Dr S. Alireza Behnejad
Biography
Dr Alireza Behnejad is a Senior Teaching Fellow (Associate Professor) at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He achieved his first master’s degree in architectural engineering in 2001, followed by a second MSc in Structural Engineering, a PhD in Geometry of Spatial Structures in 2018, along with a Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching from the University of Surrey.
Alireza is the Director of the Spatial Structures Research Centre of the University established by Prof Z S Makowski and Prof H Nooshin in 1963. He has also had thirteen years of experience as an Architect and Director of a company in the field of design and construction of prefabricated light weight structures, prior to joining the Centre.
He is an Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Space Structures, that is a peer-reviewed journal with the aim to provide an international forum for the interchange of information on all aspects of analysis, design and construction of space structures. The Journal was established by in 1985 and is currently being published by Sage Publishing.
Alireza is the Head of the Organising Committee for the Spatial Structures Conference to be held at the University of Surrey in August 2020 (IASS2020). Alireza is a member of the Executive Council of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) and the founding chair of the working group on Teaching of Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS-WG20).
Areas of specialism
Design and Construction of Spatial Structures;
Formex Configuration Processing;
Structural Performance of Bamboo;
Engineering Education;
Regularity of Structural Forms;
Conceptual Design;
Tensile Membrane Structures
University roles and responsibilities
- Director of the Spatial Structures Research Centre
- Member of the University Ethics Committee
- Head of the Organising Committee for the Spatial Structures 2020 Conference
- Examinations Officer for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- HE6 (Year 3) Year Coordinator for Civil Engineering
- Manager of the Civil Engineering Annual Lectures
Affiliations and memberships
Research
Research interests
- Design and Construction of Spatial Structures
- Formex Configuration Processing
- Bamboo Structures
- Engineering Education
- Regularity of Structural Forms
- Conceptual Design
- Membrane Structures
Research projects
Alireza is the Principal Investigator for the research project to develop a full-scale membrane structure kit for educational purposes funded by Nohmura Foundation, Japan. This is in collaboration with the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and the University of Fukui, Japan for the expansion of the use of full-scale physical models in engineering education.
Dr Behnejad is the Co-Investigator for the research on the seismic failure load of single-layer reticulated shells based on key structural design parameters funded by the UK Royal Academy of Engineering. This is a research collaboration with the Southwest Jiaotong University in China and the aim of this project is to propose a new seismic failure criterion for single-layer reticulated shells subjected to earthquakes.
Alireza leads the research on the structural performance of bamboo in collaboration with Arup Company from industry and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The outcome of the collaboration is going to be used for the development of the codes of practice for bamboo structure design. One of Alireza’s students who has been investigating the structural behaviour of bamboo joints was nominated for two final year project awards in 2018, namely, the IStructE Prize and the Atkins Prize and he was awarded with the latter.
Dr Behnejad has been researching the benefits of full-scale physical models in civil/architectural engineering education, as well as the new concept of Pedagogic Frailty. Also, I am leading the research on ‘International student collaborations to achieve teaching excellence in higher education’. This is part of the Student-Staff Research Collaboration on Teaching Excellence initiated by the Department of Higher Education of the University.
Research collaborations
- University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Western Institue of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico
- Ferdowsi University, Iran
- Southwest Jiaotong University, China
- University of Fukui, Japan
- Novum Structures LLC, UK
- Arup, UK
If you or your institution are interested in collaborating on the DAD project please do not hesitate to contact Alireza via email.
My teaching
- Module Leader for Spatial Structures ENGM043
- Module Leader for Individual Project ENG3135
- Module Leader for Integrated Design 1 ENG1077
- Module Leader for Civil Engineering Practice ENG1074
Courses I teach on
Undergraduate
Postgraduate taught
Supervision
Postgraduate research supervision
Seyed Kamran Shah (2018-) Conceptual Design of Spatial Structures
Alireza is looking for dedicated and ambitious individuals to join his research group at the Spatial Structures Research Centre. If interested, please contact him via email, include your CV and write a short paragraph on your research interests.
My publications
Highlights
Publications
This paper provides further information about the background of the DAD Project and discusses the Project in more detail. Also, relevant literature is reviewed and a methodology is proposed to assess the potential benefits of using full-scale physical models as a part of a
master degree module offered in the academic year 2015-16. Finally, the outcomes of the research, as well as further recommendations are provided.