Welcome Dr. Na!

Dr. SeonHong Na has joined the Department of Civil Engineering as of January 1, 2019 as an Assistant Professor focusing in Environmental Engineering. Dr. Na completed his Ph. D. at Columbia University and both his M.Sc. and B.Sc. at Seoul National University, in Korea.

SeonHong Na's research focuses on computational geomechanics, multiphysics, and multiscale modeling of natural and engineering systems with particular emphasis on coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in soils and geological materials. His research areas encompass micromechanics of porous media and granular physics, computational plasticity modeling for extreme environmental conditions, homogenization theory and inverse problem, dynamic wave propagation, and material instabilities (strain localization, soil liquefaction, damage, fracture, phase transition and crystallization). The special geotechnical applications include the multiphase frozen soil, geological carbon sequestration, hydraulic fracture, and nuclear waste disposal.

Welcome Dr. Hussein!

Dr. Mohamed Hussein has joined the Department of Civil Engineering as of July 1, 2018 as an Assistant Professor focusing in Transportation Engineering. Dr. Hussein completed his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, and both his M.Sc. and B.Sc. at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt.

Dr. Hussein’s research focuses on promoting active modes of travel and enhancing road safety to support the sustainability of the transportation system. He is interested in the application of innovative tools, including AI, machine learning, computer vision and agent-based modelling, in analyzing road users’ behaviour. This comprehensive analysis supports the investigation of many applications, such as safety studies, interactions between non-motorized road users and Connected/Autonomous vehicles, among other applications. He is also interested in the application of reliability theory in transportation engineering, the statistical analysis of collision data, and the surrogate measures of safety.

Welcome Dr. Balomenos!

Dr. Georgios Balomenos has joined the Department of Civil Engineering as of September 1, 2018 as an Assistant Professor, focusing in Structural Engineering. Dr. Balomenos received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Canada, where his research was focused on structural reliability using surrogate modeling and finite element analysis. 

Dr. Balomenos’ research focuses on infrastructure reliability and risk assessment in a changing climate for promoting infrastructure resilience and sustainability. Thus, this research will be focused within three primary target areas: (1) Resilience of interdependent/interconnected civil infrastructure in a changing climate; (2) Risk assessment of infrastructure under multiple hazards; (3) Development of smart technologies for infrastructure protection. Through this research Dr. Balomenos aims to shed light on viable structural aspects that can improve infrastructure resiliency, and to offer a framework that can be effectively applied to other natural hazard-prone areas.

Welcome Dr. Hassini!

Dr. Sonia Hassini has joined the Department of Civil Engineering as of September 1, 2018 as an Assistant Professor, focusing in Water Resources Engineering. Dr. Hassini received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from McMaster University, where her research was focused on rainfall-event data analysis and development of flood frequency distribution models. 

With the ongoing climate change and fast urbanization, managing urban runoff became more challenging. To handle the effects of climate and land-use changes, resilient and sustainable stormwater management practices are needed. Dr. Hassini is interested in the planning and design of optimal integrated-systems of low impact development practices. In support of this research, Dr. Hassini intends to use real-time hydrological big data together with advanced artificial intelligence techniques.

Welcome Dr. Zhao!

Dr. Benzhong (Robin) Zhao has joined the Department of Civil Engineering as of September 1, 2018 as an Assistant Professor, focusing in Environmental Engineering. Dr. Zhao completed both his M.Sc and Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and B.A.Sc. at the University of Waterloo.

Robin Zhao's lab specializes in studying the multiphase flow and transport through porous materials. The goal of his research is to aid the development of practical, impactful technologies capable of significantly reducing the carbon emissions of our energy systems. Dr. Zhao's current research on climate change mitigation focuses on technologies such as geological CO2 sequestration and renewable energy storage via electrolysis. He is additionally interested in understanding the impact of climate change on the hydrologic system, and how our society can adapt to minimize the associated damages.