GRCCIVIL2025

A visionary leader and accomplished scholar, Dr. Vistasp M. Karbhari took office in June 2013 as the eith president of The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). As president, he is committed to advancing UTA’s national and international profile while strengthening excellence in research and teaching and ensuring the success of UTA’s students in campus-based and online degree programs in Texas and around the world. In the 2017-18 academic year, UTA served almost 60,000 students through these programs. Under his leadership, UTA has achieved Carnegie R-1 status, was named a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and is ranked as the top educational institution in the State of Texas for Veterans and Adult Learners, in addition to having nationally ranked programs in each of UTA’s schools and colleges. Prior to joining UTA, President Karbhari served at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (2008-2013), the University of California San Diego (1995-2008), and the University of Delaware (1991-1995). A prolific researcher, President Karbhari is an expert in the processing and mechanics of composites, durability of materials, infrastructure rehabilitation, and multi-threat mitigation, and has authored or co-authored more than 460 papers in journals and conference proceedings and edited or co-edited six books. He is a fellow of several pre-eminent research organizations, including the National Academy of Inventors, the American Society of Civil Engineers, ASM International, the International Institute for Fiber-Reinforced Polymers in Construction, the International Society for Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure, and the ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute.

Senthilarasu (Senthil) Sundaram is a Professor in the School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies at Teesside University. His passion towards energy and sustainability in the energy sector has started during his pre-doctoral research course (MPhil in Applied Physics) which leads to PhD in organic solar cells materials. He has published over 250 articles in well reputed journals and conferences along with 7 books. Senthil currently leads the sustainable energy material themed research in the Teesside University. Prior to joining in the Teesside, Senthil was an Associate Professor in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and as Lecturer and senior lecturer in University of Exeter where he led the “Energy materials” group within Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) where he led energy conversion and storage, environment friendly materials for energy applications. His research focus is sustainable energy vectors in through renewable energy especially in solar energy. He has strong background in resource assessment, theoretical modelling and simulation for different solar systems including thin film PV and third generation solar cell materials and devices and solar thermal. He has experience in sustainable energy generation through environmentally friendly materials such as dye-sensitised solar cells, Tin based perovskite solar cells and thin film photovoltaics which includes dye, synthesize, characterisation and recycle. He has worked on Impact Acceleration grants funded by ESRC to generate and estimate the impact in dairy and water industries in India. He is also currently working on the construction of environmentally friendly materials for flexible solar cells. He has involved in different projects as a PI and CoI funded by EPSRC (EP/S030786/1, EP/P003435/1, EP/P003605/1, EP/T025875/1), Interreg-ERDF funded The Intelligent Community Energy, ERDF funded Agri-Tech Cornwall and ESIF funded Energy Independent farming. His group is focusing on the heavy metal removal using graphene membranes and wastewater treatment in the textile industries. He is leading Impact Programme in the “Textile wastewater treatment and remediation using carbon materials” for developing countries to effectively recycle their textile wastewater. He is working on sustainable energy technologies to create environmentally sustainable materials for energy generation, storage, building integrated applications, thermal storage, water remediation, and low carbon heating applications.

Graduated from HKU (global subject ranking 14 in QS), I now serve as an Associate Professor in Dept of Economics and Finance in Hong Kong Shue Yan University. I am the founder and director of Sustainable Real Estate Research Center. My major research interests lie in SDGs, construction safety and health, housing economics, real estate economics, applied AI, I am listed as Stanford University World’s Top 2% Scientist across 22 scientific fields and 176 sub-fields of all scientists (2020-2022 single year, 2022 career-long) with the highest rank in the fields of artificial intelligence, Information & Communication Technologies, Environmental Sciences (2021)/energy(2022). I act as a journal editorial board member and SI editor for SSCI/SCIE journals, an author of 9 books and over 200 articles over the past eight years. Apart from writing single-authored papers mostly in my early career, I have quite an extensive academic network with research collaborators from Australia, the UK, Italy, the US, Cyprus, France, Canada, Thailand, Malaysia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and mainland China etc. I am also an invited keynote speaker for over 30 conferences.

Masoud Akbarzadeh is a designer with a unique academic background and experience in architectural design, computation, and structural engineering. He is an Associate Professor of Architecture in Structures and Advanced Technologies and the Director of the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory (PSL). He holds a D.Sc. from the Institute of Technology in Architecture, ETH Zurich, where he was a Research Assistant in the Block Research Group. He holds two degrees from MIT: a Master of Science in Architecture Studies (Computation) and a MArch, the thesis for which earned him the renowned SOM award. He also has a degree in Earthquake Engineering and Dynamics of Structures from the Iran University of Science and Technology and a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering. His main research topic is Three-Dimensional Graphical Statics, which is a novel geometric method of structural design in three dimensions. In 2020, he has received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award to extend the methods of 3D/Polyhedral Graphic Statics for Education, Design, and Optimization of High-Performance Structures.

Dr. Wisena Perceka is interested in high-performance concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, reinforced concrete structures, prestressed concrete, bridge engineering, and earthquake-resistant design of reinforced concrete and steel structures. Dr. Wisena Perceka is now working on a new generation of fiber-reinforced concrete for use in RC building structures, non-prestressed or prestressed concrete girders, and RC bridge piers in moderate-to-high seismic zones. Another area of his research is the application of the performance-based plastic design (PBPD) method for designing dual-system RC and steel structures. The main effort in his research area is to address the challenge of improving RC and steel structure resilience.

