Hisham Alabduljabbar (PhD)
Hisham is currently completing his doctoral degree at the University of Waterloo, studying the bond behavior of cleaned corroded reinforcing bar that repaired with three different techniques (partial depth repair concrete, FRP sheets and stirrups).
Kyle Balkos (PhD)
Kyle obtained his BASc in Civil Engineering with a Certificate in Structural Engineering at the University of Waterloo in 2015. He is now furthering his knowledge in the discipline of structural engineering by pursuing a research based master’s (MASc) degree co-supervised by Dr. West and Dr. Walbridge.
Kyle's research focuses on understanding the fatigue behaviour of slip-critical shear connectors used in composite bridges between steel girders and precast concrete slabs. The proposed research will involve both experimental and numerical components. Scaled test specimens will be fabricated and loaded cyclically to assess the fatigue life and performance of the shear connectors and a finite element model of the specimens will be generated to evaluate the performance numerically. This research is expected substantiate the reliability of using fewer required shear connectors, rendering a more efficient design.
Mohammed Enshassi (PhD)
Mohammed obtained his master’s degree in engineering construction management from Istanbul Technical University in 2013. The topic of his master’s thesis was related to application of automation and robotics technology in on-site construction work activities. In 2014, Mohammed started his PhD at the University of Waterloo under the co-supervision of Prof. West, Prof. Walbridge and Prof. C. Haas.
Mohammed’s PhD research project explores tolerance strategies within modular construction design. In addition, this project aims to incorporate the concepts of risk management and structural resiliency in order to reduce field-fitting issues and rework.
Adam Felinczak (MASc)
Adam graduated from the University of Waterloo's 2016 Civil Engineering BASc class, with a Certificate in Structural Engineering. He is now pursuing his MASc in Civil Engineering under the supervision of Professors West, Hansson, and Al-Hammoud.
Adam is investigating the strength and durability performance of concrete infrastructure using statistical relations between the results obtained from concrete test cylinders and the results of cores extracted from the structure. The performance of the extracted core sample can be affected by the extraction location within the structure, core diameter and size, weather conditions during casting, concrete curing methods, and temperature differentials during concrete hydration. An improved statistical basis of the relationships between strength and durability results of concrete cores and cylinders will provide an understanding of the effect of various parameters on the concrete and to better predict the performance of the concrete in the structure.
Adam enjoys outdoor recreation, including hiking, canoeing, and camping. He loves to play many sports and represented the University of Waterloo as a captain of the varsity football team during his undergraduate degree.
Marc Johnson (MASc)
Marc completed his BASc in Civil Engineering with a Certificate in Structural Engineering at the University of Waterloo in 2017. Under co-supervision of Dr. West and Dr. Hansson, he is pursuing his MASc in Civil Engineering. Marc’s research focuses on understanding the material behaviour of concrete under different curing conditions, namely in-situ and lab conditions. Concrete samples obtained from concrete structures via coring are tested against the typical concrete cylinder to observe the differences in the material properties caused by the different curing conditions. The goal of this project is to establish a reliable relationship between the concrete core and cylinder properties for use with quality control measures.
