Summary

Technically sophisticated professional with wide knowledge and experience in civil engineering design and analysis, building envelope and enclosure, forensic, failure analysis, 3-D modeling, construction, diagnostic equipment, and analytics solutions. Hands-on experience on insurance industry, forensic, construction, and design firms. Awarded for developing a Hurricane-resistant roof system. Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, PE licensed.

Education

Ph.D., Civil Engineering, July 2017 Florida International University, Miami, FL.

M.Sc., Structural Engineering, February 2010

B.Sc., Civil Engineering, September 2005

Skills

Analyze failures in buildings and other infrastructure, Documenting causes of failure and extent of loss, Civil Engineering design, Design and detailing of steel, concrete, masonry and timber buildings and systems, Building envelope design, Failure analysis, Finite Element analysis, 3D modeling, CADD production of design drawings, Experience with sensors and diagnostic equipment, Field inspection and investigation, Developing innovative design solutions, Managing project design and deliverables, Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, Professional in developing technical writing and report, Liaising with clients & professionals.

Software: Revit, RAM, RISA, STAAD, SAP2000, ETABS, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Microsoft Office, ANSYS, ABAQUS

Professional Experience

Rimkus Consulting Group Inc., Miami, FL, October 2017 -Present

Consultant- Forensic Structural Engineer

Responsible for investigating and evaluating commercial, industrial and residential structures to determine the cause of apparent structural concerns, including:

Evaluate civil/structural failures of residential, commercial and industrial structures resulting from fire, hail, flood, hurricane, lightning strikes, impact and natural disasters,

Conduct forensic investigation of construction litigation, design issues, professional negligence, omission and error, subrogation matters,

Investigate failure mechanism and deterioration of building components,

Conduct building code compliance and building condition assessments,

Analyze and design industrial and residential structures/foundations,

Perform finite element modeling and dynamic analysis of buildings,

Cause, origin and duration of property damage,

Design deficiencies and construction defects,

Civil/Site structure, system and component failure,

State Farm Insurance Inc., Bloomington, IL, May 2016 - August 2016

Forensic Engineer- Data Analyst

Internship to conduct forensic data analysis. Analyzed housing performance following Hurricane Irene. Quantified the loss characteristics and identified the root causes of damage or failure by building system. Reviewed forensics reports and data. Prepared final report.

Results- Roof damage accounted for >80% of total building financial losses. New construction performed better.

Florida International University, Miami, FL, August 2012 – August 2017

Graduate Research Assistant

Conducted & involved with five concurrent government-funded research projects.

● Assessment of wind effects on roof, wall, cladding, and structure of an elevated building (Supported by: Florida Division of Emergency Management), Link to the final report.

Studies on determining the aerodynamic wind force coefficients and localized cladding loads through the experimental tests in wind tunnel. From the test data, pressure coefficients were derived for use in the design by code methods of the building’s main structural systems and building envelope.

● Developed an innovative lightweight hurricane-resistant roof system (Supported by: International Hurricane Research Center at FIU), Link to the publications 1, 2, 3, 4.

Proposed, designed and developed a new roof system for wind mitigation. Combined two advanced material: Ultrahigh Performance Concrete (UHPC) and High Strength Steel, prepared laboratory specimens, performed structural tests, test data was collected and analyzed, and final report was prepared.

● Evaluated the structural capacity of a newly developed FRP Roof-to-Wall connection for timber buildings (Supported by: Florida Division of Emergency Management), Link to the final report.

Developed such system for eliminating problems associated with conventional roof-to-wall connections. Validated the efficacy of the system for retrofitting residential buildings by conducting holistic component-level testing, as well as system-level testing under realistic dynamic wind loading conditions in wind tunnel facility.

● Eliminating thermal cracking at anchorages of post-tensioned concrete bridges (Supported by: Florida Department of Transportation, FDOT), Link to the final report.

Identified failure mechanisms using finite element (FE) stress and thermal analysis, and experimental tests on full-scale and large-scale laboratory specimens. Proposed techniques to avoid thermal cracking.

● Developing a “Simple for Dead Load & Continuous for Live Load” (SDCL) bridge system for seismic regions (Supported by: U.S. Department of Transportation, USDOT), Link to the progress report.

The SDCL concept for seismic areas needed a suitable connection between the girder and pier. The structural behavior and force resistance mechanism of the proposed seismic detail considered through analytical and experimental study.

Arses Mabna Inc., Tehran, August 2011 - July 2012

Project Engineer- Structural Engineer

Construction and design of buildings. Detailed structural design calculations, structural modeling and structural analysis of steel and reinforced concrete structures and foundations using Revit, MathCAD, Excel, ETABS, SAFE and AutoCAD. Construction management, project execution and adjustments, detailed construction documents preparation, cost estimate and engineering drawings preparation, Liaising with clients and professionals.

Certifications

Professional Engineer (PE) License

Community Leadership

Treasurer ACI Student Chapter at FIU Miami, FL, 2016 – 2017

Event Chair ACI Student Chapter at FIU Miami, FL, 2017

Selected Awards

Provost Award on Oral Presentation, 3rd Place FIU University Graduate School Scholarly Forum 2017

Graduate Assistantship ($45K/yr for five years) Florida International University 2017

Academic Excellence Scholarship Florida Center of Excellence in Hurricane Damage Mitigation 2016

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) Scholarship Portland Cement Association 2015

Publications and Presentations

Five authored/co-authored peer-reviewed technical articles published in major engineering journals and conferences, and made three professional presentations in national conferences. Link to the Publications

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