Simai Yang is a third-year PhD candidate at the School of Management Science and Real Estate, Chongqing University, China. He has participated in several research projects, including the Key Project of National Social Science Foundation of China, the Major Project of Sichuan Philosophy and Society, and the Faceted Project of Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing Municipality. His research interests include project management, project risk management and transportation infrastructure management.

Williams, PhD Researcher & Expert in Construction Materials and Construction of Heavy & Light Structures. As a renowned researcher and expert in the construction industry, Williams specializes in the development and maintenance of both heavy and light structures. His research endeavors focus on advancing the knowledge of engineers, scholars, and concrete practitioners in understanding the synergistic effects of alkali-silica reaction and chloride-induced steel corrosion on reinforced concrete structures in marine environments.

Dr Amonya is a scholar on complexity and public investment. For over two decades, he has taught and advised on infrastructure and public policy across the world. He was Chair, Transport Systems Economics, PIARC, 2016/9. In that role, he led policy makers and academics in attempting to understand transport investment in 122 countries by constructing their policy spaces as dynamical systems. Earlier, he led the governance theme of a UK development programme called Global Transport Knowledge Partnership that sought to bridge the chasm between policymaking and universities of Africa and South-East Asia. He worked for Mott MacDonald (2007/10), advising on PPP around the world. Earlier, he worked for Scott Wilson (now AECOM) in association with the University of Nottingham, guiding infrastructure asset management across the world. Now, he advises Fortune 500 companies in London and other cities on corporate strategy in the era of net zero. In addition, he is assisting African countries in knitting their post-Covid policies. He also guides dialogue on PPP as a member of UNECE team of PPP experts. He advises on infrastructure and complexity under Lyciar.

I hold a Master's degree in Environmental Management from the University of Tehran. As a dedicated researcher, I specialize in a diverse range of fields including river valleys morphology, wind environment analysis, urban air pollution modeling, blue-green infrastructures, air quality and thermal comfort in outdoor spaces, urban climate modeling, greenways, urban forestry, GIS, heat islands, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). My passion for understanding and improving our urban environments has led me to complete a 6-month internship at the University of Genoa, focusing on urban physics modeling. I am committed to utilizing my expertise to drive positive change and innovation in the field of environmental science and urban planning. Let's connect and collaborate on creating sustainable and resilient urban spaces for the future.

An experienced Civil/Structural Engineer with over 10 years in structural design and construction management. Proficient in software like Staad Pro and AutoCAD, with a BEng, MEng, and extensively involved in civil and structural engineering research works. A research expert in the area of sustainable material performance in concrete, with a proven track record of academic excellence, with several publications in reputable journals and a role as a reviewer for journals and conferences

Dr. Kong Fah Tee . His research interests include transportation infrastructure engineering and management, heavy construction engineering, steel engineering and construction composite materials in construction, structural analysis and design, and seismic rehabilitation of existing structures. Koorosh is currently an academic and also consults as a professional engineer and senior technical advisor. Dr Kong Fah Tee, BEng(Hons) PhD PGCert(HE) MBA DIC FHEA research effort has been focused on: structural system identification and health monitoring; structural reliability and failure analysis; experimental stress analysis; and fatigue, fracture mechanics and structural dynamics. He has published three books and more than 210 papers, of which 140 are in refereed international journals associated with over 2779 citations, an H-index of 28 and an i-10 index of 71. He has been awarded research grants with a total worth over £1 million. He has supervised 13 PhD students to successful completion. He is currently serving as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Forensic Engineering (Inderscience) and International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology. He was awarded an International Research Collaboration Award from the University of Sydney and invited as a foreign expert to the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Prof. Kerry McManus is a full professor specializing in civil infrastructure.

Xu Lan, an ambitious scholar, completed her undergraduate studies and earned a Bachelor's degree at Chengdu University in China in 2023. During her time there, she demonstrated exceptional academic abilities and a thirst for knowledge, laying a solid foundation for future graduate studies. Currently, She is pursuing a Master's degree in Management Science and Engineering at Chongqing University, a renowned institution of higher learning in China. Chongqing University boasts a strong faculty and advanced teaching facilities in the field of management science, providing Xu Lan with a vast learning platform and ample opportunities for in-depth research. In the future, She plans to either continue her academic pursuits or embark on a career in the management field, applying her acquired knowledge and skills to practical work, contributing to the development of enterprises and society.

Dr. Pat Rajeev joined the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering at Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) as a Senior Lecturer in November 2013. Prior to joining SUT, he worked as a research fellow at Monash University from 2009 to 2013. His work at Monash focused in the areas of failure management of pipeline (both onshore and offshore), numerical modelling of pipe-soil interaction, and sensor technology for pipeline monitoring. He earned his BSc degree with Honors in civil engineering from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka and MSc in Earthquake Engineering from ROSE School, University of Pavia in Italy. Prior to pursuing his PhD at ROSE School, he was a visiting researcher at TNO DIANA B.V in The Netherlands and working on dynamic soil-structure interaction (finite element) modelling of geo-systems. He received his PhD in Earthquake Engineering (Structural) in 2008 under the guidance of Professor Paolo. E. Pinto. His research interests include earthquake-resistant design and analysis of structures, pipeline engineering, soil-foundation-structure interaction (SFSI), advanced sensor technology and structural reliability and risk analysis. His research projects have been funded by the Australian Research Council, Department of State government Victoria, CRC for Low Carbon Living, Australian Building Codes Board, Italian Civil Protection Agency, European Union, non-profit institutions, and private industry.