Researcher

Scientia Professor Brian Uy

My Expertise

Composite steel-concrete structures, critical infrastructure protection systems, deconstruction techniques, rehabilitation and strengthening techniques, steel structures, structural health monitoring, structural systems, sustainable construction materials.

Fields of Research (FoR)

Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Built Environment and Design

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Biography

Scientia Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Professor Brian Uy was appointed Scientia Professor of Structural Engineering in 2023. He was Professor of Structural Engineering and Head of the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney from 2016-2022. In 2019 Brian was awarded the Sir John Holland Civil Engineer of the Year Award by Engineers Australia in recognition of outstanding achievements in Civil...view more

Scientia Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Professor Brian Uy was appointed Scientia Professor of Structural Engineering in 2023. He was Professor of Structural Engineering and Head of the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney from 2016-2022. In 2019 Brian was awarded the Sir John Holland Civil Engineer of the Year Award by Engineers Australia in recognition of outstanding achievements in Civil Engineering  and in 2021 he was the John Connell Gold Medal winner as the Structural Engineer of the Year for 2021 awarded by Engineers Australia. Brian was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) in 2022 and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales in 2023. Brian is also currently Vice President (Australasia and South East Asia) of The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and serves as a Trustee Board Member since 2022.  Brian was also elected Vice President of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) in 2023.

Brian was previously Professor of Structural Engineering and Director of the Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety (CIES) in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The University of New South Wales from 2013-2016 and this culminated in him being awarded a Scientia Professorship from 2017-2022.   Prior to re-joining UNSW, he was Professor of Structural Engineering and Foundation Director of the Institute for Infrastructure Engineering (IIE) at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and was a major contributor to the establishment of the Werrington Park Corporate Centre (a UWS, Penrith City Council and Penrith Business Alliance initiative co-funded by the Australian Government's Suburban Jobs Program) from 2011-2013. Prior to establishing IIE he was Professor and Dean of the School of Engineering and the Foundation Director of the Civionics Research Centre at UWS from 2007-2011. During this period, he was a member of the Australian Council of Engineering Deans; Australian Deans of Built Environment & Design and the Global Engineering Dean's Council (GEDC).  From 2004-2007, Brian was Professor of Structural Engineering and Head of the School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wollongong. Furthermore, he has also held positions at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London (EPSRC Visiting Research Fellow); National University of Singapore (Anthony Mason Fellow); National University of Malaysia (Distinguished International Professor); Ove Arup and Partners (now ARUP) ; Wholohan Grill and Partners (now Worley); Wargon Chapman and Partners (now Arcadis); Meinhardt and GHD.

Brian has delivered over 350 conference papers in 35 countries on 6 continents, including over 100 plenary/keynote/invited lectures in 25 countries and 6 continents and has been involved in research in steel and composite structures for over 30 years. He has co-authored over 750 publications including over 250 journal articles with over 85% of these appearing in A* & A journals (Based on ERA 2010 ranking of the Australian Research Council). Much of this research that his team has been involved with has been underpinned by competitive grant funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and from industry totalling over $150 million Australian dollars. Brian has been continuously funded by the ARC since 1995 and has been in receipt of 48 grants totalling more than $17 million, including 12 ARC Discovery Grants, with 10 as the lead Chief Investigator, 10 ARC Linkage Grants and 10 ARC LIEF Grants.  Brian was a member of the ARC College of Experts for Engineering and Environmental Sciences from 2007-2009 (serving as Deputy Chair in 2009) and a member of the ARC College of Experts for Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences for the period 2016-2018. He was also a member of the Selection Advisory Committee for the ARC Australian Laureate Fellowships from 2011-2013 and the ARC Engineering & Environmental Sciences Research Evaluation Committee (REC) for the Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) 2015 and 2018 ranking exercises.

Brian is Chairman of the Standards Australia Committee BD32 on Composite Structures and BD90-Part 6 on Bridge Structures which have developed standards on Steel and Composite Structures for buildings and bridges respectively. He also serves on BD01 and BD02 for Steel and Concrete Structures respectively. He has been the Chairman of the Australia Regional Group of the Institution of Structural Engineers for the decade 2012-2021 and was elected Vice President (Australasia and South East Asia) from 2022-2024 and he serves on its Board of Trustees, Council, Education Committee (Chairman), Membership Committee, Research Panel and Humanitarian and International Development Panel. In 2015 he was elected Chair for the Australian Group of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE). Brian regularly provides higher level consulting advice and certification for major national manufacturing and infrastructure companies and for forensic/expert witness purposes for many of Australia’s leading legal practices. Brian serves on the editorial boards of fourteen international journals for structural engineering and is Chief Editor (Asia-Pacific) for Steel and Composite Structures (Impact Factor of 6.386, highest in structural engineering). He is also a significant contributor to international codes of practice in steel and composite construction and currently serves on the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Task Committee 5 on Composite Construction and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), Technical Committee on Composite Construction.

