Our Team

Dr. Pedram Sadeghian

Dr. Sadeghian is the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Infrastructure.  He oversees all of the lab work and analysis.  Outside school Dr. Sadeghian is an avid fly fisherman with a love for the outdoors.

More information on Dr. Sadeghian.

Raghad Kassab

Raghad is a PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. Her research focuses on the strength of thermoplastic fibers for fibre-reinforced polymer applications. Her current project is on the use of PET FRPs as faces for structural sandwich panels with recycled PET cores. In her free time, Raghad enjoys baking.

Ali Alinejad

Ali is a PhD student working under the supervision of both Dr. Sadeghian and Dr. Fam of Queen's University. He does research in Structural Engineering with focusing on composite structures. His main project consists of testing concrete filled FRP tubes (CFFTs) under bending and using finite element method (FEM) to predict CFFTs behavior. Previously, he has studied the behavior of concrete filled PVC tubes columns as his MSc thesis at Sharif University of Technology. Ali likes hanging out with friends in his leisure time. Also, he likes sports, especially soccer and squash.

Alireza Jafari

Alireza is a Ph.D. student who researches green and sustainable cementitious materials under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. He previously studied geopolymer and alkali-activated concretes and ultrasonic wave processing at the Sharif University of Technology (During his M.Sc.). His Ph.D. focuses on developing green and environmentally friendly concrete by using recycled gypsum drywall as one of the supplementary materials in cementitious composites. He has also received the Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship (NSGS). He enjoys cooking and creating YouTube videos in his leisure time.

Alireza Sadat Hosseini

Alireza joined the team in September 2022 and is researching the behavior of short and slender concrete columns with FRP bars using conventional and non-conventional concrete. His academic background includes experimental and numerical investigations on FRP strengthening, fiber-reinforced concrete and other composite materials such as bituminous composites. He has also worked as a Coastal and Marine Structures Engineer/Researcher for about five years.

Zhaoqing Wang  

Zhaoqing is a MASc student working under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. His research focuses on the effect of adding biochar to concrete. His project's objective is to produce a concrete mix with a relatively low carbon footprint without affecting the concrete's overall mechanical properties. Outside of school, Zhaoqing loves fishing in Nova Scotia.

Kraig Bates 

Kraig is a MEng Student working under the supervision of Dr. Pedram Sadeghian.

Kasra Takbiri 

Kasra was a MASc student under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. His research focused on the partial replacement of cement in concrete with fine and coarse gypsum resulting from recycled gypsum drywalls. His goal was to introduce a type of concrete that would make our infrastructure more sustainable and durable. Kasra spent most of his free time at the gym, fitness center, and playing soccer. As an alumnus, he continues to hold a keen interest in sustainability and fitness.

Faraj Shahrstan 

Faraj Shahrstan was a MASc student under Dr. Pedram Sadeghian and a registered Engineer In Training (E.I.T) with Engineers Nova Scotia. His research focused on rehabilitating Post-Tensioned Concrete Bridge Cantilever Wing Slabs with CFRP prestressed Tendons. He founded the Dalhousie American Concrete Institute (ACI) Student Chapter and received the prestigious Schwing America Scholarship. He also worked as a bridge rehab site engineer with the N.S Department of Transportation. He has since moved to the United States and is currently working as a structural engineer.

Luisa Struckmann

Luisa was a civil engineering undergraduate student from Germany. As part of the international program Globalink Research Internship by Mitacs in the summer of 2022, she helped with research regarding sustainable materials for building applications. Under the supervision of Dr. Pedram Sadeghian, she worked with PhD student Alireza Jafari on research which used biochar as cement replacement in concrete. In her free time, Luisa liked to go swimming and hiking. Now, as an alumnus, she continues to be passionate about sustainable materials and outdoor activities.

Yuchen Fu

Yuchen was a MASc student researching sustainable sandwich panels with paper-based cores and flax FRP faces under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. Prior to joining the MASc program, he was one of Dr. Saddeghian's undergraduate interns during the 2018 summer term. Yuchen has received the Sexton Scholar award twice.

Koosha Khorramian

Koosha Khorramian was post-doctoral fellow working under the supervision of Dr. Pedram Sadeghian and Dr. Fadi Oudah. He worked on the reliability-based analysis of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Koosha selected structural engineering as a major which is an interesting and challenging field. The purpose of his studies was to contribute to the knowledge of the structural engineering field to improve the quality of structures, which is a valuable service to society. Koosha completed his PhD under Dr. Sadeghian's supervision at Dalhousie University in 2020. His PhD research focused on the use of FRP reinforcement in concrete structures for use in both new construction and the strengthening of existing structures. Previously, he has studied the behavior of shear connectors in steel-concrete composite systems for his MSc at Sharif University of Technology. As a practicing engineer, Koosha has worked on both the construction side and design side of the industry. Outside of engineering, Koosha is an opera singer who performed major tenor roles with the Halifax Summer Opera Festival (the title role in “The tales of Hoffmann” in 2019, and the lead tenor role in “Carmen” in 2017), and has performed as a soloist in many concerts and recitals.  

Subharajit Roy

Subharajit was a MASc student working under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. He graduated with his BEng from India. His research was focused on the behaviour of FRP pipes filled with concrete under typical structural loads. When he is not in school, Subharajit enjoys playing soccer, abstract painting and cooking.

