RISUD Research Seminar: Engineering Innovation toward Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure
Conference / Lecture
-
Date
25 Nov 2025
-
Organiser
Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD)
-
Time
16:30 - 17:30
-
Venue
Z212, 2/F, Block Z, PolyU & Online via Zoom Map
Enquiry
Kaley Li risud@polyu.edu.hk
Summary
As climate extremes intensify and natural disasters grow more frequent, global infrastructure faces unprecedented challenges, demanding resilient infrastructure. Fighting climate change and building resilience require not only low-carbon solutions but also stronger, smarter, and more adaptive materials, elements, and systems. Guided by data‑driven frameworks, engineers must anticipate and mitigate emerging risks through innovation.
This presentation highlights research from the Applied Laboratory for Advanced Materials & Structures (ALAMS) at UBC focused on performance, sustainability, and adaptability in civil infrastructure. Key initiatives include shape‑memory alloy hybrid bracing and bearing systems, hybrid reinforcement strategies, ultra‑high‑performance concrete, rocking steel bridge piers, and advanced retrofitting techniques.
Beyond technical resilience, the work promotes sustainable construction through industrial waste recycling, hybrid timber systems, and life‑cycle carbon reduction aligned with Canada’s Net‑Zero goals. Supported by government and industry collaboration, ALAMS advances laboratory innovation toward real‑world implementation, envisioning infrastructures that are stronger, sustainable, and self‑adaptive amid a changing climate.
Biography
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering;
Tier-1 Principal’s Research Chair in Resilient & Green Infrastructure;
Director, Green Construction Research & Training Centre,
The University of British Columbia
Prof. Shahria ALAM is a Full Professor of Civil Engineering and the Tier-1 Principal’s Research Chair in Resilient & Green Infrastructure at the University of British Columbia (UBC)’s Okanagan campus. He is an elected Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE).
Prof. ALAM is the founding director of UBC’s Green Construction Research & Training Center (GCRTC). He currently serves as CSCE’s Vice President (Technical Program). He was the past Chair of CSCE’s Engineering Mechanics and Materials Division. He received his PhD in Civil Engineering from Western University in 2008. His research interests include resilient infrastructure, smart and recycled materials and their structural engineering applications, and their performance-based design. He has published more than 500 peer-reviewed articles in these areas. Prof. Alam has received numerous national and international awards, including four Best Paper awards and, more recently, the Killam Faculty Research Prize.
