Plenary & Keynote Speakers
11th International Conference on Civil, Structural and Transportation Engineering (ICCSTE 2026)
We are pleased to announce our plenary and Keynote Speakers for ICCSTE 2026:
Dr. Wensu Chen
Curtin University, Australia
Professor Wensu Chen is a Director of Centre for Infrastructural Monitoring and Protection (CIMP), ARC Future Fellow in the School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at Curtin University. He serves as an Associate Editor of International Journal of Protective Structures, Editorial Advisory Board member of International Journal of Impact Engineering, Fellow of Engineers Australia, Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng), Committee member of Structures Panel WA Division. He received his BE and Msc in Civil Engineering at Tianjin University, and then worked as a design engineer in industry for three years. After that, he obtained his ME from the University of Melbourne and PhD in structural engineering from the University of Western Australia. Professor Chen's research interests are primarily in development of novel protective structures and materials (metaconcrete, metamaterial, natural-inspired), infrastructural resilience and protection against multi-hazards, structural strengthening using FRP and prefab modular structures. He has been awarded ARC Future Fellowship in 2021 and ARC DECRA Fellowship in 2016. He has been Chief Investigator for 8 ARC grants, 2 CRC projects and engages with industry and government bodies (e.g., DEMIRS WA Government, AusIndustry, Main Road WA, Engineers Australia Cyclone Taskforce etc). He serves as grant assessor for Australian Research Council, UKRI, Czech Science Foundation, Croatian Science Foundation, Chilean National Fund, NSW Space Research Network and United Arab Emirates.
Abstract Title:
Structural Performance of Basalt FRP Reinforced Geopolymer Concrete Members under Static and Impact Loads
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Dr. Ehab El-Salakawy
University of Manitoba, Canada
Dr. El-Salakawy is a Professor of Structural Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Manitoba. He was a Canada Research Chair in Durability and Modernization of Civil Structures (2006-2016) in the same department. He carried out his Ph.D. research work and post-doctoral training in Structural Engineering at the University of Waterloo (1996-2001), and then worked as a Research Professor at the University of Sherbrooke for five years (2001-2006) before joining the University of Manitoba in 2006. He is the recipient of the 2020 Mete A. Sozen Award for Excellence in Structural Research presented by the American Concrete Institute (ACI). Dr. El-Salakawy's research interests are in the field of concrete structures, particularly the durability, construction, design, seismic performance, and large-scale laboratory testing of FRP-reinforced concrete structures. He has published over 300 research papers in leading journals and international conferences on various aspects of reinforced concrete and composite materials. Dr. El-Salakawy is an active member of several Canadian and American code committees, international journal editorial boards, international conference committees, research centres and professional societies. Dr. El-Salakawy is a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC).
Abstract Title:
N/A
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Dr. Zoubir Lounis
National Research Council Canada, Canada
Dr. Zoubir Lounis is a Principal Research Officer in the Construction Research Centre of the National Research Council of Canada. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo. His research interests are in risk-based design and management of bridges under different hazards, life cycle-based design and management of infrastructure, climate-resilient infrastructures, structural concrete design and rehabilitation, service life modeling of aging concrete structures, and sustainability and resilience of critical infrastructure. He is the author of over 180 publications. He is the recipient of the ASCE Ernest Howard Award; ASCE T.Y. Lin Award; CSCE Award of Excellence; TAC’s Committee Excellence Award; NRC’s Dan Wayner Excellence in Research Award; NRC’s Construction Research Centre Awards for Excellence in Research, Entrepreneurship, Technology Breakthrough, Best Publication, Value for Canada and External Partnership. He is a member of Integrated Climate Change and Structures Committees of TAC; Infrastructure & Asset Management Council of TAC; Technical Committee and Regulatory Authority Committee and Sustainability and Durability Sub-Committee of Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code; ASCE Task Group 2 on Reliability-Based Performance Indicators for Structural Systems; IABSE-FIB-RILEM Joint Committee on Structural Safety; and ACI Committees on Concrete Sustainability and Service Life.
Abstract Title:
N/A
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Dr. Tamer El Maaddawy
United Arab Emirates University, UAE
Dr. Tamer El Maaddawy is a Professor of Structural Engineering and Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UAE University (UAEU). He held several other administrative positions at UAEU including ‘Expert Consultant’ at Facilities Management Department (FMD); ‘Strategic Initiative Manager’ at UAEU Strategy Management Office; and ‘Director of the PhD Program and MSc Program’ at College of Engineering. Before joining UAEU, Dr. El Maaddawy was working as a Structural Engineer at Halcrow-Yolles, Toronto, Canada. He earned his PhD from University of Waterloo, Canada. He is registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng) in Ontario, Canada. He is an associate editor of the ASCE Journal of Composites for Construction and an associate member of the ACI 440 Committee. Dr. El Maaddawy is among the Stanford University’s List of top 2% Most Cited Scientists in their Field.
Abstract Title:
Innovations in Advanced Materials for Sustainable Construction
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Dr. Taha Hossein Rashidi
University of New South Wales, Australia
Dr Taha Rashidi is a Professor in Transport Engineering at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNSW and a member of the Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation (rCITI). Prof Rashidi’s research and teaching demonstrate how effectively transport engineering can draw upon the strengths of a broad range of disciplines to inform smart-city solutions. “Transport engineering does not work in isolation – economics, statistics, urban design and planning, infrastructure planning and operations, sustainability – they are all part of the matrix holding our cities together allowing for the ebb and flow of people and goods from point to point. They all need to be considered together.” Dr Rashidi enjoys this challenge of forward planning for the future of our cities using evidence-based analyses. “Our research has a lot to contribute to future proofing our cities. Our partnerships with government and industry are vital as they give us the ability to implement from classroom and laboratory to the real world, and position us at the forefront of technological innovation and emerging research themes.” Prof Rashidi is currently leading research into the interconnectivity between travel behaviour and time use and the potential of new mobility technologies to influence this paradigm. Prof Rashidi is also examining the capacity of social media data to complement existing data resources as part of the development of an integrated multi-level modelling framework to demonstrate the relationships between land use and transport systems and the consequences this has for city planning and travel behaviour more broadly.
Abstract Title:
N/A
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