Professor of Civil Engineering

The focus of my research is bridges. The primary objective of my research program is to develop new bridge systems that make efficient use of high-performance materials such as high-strength concrete. I also have research underway in the areas of sustainable bridge design, bridge aesthetics, and the development of simple, rational models for visualizing the flow of forces in reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. All of these projects are strongly design-directed.

As a teacher, my primary objective is to help students acquire the best foundation of knowledge, skills, and values that will enable them to become creative and competent design engineers.

Civil engineer in private practice

I joined the University of Toronto in 2002 following a sixteen year career in bridge design practice. Since my arrival at the U of T, I have maintained an active private consulting practice in bridge engineering. My consulting work deals mainly with the development of preliminary bridge design concepts and peer review of designs prepared by others.

 

May 2007: MTQ Colloquium

On May 8, 2007, I presented some of our research group's recent work at the 14e Colloque sur la progression de la recherche québécoise sur les ouvrages d'art (14th Colloquium on the Advancement of Bridge Research in Quebec), organized by the Ministère des transports du Québec. The title of the presentation was L'emploi efficace du béton et de l'acier de précontrainte dans les ponts de courte portée (Efficient use of concrete and prestressing steel in short-span bridges).

May 2007: New members of research staff

We are very pleased to welcome three new graduate students and eleven undergraduate summer research assistants to the research group. Read more...

April 2007: NSERC Research Tools and Instruments grant

Colleague Frank Vecchio and I were awarded $134,000 from the NSERC RTI program to purchase a high-performance concrete mixer. This equipment will significantly enhance our ability to produce high-performance concrete with high ratios of steel fibres.

March 2007: Praxis I Design Exhibition

An exhibition of projects prepared by the ten finalists in the Praxis I Design Competition was mounted in the lobby of the Bahen Centre. The exhibition ran through to the beginning of May, 2007.

January 2007 : MASc degrees completed

Talayeh Noshiravani and Carlene Ramsay successfully completed the requirements for their MASc degrees. We wish both of them the best in their future endeavours.

August 2006: Portland Cement Association's Bridge Professors Seminar

Each year, the Portland Cement Association puts on a week-long seminar for university professors, to give them up-to-date knowledge of design practice. The bridge portion of the course was held on August 3 and 4, 2006. I was asked by the Post-Tensioning Institute (which collaborates with the Portland Cement Association on this course) to teach the portions of this course related to post-tensioning and post-tensioned bridges.

July 2006: Summer Outing

On July 22, 2006, my research group traveled to Niagara Falls to visit the site of the Niagara Tunnel Project. This tunnel will bring additional water to the Sir Adam Beck generating station. We are grateful to Mary Jane Ferraro 0T4 Engineering Science (Infrastructure Option) who works on this project for organizing the visit.

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