Welcome Dr. Hassini!
On behalf of all Students, Staff, and Faculty, I would like to welcome Dr. Sonia Hassini, who has joined our Department of Civil Engineering at McMaster University as a tenure track Assistant Professor on July 01st, 2023.
Dr. Hassini is the first hire from our “Women in Civil Engineering” initiative, and we expect to recruit a second exceptional woman candidate in January 2024. This should allow us to successfully attain our “30 by 30” goal (30% women faculty by year 2030) seven years ahead of schedule.
After our success in recruiting two outstanding faculty members from the “Black Excellence Cohort” last year, this makes Civil Engineering at McMaster among the most diverse and inclusive departments globally, where a true sense of belonging is an utmost priority.
Dr. Hassini obtained her B.Eng. at the Department of Civil Engineering, l’École Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, El Manar University, Tunisia, followed by an M.Eng. at the Department of Civil Engineering, the University of Waterloo, and a PhD at McMaster’s Department of Civil Engineering.
Dr. Hassini brings outstanding talent and an exceptional set of skills to strengthen our department in the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and service, and in achieving our vision of “building healthier communities to create a brighter world”.
Dr. Hassini is an expert in optimal systems for integrated resilient low impact development practices for alleviating land-use and climate change impacts on water runoff, development of analytical probabilistic stormwater management models, and quantification of uncertainties. As such, she complements our research signature areas of Resilient Infrastructure Systems and Water Security under Climate Change.
Dr. Hassini will make our department even more inclusive and diverse, foster experiential learning, enhance the student experience and delivery of our curriculum, and instill excitement in our vigorous and interdisciplinary research programs.
Our Department of Civil Engineering at McMaster University is collegial, inclusive, young, and utterly ambitious. I expect Dr. Hassini to thrive within our team and create synergistic collaborations, and I look forward to her bright scholarly contributions and academic growth.
Sonia: Welcome back to the Fireball Family!
Moncef L. Nehdi, PhD, P. Eng., FCAE, FEIC, FACI, FCSCE, FAAIC
Professor and Chair, Department of Civil Engineering
McMaster University
Faculty of Engineering Announcement
Cam Churchill, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering has been appointed as Acting Director, Experiential Learning Office (ELO) for a six-month term, commencing July 1, 2023. During his career so far, Cam has developed and enhanced experiential learning initiatives in the various leadership appointments he has held, including Chair of the Civil Engineering Infrastructure Technology Program, Director of the Engineering & Society Program, Director of the Engineering & Management Program, and his informal roles leading the Innovation Minor, MacChangers, McMaster Grand Challenges Scholars Program, and as the university lead for the Global Engineering Design Studio. These academic leadership roles have allowed Cam to develop a deep understanding of the principles and best practices that underpin effective experiential learning programs
Moataz Mohamed, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, will serve as Acting Director of the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics (MITL) for a period of seven months, effective June 1, 2023. MITL is currently transitioning from a research institute reporting into the VPR to a research centre reporting into the Faculty of Engineering. A search for a Director will take place this fall to become effective January 1, 2024. This appointment will enable the facilitation of the above and will allow centre-related activities to continue throughout the transition. Moataz has been involved with MITL since 2014.
Congratulations to our Graduate Students!
The Department of Civil Engineering extends its congratulations to Pouneh Pakdel, Yongfan Guo, and Monjee Almustafa, who have each received a G.E. Oravas Memorial Scholarship. Administered by the Gunhard A.E. Oravas Educational Foundation, this scholarship rewards research quality, novelty of contribution, and academic excellence in students involved in research in Computational Mechanics of Deformable Solids.
Dr. Gunhard A.E. Oravas (1923-2015) was a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at McMaster University. His areas of interest included Continuum Mechanics and Structural Engineering. An outstanding scholar and dedicated teacher, he was a great contributor to the Faculty of Engineering. This scholarship seeks to promote study, research and innovation in the area of Computational Mechanics of Materials and Structures at McMaster University, and to recognize and support talented students.
Congratulations to the award recipients!
Dr. Mohamed Ezzeldin wins 2022-23 MSU Excellence in Teaching Award
We are very pleased to share that Dr. Mohamed Ezzeldin has been awarded the 2022-2023 Excellence in Teaching Award from the McMaster Student Union (MSU). Dr. Ezzeldin joined the Department of Civil Engineering as a faculty member in 2019 and has achieved this incredible accomplishment in such a short period of time. We are so proud! Thank you to the students enrolled in CIVENG 4K04 – Modern Methods of Structural Analysis who submitted this well-deserved nomination. Congratulations, Dr. Ezzeldin!
