UBC Civil Engineering welcomes Dr. Riwaj Dhakal as Assistant Professor in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Riwaj (Ribu) Dhakal has joined the Department of Civil Engineering as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Dhakal brings expertise in Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering, with a research focus on soil liquefaction, seismic foundation behavior, and advanced site characterization. He received his Bachelor of Civil Engineering with first-class honours from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) in 2018 and completed his PhD in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering in 2022 through a joint program with the University of Canterbury and the University of California, Berkeley. His doctoral research advanced methodologies for assessing liquefaction and its impacts on infrastructure, […]
UBC Civil Engineering Researchers Awarded Federal Funding for Projects Addressing Critical Infrastructure and Climate Priorities
On July 9, 2025, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced the results of its 2025 Discovery Grant competition. As part of a broader $9.7 million investment in UBC Applied Science research, five Civil Engineering faculty members received a combined total of over $1.3 million in funding. The awarded projects are: The NSERC Discovery Grants program provides long-term operating support for Canadian researchers, enabling them to pursue ongoing programs of research and contribute to advancements in science and engineering. For the full Faculty of Applied Science announcement, visit apsc.ubc.ca
UBC Civil Engineering welcomes Dr. Nimish Pujara as Associate Professor in Coastal Transport Research
His research connects wave dynamics to pollution, ecosystems, and resilience.
Where Civil Engineering Meets Public Health: A Closer Look at Tire Wear Pollution
This Q&A features one of the winners of the 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, a university-wide challenge that invites graduate students to present their research in just three minutes—using only one slide and no jargon. The goal? To make complex research accessible, engaging, and inspiring to a broad audience. In this spotlight, you’ll hear from Katie Moloney, a UBC Civil Engineering graduate student whose research is shedding light on an emerging and often overlooked source of pollution: tire wear particles. Her work explores how this invisible pollutant travels through urban air, transforms chemically, and may impact lung health—bridging environmental engineering […]
From Reaction to Prevention: Reimagining Road Safety Through Data
This Q&A features one of the winners of the 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, a university-wide challenge that asks graduate students to present their complex research in just three minutes—using only one slide and no jargon. The goal? To make research accessible, engaging, and inspiring to a broad audience. In this spotlight, you’ll hear from a UBC Civil Engineering graduate student whose award-winning research is helping reshape how we approach traffic safety—moving from reactive responses to proactive, data-driven solutions that aim to save lives. Tarek Ghoul PhD student Research Area: Transportation Engineering Campus: Vancouver Can you share a brief summary […]
UBC Research Tackles Toxic Tire Chemical to Protect Aquatic Life
A research initiative led by Dr. Rachel Scholes from UBC Civil Engineering and funded by the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF) is addressing the environmental impact of 6PPDQ, a toxic chemical produced from tire wear that poses a significant threat to sensitive aquatic species. To better understand the spread and concentration of 6PPDQ in urban environments, over 100 water samples were collected from Metro Vancouver streams. This data has played a key role in shaping British Columbia’s new provincial water quality guideline for 6PPDQ, providing a regulatory framework to monitor and limit this pollutant in freshwater ecosystems. Recognizing […]
Dr. Alexander Bigazzi Wins Wall Legacy Award for Inclusive, Sustainable Transport Design
This initiative focuses on creating transportation infrastructure that equitably attracts users to sustainable travel modes
UBC Civil Insights on Vancouver Seismic Risk Report
A new report from the City of Vancouver and Natural Resources Canada has outlined how a 7.2-magnitude earthquake could impact Vancouver, and it highlights six neighborhoods in high-risk areas. In the report, Vancouver’s West End, Yaletown, the Downtown Eastside, Kitsilano, Fairview, and Mount Pleasant have the highest risk of damage from a large earthquake. Seismic experts at UBC Civil Engineering have provided valuable insights on the recent City of Vancouver Council Report on Seismic Risk, highlighting the urgent need for strategies to strengthen vulnerable buildings and infrastructure against earthquake damage. Billions in damage, thousands of injuries: Report maps out Vancouver earthquake […]
New funding for CoLab PhD research on extreme weather
A new funding initiative at UBC is bringing together expertise from multiple disciplines to tackle one of the most pressing problems of our time: managing the impact of extreme weather conditions, such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall. With $53,000 in annual renewable funding, the Collaborative PhD Program is aimed at training students across diverse fields to develop innovative solutions to climate-related challenges while fostering cross-disciplinary knowledge and collaboration. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, the need for innovative solutions is greater than ever. This funding will support research focused on stormwater management and heatwave mitigation, specifically through the […]