Brian graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (Honours Class 1) and Doctor of Philosophy from The University of New South Wales. He was installed as a Presidential Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE) in 2014, a Fellow of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), a Fellow of Engineers Australia (FIEAust), a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (FASCE) a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers (FIStructE) in 2016, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) in 2022 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW, (FRSN) in 2023.  Brian was elected a Fellow of the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2024.  He is a chartered member of Engineers Australia (CPEng), American Society of Civil Engineers (PE), Engineering Council in the UK, (CEng) and an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Engineer in Australia, (IntPE(Aus)). He is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.  Brian has won numerous international awards, including the Lewis Kent Award from the Institution of Structural Engineers in 2017.

Brian appeared in the 2022 Stanford study for the top 100,000 scientists in the world (i.e. top 2%), which is the first standardised study using multiple citation and publication metrics.  He was ranked at 29,444th overall (i.e., top 0.5% in the world) and 30th in the world in civil engineering for 2022. Brian and his team’s research has been highly cited in the area of steel-concrete composite structures, steel structures, structural engineering and civil engineering where he is in the top 5% cited of all researchers in all these fields. He has received over 16,000 citations in Google Scholar with a h index of 70 (m index = 2.4) and has a personal Relative Citation Index (RCI) and Field Weighted Citation Index (FWCI) over 2.0.  Brian has successfully supervised over 150 research students to successful completion, including 30 PhD students, 20 Masters students and over 110 Honours thesis students.  He has also mentored many PhD students and postdoctoral fellows to successful careers in Australia and all over the world with many rising to Full Professor in leading Universities internationally.

Brian has led and initiated teams of research projects across all engineering domains and many of the physical sciences. His current research team’s expertise is very multidisciplinary. In the area of welded steel structures, he is using neutron diffraction techniques with senior colleagues at ANSTO and collaborating with physicists and material scientists. He led the establishment of the National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation procured through a major Australian Linkage, Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) grant with 8 universities and DSTG. 

 

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My Grants

(Uy and Tao) Composite clad steel-geopolymer concrete systems for resilient structures, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2024-2026, DP240100489, $569,705

(Thai, Uy and Ngo) Fire engineering of prefabricated structural systems of modular buildings, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2023-2025, DP230100018, $530,621

(Uy and Thai) Innovative coupled composite steel-concrete shear wall and frame systems, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2020-2022, DP200100112, $557,942

(Uy) Behaviour and design of large fabricated stainless steel composite structures, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2018-2020, DP180100418, $486,465

(Uy, Hamed, Tao and Kang), Coupled service and ultimate behaviour of high strength composite columns, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2017-2019, DP170100001, $456,522

(Uy), The behaviour and design of innovative connections to promote the reduction and reuse of structural steel in steel-concrete composite buildings, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2014-2016, DP140102134, $555,321

(Uy, Tao, Mashiri, Liew and Han), The behaviour and design of composite columns coupling the benefits of high strength steel and high strength concrete for large scale infrastructure, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2012-2014, DP1201944, $430,016

(Uy, Zhu and Mirza), The use of innovative anchors for the achievement of composite action for rehabilitating existing and deployment in demountable steel structures, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2011-2013, DP110101328, $269,110

(Uy and Remennikov), Utilising the benefits of high performance steels (HPS) and infill materials for critical infrastructure protection (CIP) against extreme loads,  Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2008-2010, DP0879733, $371,000

(Uy), Unified theory for the behaviour and design of composite steel-concrete beams subjected to generalised loading and support conditions, Australian Research Council -Discovery Grant, 2008-2010, DP0879734, $312,392

(Uy, Liew and Liang), Advanced analysis of composite steel-concrete frames for multi-storey buildings under extreme loading, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2004-2006, DP0449592, $210,000

(Bradford, Uy and Ronagh), Analysis and behaviour of members curved spatially in-plane, Australian Research Council - Discovery Grant, 2002-2004, DP0209919, $799,000

(Uy, Zhang, Kwok, Remennikov, Hao, Ma, Thambiratnam, Wu, Mendis, Stewart), National facility for physical blast simulation, Australian Research Council - Linkage Equipment and Facilities Grant, 2013, LE130100133, $400,000

(Tao, Uy, Pan, Rahme and Rahme), Development of next generation fire-resistant composite columns, Australian Research Council - Linkage Project, 2016-2019, LP160101484, $267,956 (ARC) +  $100,000 (NuRock)

(Mukherjee, Uy, Karaganov and Stanco), Laser ultrasonic health monitoring for Australia's infrastructure assets, Australian Research Council - Linkage Project, 2015-2018, LP150100475, $160,000 (ARC) +  $50,000 (Lastek)

(Bradford, Uy, Guo and Dai), Composite structures of high strength steel and concrete, Australian Research Council - Linkage Project, 2015-2018, LP150101196, $380,000 (ARC) +  $191,000 (China Construction Steel Structure Corporation)

(Zhang, Uy, Kang, Huang and Lv), Development of novel viscoelastic sprayed material for the effective blast resistance of critical and resource infrastructureAustralian Research Council - Linkage Project, 2014-2017, LP140100030, $180,000 (ARC) +  $90,000 (Shandong Zhihua Construction Group Company)

