Dr Damith Mohotti is a nationally recognised expert in designing of protective structure, numerical modeling and finite element analysis.

The materials and methods used in the design and construction of built structures determines their capacity to withstand extreme loading, including strong winds, blasts and impacts. Designing such structures to withstand these natural and human-caused hazards, and thus protecting our critical infrastructure against them, is a particularly demanding area of today's research environment. Dr. Damith Mohotti’s work aims to advance this challenging and increasingly important area of structural engineering. Most of his research efforts are aimed at keeping people safe and protecting them from both natural and human-caused disasters by developing better design techniques for structures to survive under such extreme loading. With this interest and demand, Dr. Damith Mohotti’s work can be classified into four areas: (1) Blast and impact effects on structures (2) Development of smart materials (3) Development of advanced numerical analysis methods (4) Application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in structural engineering.

Dr. Damith Mohotti is a Senior Lecturer and an Engineering Consultant in the School of Civil Engineering and IT at UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy. He has engaged in many research and consultation projects. He was a key member of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DMTC) Eureka Prize winning team for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia in 2013. In addition to his academic experience, Damith has worked in the construction and consultation industries for many years holding different positions. Damith Mohotti is a well-recognised researcher and a consultant in engineering consultancy and defence science sectors.

Most of my research efforts are aimed at keeping people safe and protecting them from both natural and human-caused disasters. I want to see structures withstand severe loading induced by human-caused events as well as natural disasters, so I am passionate about developing better design techniques for structures to survive under such extreme loading”. "One of my major research focuses is extreme loading on structures, such as blast and impact, and development of new techniques to ensuring that civil and defence protective structures and vehicles can be operated effectively in the face of increasing threats. I have made a significant contribution to research in vulnerability modelling of critical infrastructure, particularly in the area of assessment of the effects of natural and technical hazards on buildings and infrastructure.