Dr Seyed Ghaffar BEng (Hons.), PhD, CEng, FICE, FHEA, MICT

Dr Seyed Ghaffar

Dubai Campus
Head of Engineering (Dubai)
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering

Contact details

Address
Department of Civil Engineering
School of Engineering

Dr Seyed Ghaffar is the Head of Engineering at the University of Birmingham, Dubai, and an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng, FICE).

Qualifications

  • PhD in Civil Engineering, Brunel University London
  • BEng (Hons.), in civil Engineering with Sustainability, Brunel University London
  • Fellow member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng, FICE)
  • Member of the Institute of Concrete Technology (MICT)
  • Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng)
  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Biography

I am an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering and a Chartered Civil Engineer. I am also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng, FICE), a Member of the Institute of Concrete Technology (MICT), and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Prior to joining the University of Birmingham, I held the position of Reader in Civil Engineering at Brunel University London from 2017 to 2023. At Brunel, I completed my Civil Engineering with Sustainability degree in 2012 and earned my Ph.D. in Sustainable Engineering Materials in 2016, fully sponsored by the Industrial Cooperative Awards in Science & Technology.

Over the years, I have taken on various academic roles, including Industrial Placement Coordinator, Admissions Tutor, and Senior Tutor for the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

I also serve as the Executive Editor for an Elsevier Journal, Results in Engineering | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier (IF of 5).

I recently edited a book titled Innovation in Construction: A Practical Guide to Transforming the Construction Industry | SpringerLink.

Book cover

I am a Member of the EPSRC Peer Review College and have been appointed as an expert evaluator for the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF), the office of the Government of the Slovak Republic, and the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). Additionally, I have served as an expert evaluator for Horizon Europe on the projects HORIZON-CL4-2021-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-12: Breakthrough technologies supporting technological sovereignty in construction (RIA), HORIZON-CL4-2022-RESILIENCE-01-16: Building and renovating by exploiting advanced materials for energy and resource-efficient management (IA), HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01, and HORIZON-CL4-2024-RESILIENCE-01.

Postgraduate supervision

Low-carbon engineering materials; 3D printing of geopolymers and LC3; Valorisation of waste; Construction and demolition waste management; Circular construction

Research

I conduct research spanning various construction materials, with a specific emphasis on advancing low-carbon technologies suitable for both new construction and retrofitting applications. My work combines materials science with innovative technologies such as 3D printing, including the valorization of construction and demolition waste for formulating and optimizing 3D printable mixes.

I have served as PI or Co-I for 8 grants, secured from prominent funding bodies including EPSRC, the British Council, and the EU H2020. Noteworthy among my projects are:

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Chougan, M, Skibicki, S, Al-Noaimat, YA, Federowicz, K, Hoffmann, M, Sibera, D, Cendrowski, K, Techman, M, Nuno Pacheco, J, Ghaffar, SH & Sikora, P 2024, 'Comparative Analysis of Ternary Blended Cement with Clay and Engineering Brick Aggregate for High-Performance 3D Printing', Developments in the Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2024.100529

Al-Kheetan, MJ, Jweihan, YS, Rabi, M & Ghaffar, SH 2024, 'Durability Enhancement of Concrete with Recycled Concrete Aggregate: The Role of Nano-ZnO', Buildings, vol. 14, no. 2, 353. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020353

Ali, MM, Nassrullah, G, Abu Al-Rub, RK, El-Khasawneh, B, Ghaffar, SH & Kim, TY 2024, 'Influence of carbon nanotubes on printing quality and mechanical properties of 3D printed cementitious materials', Developments in the Built Environment, vol. 18, 100415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2024.100415

Sambucci, M, Al-Noaimat, YA, Nouri, SM, Chougan, M, Ghaffar, SH & Valente, M 2024, 'Influence of Nanoceramic-Plated Waste Carbon Fibers on Alkali-Activated Mortar Performance', Ceramics, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 821-839. https://doi.org/10.3390/ceramics7020054

Al-Raqeb, H, Ghaffar, SH, Haitherali, H & Gopakumar, A 2024, 'Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Building Information Modelling in Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works: A Framework for Sustainable Construction', Buildings, vol. 14, no. 1, 130. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14010130

El-Seidy, E, Chougan, M, Al-Noaimat, YA, Al-Kheetan, MJ & Ghaffar, SH 2024, 'The impact of waste brick and geo-cement aggregates as sand replacement on the mechanical and durability properties of alkali–activated mortar composites', Results in Engineering, vol. 21, 101797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2024.101797

Al-Noaimat, YA, Chougan, M, Al-kheetan, MJ, Al-Mandhari, O, Al-Saidi, W, Al-Maqbali, M, Al-Hosni, H & Ghaffar, SH 2023, '3D printing of limestone-calcined clay cement: A review of its potential implementation in the construction industry', Results in Engineering, vol. 18, 101115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2023.101115

El-Seidy, E, Sambucci, M, Chougan, M, AI-Noaimat, YA, Al-Kheetan, MJ, Biblioteca, I, Valente, M & Ghaffar, SH 2023, 'Alkali activated materials with recycled unplasticised polyvinyl chloride aggregates for sand replacement', Construction and Building Materials, vol. 409, 134188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.134188

Lamastra, FR, Montesperelli, G, Galvanetto, E, Chougan, M, Ghaffar, SH, Al-Kheetan, MJ & Bianco, A 2023, 'An Insight into Durability, Electrical Properties and Thermal Behavior of Cementitious Materials Engineered with Graphene Oxide: Does the Oxidation Degree Matter?', Nanomaterials, vol. 13, no. 4, 726. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13040726

Al-Noaimat, YA, Ghaffar, SH, Chougan, M & Al-Kheetan, MJ 2023, 'A review of 3D printing low-carbon concrete with one-part geopolymer: Engineering, environmental and economic feasibility', Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 18, e01818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2022.e01818

Chougan, M, Lamastra, FR, Caschera, D, Kaciulis, S, Bolli, E, Mazzuca, C, Ghaffar, SH, Al-Kheetan, MJ, Montesperelli, G & Bianco, A 2023, 'Cementitious nanocomposites engineered with high-oxidized graphene oxide: Spotting the nano to macro correlation', Ceramics International, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 964-973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2022.09.070

Valente, M, Sambucci, M, Chougan, M & Ghaffar, SH 2023, 'Composite alkali-activated materials with waste tire rubber designed for additive manufacturing: an eco-sustainable and energy saving approach', Journal of Materials Research and Technology, vol. 24, pp. 3098-3117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.03.213

Sambucci, M, Valente, M, Nouri, SM, Chougan, M & Ghaffar, SH 2023, 'Enhanced Compatibility of Secondary Waste Carbon Fibers through Surface Activation via Nanoceramic Coating in Fiber-Reinforced Cement Mortars', Coatings, vol. 13, no. 8, 1466. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13081466

Chougan, M, Ghaffar, SH & Al-Kheetan, MJ 2023, 'Graphene-based nano-functional materials for surface modification of wheat straw to enhance the performance of bio-based polylactic acid composites', Materials Today Sustainability, vol. 21, 100308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtsust.2022.100308

Chapter

Chougan, M, Al-Kheetan, MJ & Ghaffar, SH 2023, Additive Manufacturing and the Construction Industry. in T Lynn, P Rosati, M Kassem, S Krinidis & J Kennedy (eds), Disrupting Buildings: Digitalisation and the Transformation of Deep Renovation. 1 edn, Palgrave Studies in Digital Business and Enabling Technologies, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 97-109. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32309-6_7

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