Introducing the McMaster Civil Engineering Graduate Society!
The Civil Engineering Graduate Society (CEGS) is a dynamic and inclusive community of graduate students with a shared vision of academic and personal growth. Our mission is to provide a supportive and empowering environment for our members, where they can connect, learn, and thrive. We have the following objectives and goals:
Foster Academic and Research Insights
Build a Sense of Community & Belonging
Promote Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
Support the Overall Well-Being of Graduate Students
CEGS can be contacted via email at cegs@mcmster.ca
Dr. Taylor Steele Appointed to Assistant Professor at the University of New Brunswick
The Department of Civil Engineering is proud to announce that Dr. Taylor Steele has been appointed to Assistant Professor at the University of New Brunswick. Dr. Steele completed his Ph.D. in 2019 under the supervision of Dr. Lydell Wiebe with his thesis, Ultimate Limit States in Controlled Rocking Steel Braced Frames. As a Ph.D. student, Dr. Steele received the Teaching Assistant Merit Award from McMaster University, as well as a G. J. Jackson Fellowship, an NSERC Alexander Graham Bell CGS-D award, and an Ira McDonald (Construction) Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Dr. Steele completed his undergraduate studies at the University of New Brunswick prior to joining us at McMaster, and we congratulate him on returning to his alma mater as a faculty member! They are certainly lucky to have him.
McMaster Civil Engineering Faculty provide insight into February 6th earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria
Following the February 6th earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, Dr. Lydell Wiebe and Dr. Cancan Yang have been interviewed on several TV networks to provide additional information and insight into the situation.
Dr. Wiebe has given interviews on CBC News Network and CTV News, and Dr. Yang appeared on CBC News. Both Dr. Wiebe and Dr. Yang also appeared on CHCH.
Ahmed Moussa awarded 2022 Vanier CGS Scholarship
The Department of Civil Engineering is proud to announce that Ahmed Moussa, PhD student, has been awarded the 2022 Vanier CGS Scholarship. Named after Major-General Georges P. Vanier, the first francophone Governor General of Canada, the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) is awarded to top ranking doctoral students who demonstrate academic excellence, research potential, and leadership.
Student Bio:
Ahmed Moussa is a second-year Ph.D. candidate in Civil Engineering at McMaster University who has always been passionate about civil engineering. He graduated with an honours Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the German University in Cairo, where he then worked as a teaching assistant in their Civil Engineering department. Ahmed, determined on leaving a footprint in the Civil Engineering field, decided to apply to graduate studies and started his Masters at McMaster University in September 2020. Based on his academic excellence and to further his research impact, Ahmed transferred to the PhD program in Civil Engineering at McMaster University in January 2021.
Title of Research Proposal:
Hyper Resilience for Hyper Risks: A Solution for Canada’s Critical Infrastructure Networks Joint Restoration Problem under Climate Change
Overview of Proposed Research:
Under the supervision of Dr. Wael El-Dakhakhni and Dr. Mohamed Ezzeldin, Ahmed’s Ph.D. research focuses on the interconnectivity of Canada’s infrastructure network (telecommunications, water, electricity, transport, healthcare, and more) and the possibility of cascading failures. His research aims to optimize our spending to know which critical assets and which infrastructure systems we should prepare to mitigate.
Welcome Dr. Awolayo and Dr. Hisseine!
On behalf of all Students, Staff and Faculty, I would like to welcome Dr. Ousmane Ahmat Hisseine and Dr. Adedapo Noah Awolayo who will be joining the Department of Civil Engineering at McMaster University as Assistant Professors on July 01st, 2022.
They are exceptional colleagues who bring outstanding talent to strengthen our department in the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and service, and in achieving our vision of “building healthier communities to create a brighter world”.
Dr. Hisseine, who is an expert in sustainable and novel construction materials with focus on civil infrastructure sustainability and resilience, joins us from Laval University where he has been a FQRNT Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Dr. Awolayo specializes in reservoir engineering and simulation, enhanced oil recovery, and geochemical modeling transport in porous media. He comes to McMaster from the University of Calgary where he has been a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Geosciences.
Drs. Hisseine and Awolayo will make our department more diverse, enrich experiential learning, and enhance the overall student experience in our department. They will also instill excitement into our already vigorous research programs.
I look forward to their bright scholarly contributions and academic growth at McMaster Engineering. Ousmane and Dapo: Welcome to the Fireball Family!
Moncef L. Nehdi, PhD, P. Eng., FCAE, FEIC, FACI, FCSCE
Professor and Chair