(Goldsworthy, Gad, Uy and Fernando), Development of efficient, robust and architecturally-flexible structural systems using innovative blind-bolted connections, Australian Research Council - Linkage Projects (Round Two), 2011-2014, LP110200511, $255,000 (ARC) +  $285,000 (Ajax and OneSteel)

(Ranzi, Uy, Gowripalan and Gabor), Behaviour of post-tensioned composite steel-concrete slabs, Australian Research Council - Linkage Projects (Round Two), 2009-2012, LP0990190, $300,00 (ARC) + $225,850 (Stramit and Arup)

(Mendis, Samali and Uy), Innovative retrofitting techniques for the protection of anchorage zones in cable stayed bridges subjected to blast loads, Australian Research Council - Linkage Projects (Round Two), 2008-2011, LP0883942, $211,000 (ARC) + $178,638 (RTA)

(Bradford, Uy, Ranzi and Filonov), Time dependent response and deformations of composite beams with innovative deep trapezoidal decks, Australian Research Council - Linkage Projects (Round One), 2008-2010, LP0882929, $256,188 (ARC) + $252,900 (BlueScope Lysaght)

(Goldsworthy, Gad, Uy and Fernando), Development of innovative beam-column connections within robust composite steel-concrete structural frames, Australian Research Council -Linkage Projects (Round Two), 2006-2009, LP0669334, $ 450,000 (ARC) +  $ 465,000 (Ajax, OneSteel, Smorgon)

Note: Further information on all Australian Research Council funding outcomes is available at Grants Search - Grants Data Portal


My Qualifications

BE (Hons 1), PhD, UNSW,

FTSE, FRSN, FIEAust, FASCE, FICE, FIStructE, FIABSE, FSEI, MAICD, CPEng, CEng, PE, IntPE (Aus)

 

 

 


My Awards

Structural Engineering Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers, Fellow, 2024.

Scientia Professorship (UNSW, Australia), 2023-.

Royal Society of New South Wales, Fellow, 2023.

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Fellow, 2022.

John Connell Gold Medal, Structural Engineer of the Year from Engineers Australia, 2021 “for his outstanding contribution to the practice of structural engineering in Australia”

Distinguished International Professor at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia) from 2020-2021.

Sir John Holland Civil Engineer of the Year Award from Engineers Australia, 2019 "in recognition of outstanding contributions in Civil Engineering”.

Changjiang Scholar Professorship (Chongqing University, China), 2018-2020, "is the highest academic award issued to an individual in higher education by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China".

Lewis Kent Award from Institution of Structural Engineers, UK, 2017 "for dedicated service to the Institution through Council and the Australia Regional Group over a period of many years”.

Scientia Professorship (UNSW, Australia), 2017-2022.

Institution of Structural Engineers, Fellow, 2016.

American Society of Civil Engineers, Fellow, 2016.

Engineers Australia, Fellow, 2016.

International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering, Fellow, 2016.

Institution of Civil Engineers, Fellow, 2014.

Research Network for a Secure Australia Award, Highly Commendable Paper Award, 2009  “Uy, B.,Tao, Z. and Chen, B-S.(2009) Dynamic behaviour of stainless steel investigated with a Split-Hopkinson tensile bar, 8th International Conference on Shock & Impact Loads on Structures, 2 – 4 December 2009 Adelaide, Australia, pp. 669-674, ISBN 978-981-08-3245-2.”

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Fellowship (Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, United Kingdom), 2002.

ASCCS Young Member Paper Award, 2000  “Uy, B. and Belcour, P.F.G. (2000) Serviceability of semi-continuous composite beams in buildings, Proceedings of the ASCCS-6 Conference, Los Angeles, USA, University of Southern California, pp. 623-630, ISBN 0-9679749-0-9.”

Anthony Mason Fellowship (The National University of Singapore), 1999-2000.

The Ian Potter/George Alexander Foundation Travel Award, 1996.

Dean's Scholarship, Faculty of Engineering, UNSW, 1992-1995.

Australian Postgraduate Research Award (Priority Level), 1992-1995.

Association of Consulting Structural Engineers of New South Wales Prize, 1991.

Baulderstone Hornibrook Prize, 1991.

Galvanising Association of Australia, GAA Engineering Award, 1990.

James Hardie Co. Pty Ltd Prize, 1989.


My Research Activities

Composite steel-concrete structures, critical infrastructure protection systems, deconstruction techniques, rehabilitation and strengthening techniques, steel structures, structural health monitoring, structural systems, sustainable construction materials.

 


My Research Supervision


Areas of supervision

Steel and composite structures; building structures; bridge structures; net-zero structural design


Currently supervising

PhD students in steel and composite structures; building structures; bridge structures; net-zero structural design

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Location

Civil Engineering Building (H20)
Level 7, Room CE712
Kensington Campus

Contact

+61-2-9065 2201