Kopp, P.Eng.
Research interests: Bluff body aerodynamics; Wind damage and
wind–borne debris due to hurricanes and tornadoes; Wind loads on low
buildings; Vortex-induced oscillations of long-span bridges;
Codification of wind loads; Computational methods for turbulent flows.
Research projects: Various wind engineering and aerodynamics
projects, including the “Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes” project.
Dr. C.A. Miller, P.Eng.
Research interests: Atmospheric boundary layer structure.
Response of atmospheric boundary layers to changes in surface roughness
and topography. Climatology and statistical modeling of extreme wind
events. Characterization of anemometer sites for local terrain
conditions.
Projects projects: Examination of design wind speed differences
across Europe; Mapping of topographic effects on maximum sustained
surface wind speeds in landfalling hurricanes; Boundary layer structure
in hurricanes; Development of radar based thunderstorm climatologies.
Dr. G. Nakhla, P.Eng
Research interests: Municipal/industrial waste treatment;
Biological nutrient removal processes; Bio-treatment of hazardous
contaminants; Groundwater treatment; Soil bioremediation; Treatment
processes modelling.
Research projects: Treatment of rendering wastewater to meet
reuse criteria; Electokinetic dewatering of oily sludges; Treatment of
refractory chemical industry wastewater; Biological nutrient removal
from wastewaters using membrane bioreactors; Bioremediation of sediments
contaminated with polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Dr. M.L. Nehdi, P.Eng.
Research interests:
Bio-inspired construction materials; nano-materials in cementitious
composites; smart materials and structures; sustainability of civil
infrastructure and green construction; Engineering applications and
modeling of the behavior of cement-based materials; Durability and
repair of concrete infrastructure.
Research projects: Novel nano-modified
cementitious composites, Development of performance-based test methods
for concrete in severe environments; Use of shape memory alloys in
construction; Engineering properties and performance of oil well
cements; Fiber-reinforced concrete pipes; Fiber-reinforced concrete
tunnel linings; Fiber-reinforced plastics in concrete structures;
Rheology of cement-based materials.
Dr. T.A. Newson, P.Eng.
Research interests: In situ testing; Disposal of mine wastes;
Behaviour of offshore structures and soils; Centrifuge and laboratory
testing techniques; Constitutive modeling of clays; Soil-structure
interaction, contaminant and pathogen movement through soils; Fracture
behaviour in clayey soils; Biomechanics of the human eye.
Research projects: Upheaval buckling of buried offshore
pipelines; Soil-arching around buried box-culverts; Wave loading on
offshore structures and soils; Destructuration of natural clay soils
during loading and unloading.
Dr. D.M. O’Carroll, P.Eng.
Research interests:
Groundwater contamination and remediation; Development of innovative
groundwater remediation technologies; Improving our understanding of
the phenomena that govern contaminant fluid flow in the subsurface;
Utility of nanometals in environmental engineering; Green roof design.
Research projects: Transport of engineered nanomaterials in the
environment; Developing nanomaterials to remediate chlorinated solvent
spill sites; Modelling migration and remediation of complex waste
mixtures in the subsurface; Assessing the impact of dynamic effects in
capillary pressure on remediation activities; Quantifying green roof
performance.
Dr. J.Q. Shang, P.Eng.
Research interests: Electrokinetics in geotechnical and
environmental engineering applications; Detection of soil and
groundwater contamination using electromagnetic waves; Soil improvement;
Remediation of contaminated sites.
Research projects: Electrokinetic strengthening of offshore
foundations; Utilization of coal fly ash in management of reactive
tailings; Vacuum preloading consolidation of reclaimed land and
tailings; Detection of soil and groundwater contamination.
Dr. S.P. Simonovic, P.Eng.
Research interests: Subject area: systems modeling, risk and
reliability, water resources education and training; Topical Area:
reservoirs, flood control, hydropower engineering, operational
hydrology.
Research projects: Sustainable floodplain management; Regional
assessment of water resources; Impact of climate variability and change
on water resources management; Decision support for disaster risk
management.
Dr. E.K. Yanful, P.Eng
Research interests: Unsaturated soil behaviour and
applications to design of covers for landfills and sulphide waste;
Modelling of sediment-fluid interactions with applications to mine
tailings ponds and lakes; Geochemical, biological and physical factors
controlling metal release and transport in flooded tailings
impoundments; Clay barrier-permeant compatibility studies involving
landfill leachate and acid mine drainage.
Research projects: Mine waste rock decommissioning; Geochemistry
of flooded tailings: Falconbridge, Quirke Cell 14 (Elliot Lake),
Ontario; Heath Steele Mines; Acidic drainage prediction: Quebec;
Performance evaluation of engineered caps on mine waste rock: Whistle
Mine, Capreol, Ontario; Design of shallow water covers over
acid-generating tailings; Environmental protection at Elliot Lake
tailings area using water covers; Mitigation of methane emission from
landfills.
Dr. M.A. Youssef, P.Eng.
Research interests:
Modelling of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures; Fire
resilience of concrete structures; Analysis and design of modular
steel structures; Seismic capacity of existing structures,
Applications of Shape Memory Alloys in Structural Engineering,
Retrofitting of existing structures, Enhancing the seismic behaviour
of reinforced concrete structures.
Research projects: Development of design tools to predict the
fire resilience of concrete structures; Development of design
guidelines for modular steel structures; Using shape memory alloys to
minimize seismic damage in reinforced concrete structures, Improving
the design and construction of hollow core slabs.
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Contact Info
Western Engineering
Spencer Engineering Building (SEB)
Room number 3005
Telephone: (519) 661-2139
Fax: (519) 661-3779
E-mail: civil@uwo.ca