Kargil Mishra 

Kargil Mishra was an Undergraduate Civil Engineering Student at NIT Trichy and the recipient of the MITACS GRI Scholarship for the Summer of 2021. Her internship research focused on analysing the behavior of advanced forms of sustainable sandwich panels through finite element modeling.  Kargil is fond of cricket, food, and gardening. 

Senthil Velkumar

Senthil was a MASc student researching the biaxial bending and axial compression behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with fibre-reinforced polymer bars. Besides his research, he enjoys fishing, cooking and watching cricket.

Dillon John Betts

Dillon was a PhD candidate supervised by both Dr. Sadeghian and Dr. Fam of Queen's University. His research focused on flax fibre-reinforced polymers (FFRPs) and their potential uses in structural applications. His main project consists of testing sandwich panels constructed of FFRP faces and foam cores under impact loading. When he is not working at school, you can find Dillon playing country music or wading down a river with a fly rod.

Thomas Goill

Thomas was an MASc Student working under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. He completed his BEng in Materials Engineering at McGill University and is studying the use of FRPs for repair and rehabilitation of aging concrete culverts. Outside of school, Thomas enjoys woodworking, tinkering and the outdoors.

Sania Khan

Sania was an undergraduate student who received the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award. During the summer of 2019, she worked under Dr. Sadeghian alongside his research team to understand the effects of FRP pipes filled with concrete under typical structural loads. In her free time she likes to swim and paint.

Sina Mahmoodi

Sina was a MASc student working under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. His research focused on self-healing mechanisms in cementitious materials and their applications. Besides his research, he does photography and enjoys hiking and soccer.

Eric Tynski

Eric was a MASc student working under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. He completed his BSc at UNB and researched the use of FRP in bridge decks as alternatives to concrete or steel. Outside of school, Eric enjoys cooking, trying local craft beer, and exploring Nova Scotia.

Sarah Hansen

Sarah was a MASc student working under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. She graduated with an undergraduate degree from UNB, and was partially funded by Divert NS to research the use of recycled gypsum in concrete in an effort to produce more sustainable and environmentally friendly materials and structures. When she is not in school, Sarah enjoys travelling, skiing, hiking and coaching/playing soccer. 

Ahmad Almallah

Ahmad is a MASc student supervised by both Dr. Sadeghian and Dr. El Naggar.  He is working on the effects of Fibre-Reinforced Polymers on piles under axial loads. He won in 2015 the second team category in Beyond Structures competition in Malaysia. Outside of school, Ahmad loves to read about philosophy, theology and politics.

Daina MacEachern

Daina was a MASc student working under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. To help fund her research, she was awarded both the NSERC Canadian Graduate Scholarship and the Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship (NSGS). Her research involved investigating the structural behaviour of braces and columns that had been strengthed by concrete or grout filled FRP tubes.

Anita Shiny Kanagaraj

Anita is a MASc student working under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian. Outside school, she enjoys swimming and has even won in national level competitions. She also sings for her church choir and released some CDs.

Mostafa Jafarian Abyaneh

Mostafa is a MASc student under the co-supervision of Dr. Pedram Sadeghian and Dr. Hany El Naggar.

Krishna Priyanka Garikapati

Priyanka graduated with a MEng degree under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian

Kumari Bandarage

Kumari graduated with a MEng degree under the supervision of Dr. Sadeghian.

Lucas Marques

Lucas is an undergraduate civil engineering student from IFCE Fortaleza, Brasil who was selected in the international program Globalink Research Internship from Mitacs. Under the supervision of Dr. Pedram Sadeghian, he is working with PhD student, Dillon Betts, and another Mitacs intern, Anurag Mishra, during the summer of 2019 on the project entitled "Can bio-based fibres replace synthetic fibres in civil engineering?". On his free time, Lucas enjoys to play volleyball and watch soccer.

Anurag Mishra

Anurag is an civil engineering undergraduate student from NIT Rourkela, India. He received a Mitacs research internship for the summer of 2019 and is currently working with Dr. Sadeghian to answer the question, "can bio-based fibres replace synthetic fibres in civil engineering?" To help answer this research question, he is working with PhD student Dillon Betts to fabricate, test and analyse the behaviour of large scale sandwich panels with foam cores and flax fibre-reinforced polymer faces.  On his free time, Anurag loves to play table tennis and cricket.

Abdelmoneim Elnaggar

Abdelmoneim worked with the lab group during the summer as a third-year civil engineering undergraduate student with great interest in pursuing graduate studies targeting structural optimization by using cost efficient and readily available material to increase the longevity of a structure.

Lauren MacDonnell  

Lauren is a civil engineering undergraduate student and was awarded the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award. During her time with the lab group, she was researching the behaviour of sandwich panels with flexible cores and glass FRP faces during the summer of 2018.

Brandon Fillmore

Brandon was an undergraduate student who received the prestigious NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award. This has allowed him to take the 2016 summer to perform his research into FRP reinforcing of short concrete columns.

Aidan McCracken

Aidan was an undergraduate student who was awarded the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award. He worked with Dr. Sadeghian on investigating and analyzing the structural properties of 3D Fabric as a core in both horizontal sandwich panels as well as sandwich tubing made of fiber-reinforced polymers.

Rainer MacKay

Rainer was working with Dr. Sadeghian on investigating the structural abilities of using fiber-reinforced polymer tubes filled with concrete. His project consisted of examining more common angle-ply tubes found in the piping industry in hopes that these can be effective as concrete-filled fiber-reinforced polymer tubes.