UBC Civil Engineering finds e-bike incentives worth the investment
A version of this article originally appeared on UBC News. Electric bicycle rebates have exploded in popularity in North America as transportation planners try to get people out of their cars and into healthier, more climate-friendly alternatives. However, there is limited understanding of the full impacts of these incentives. Are new cycling habits sustainable? Who benefits most from these incentives? And are they worth the cost? Researchers at UBC’s Research on Active Transportation (REACT) Lab have some answers. They surveyed participants in an e-bike incentive program offered by the District of Saanich, B.C. and found that most new e-bike users continued to regularly use their bikes […]
A Q&A with UBC Civil Research Assistant on the Aftermath of Mount Polley Spill
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the program that you are in? My name is Brody Granger and I completed my M.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering in the discipline of Environmental Fluid Mechanics with Dr. Bernard Laval in 2020. Since then I’ve been working for Dr. Laval as a research assistant, continuing with the project that began in 2014 while working in his lab as an undergraduate research assistant. 2. Can you provide an overview of your research project on Quesnel Lake? The latest round of research on Quesnel Lake began on the 4th of August, 2014, […]
Revolutionizing Affordable Housing: Dr. Tony Yang’s Research on Reinforcing Concrete Construction with Welded Wire Mesh
Rapid population growth in major cities worldwide has created immense challenges when seeking affordable housing. However, excess construction costs can be reduced by employing concrete elements such as slabs, panels, and beams that are reinforced with welded wire mesh (WWM). This material consists of electrically welded rods to form a uniformly continuous mesh which has been widely adopted in the industry as it has immense production efficiency, speed, and durability while also reducing project costs. Dr. Tony Yang, a Professor at UBC Civil Engineering, the lead researcher at UBC Smart Structures, and one of the world’s leading experts in structural and […]
UBC Civil in the Media – Learning from Turkiye earthquake
UBC engineering experts were among a group of researchers that visited Turkey to study the aftermath of its earthquake
UBC Environmental Engineering receives Board accreditation
This announcement originally appeared on UBC Environmental Engineering. UBC Environmental Engineering (ENVL) has achieved the maximum allowable accreditation period for a new program by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). The first accreditation period will be for three years for the four-year program at the UBC Vancouver campus, with regular renewal procedures planned to maintain program accreditation for the foreseeable future. On May 31, the class of 2023 became the first to graduate from the program, marking the beginning of a new chapter for both the program and graduates. These graduates now possess the tools and knowledge necessary to have a rewarding career […]
UBC REACT Lab Wins 2023 Climate Action Award
UBC Civil Engineering’s REACT Lab has been honored with the 2023 Climate Action Award from the Community Energy Association for their work on an income-qualified e-bike incentive program in collaboration with the District of Saanich, British Columbia and the Greater Victoria Community Social Planning Council. This award highlights the effectiveness of the program in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting equity, underlining the vital role of research and government collaboration in addressing climate challenges. With a goal of enabling widespread adoption of e-bikes for more sustainable transportation, the Saanich’s e-bike incentive program uniquely combines climate and equity objectives — a novel […]
Rain gardens could save salmon from toxic tire chemicals
Salmon holds immense ecological and cultural significance in B.C. However, the survival of these magnificent fish is under threat due to multiple stressors. Among the challenge salmon fac is a toxic chemical associated with car tires, which finds its way into our rivers and streams when rainwater washes it off roads. Fortunately, there’s a ray of hope – recent research shows that specially designed rain gardens could help protect salmon from this harmful compound. The chemical 6PPD-quinone is a byproduct that forms when car tires interact with the atmosphere. Coho salmon, rainbow trout, and other fish are particularly vulnerable to its […]
New algorithm maps safest routes for city drivers
Originally published in: UBC News Most navigation apps can show you the fastest possible route to your destination and some can even suggest an eco-friendly route calculated to produce the least amount of carbon emissions. But what if they could also map the safest route with the lowest possible risk of a crash? A new algorithm developed by UBC researchers could make this a reality. Led by Dr. Tarek Sayed, professor in the UBC department of civil engineering, and PhD student Tarek Ghoul, the group developed a new approach which identifies the safest possible route in an urban network using real-time crash risk […]