Finalists announced for the Excellence in Structural Engineering Education Award 2025

Dr. Joe Gattas

Dr Joe Gattas is as an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland's School of Civil Engineering, where he heads the Folded Structures research group. His research expertise spans various fields, including origami-inspired engineering, computational building design, advanced manufacturing, lightweight and modular structures, and timber engineering. In 2009, Joe obtained his Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Queensland, and in 2013, he completed his Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, funded by a John Monash Scholarship. 

From 2016 to 2021, Joe led the Manufacture and Digital Design project stream within the Australian Reseach Council (ARC) Future Timber Hub. This initiative aimed to support the development of tall timber buildings in the Pacific region. Upon its successful completion, timber industry partners backed the establishment of a new ARC Advance Timber Hub (2022-), designed to accelerate innovation and the adoption of timber in Australian buildings. Joe currently serves as Co-Lead for two research nodes within the new Hub: 1) Manufacturing Innovation, which encompasses projects focusing on the digital design and fabrication of innovative structures and systems; and 2) Value Chain Innovation, which covers projects dedicated to enhancing resource utilization throughout the forest-to-building timber value chain.

Dr Rwayda Al-Hamd

Dr Rwayda Al-Hamd is a Lecturer in Civil Engineering at Abertay University and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). With over a decade of experience in academia and industry, her expertise lies in structural fire safety engineering and machine learning applications in structural engineering.

Dr Al-Hamd is deeply committed to engineering education and outreach, leading innovative projects that bridge industry and academia. She is also an active member of the Scottish regional group committee of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), contributing to engineering education and professional development initiatives. She contributes to various IStructE panels, shaping discussions on structural engineering practice and learning.

Beyond her teaching and research, Dr Al-Hamd is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in engineering. She organises the annual International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) at Abertay, promoting accessibility and representation in STEM. She is also an active Technically Speaking podcast team member, engaging audiences in insightful discussions on engineering and technology.

Through her work, Dr Al-Hamd continues to inspire future engineers, enhance learning experiences, and contribute to the evolution of structural engineering education.

Viola Valentine

Viola Valentine is a structural engineer and teaching fellow at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Strathclyde University in Glasgow.

Viola is a Strathclyde alumna, graduating in 2007 with Distinction in MEng Civil Engineering with European Studies (Italian Language). In her final year of study Viola received the Institution of Structural Engineers Student Award. Being originally from Albania and having studied modern languages from a very young age, during her studies Viola also worked as a professional interpreter and translator for Albanian and Italian, as well as being proficient in French and Spanish.

As a recipient of the Buro Happold Trust fund for her final year of study and following graduation, Viola joined Buro Happold Engineering in the summer of 2007, working as a design engineer in the structures’ group of the Glasgow and Edinburgh offices. In 2012 she moved to Mott MacDonald, working in the nuclear and building structures teams in the Glasgow office. Finally, in 2017 she joined the structures group of Woolgar Hunter Engineers in Glasgow, where she worked as a senior structural engineer until 2018.

During her eleven years of working in industry as a structural design engineer, Viola successfully designed and delivered numerous domestic and international projects of various uses and sizes, including hospitals, sports and cultural facilities, schools and university campuses, and multi-storey office and hotel buildings. Because of her extensive involvement in the use of structural analysis software and the design of vibration-sensitive structures, especially in the later years of working in industry, Viola took on the roles of office champion for the use of structural analysis software and independent reviewer for vibration analyses. As part of these roles, Viola successfully delivered numerous in-house training sessions and design workshops, which further highlighted and reinforced her passion for knowledge sharing and collaboration and above all teaching others.
In 2018 Viola completed full-circle by joining the structures group at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Strathclyde. In her main role as teaching fellow in structural engineering, she is responsible for the BEng/MEng structural design modules in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year of study. Other roles include Student Liaison Officer for Institution of Structural Engineers and student competitions coordinator. Viola is a diligent advocate for sustainable design and gender equality and inclusion.

The overarching principle in Viola’s teaching is ‘Translating practice into learning’ and she draws from her extensive industry experience to bring the office environment into the classroom. Scenario-based learning is embedded throughout, and project briefs are intentionally devised open-ended, encouraging creativity, engineering judgement and optimisation, and more importantly the use of sustainable materials and design in general.

Viola obtained her post graduate certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education in 2021 and she is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Nicholas Haritos

Nicholas Haritos is an accomplished Australian civil/structural engineer of Greek descent with a distinguished career spanning over five decades. He holds extensive expertise in structural dynamics, offshore engineering, and educational innovation, marked by significant academic and industry contributions.
Nicholas earned his Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) in 1973, followed by a Master of Engineering Science in 1975, and later a Ph.D. in 1981, whilst a half-time tutor at The University of Melbourne. His academic journey laid a robust foundation for his prolific professional trajectory.
Currently serving as Managing Director of Strucomp Pty Ltd, (a company he co-founded in 1996), Nicholas spearheads innovative engineering solutions and educational initiatives. He developed the pioneering TechnoLab™ Experiential Learning Platform, significantly advancing hands-on education for tertiary students in key areas including Engineering Statics, Mechanics of Structures, and Structural Dynamics. More recently, Nicholas has been extending this educational approach to STEM students at primary and secondary school levels, via stEmhelp.

Nicholas’s career includes significant roles in academia. From 1973 to 2010, he served as an Associate Professor at The University of Melbourne, during which he was responsible for leading influential research projects and supervising numerous postgraduate dissertations. His tenure was marked by successfully personally securing more than $3.5 million in national competitive grants, reflecting his active engagement in impactful research. Notable research projects under his leadership include studies on human-induced vibrations in building structures, hydroelastic response of offshore structures, and dynamic testing methodologies for bridges.

Beyond academia, Nicholas contributed significantly to professional engineering standards through his role as National Stage 2 Assessor at Engineers Australia, validating the professional competencies of civil and structural engineers at a national level. Currently, he continues his academic engagement as an Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University of Technology and Principal Fellow at the University of Melbourne, mentoring the next generation of engineers.
His consultancy portfolio is extensive and includes collaborations with prominent industry, government, and semi-government entities. Nicholas has provided consultancy services to major organizations such as BHP Petroleum, Telecom, Walter Construction Group, Multiplex, Arup, AECOM, and various governmental departments including VicRoads and Melbourne Water. These consultancy roles involved analytical modelling, extensive field and laboratory-based experimentation, and strategic advisory services for complex infrastructure projects.

Nicholas has achieved considerable professional recognition, being a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and a Chartered Professional Engineer. He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the RW Chapman Medal (2015), the SOE Distinction for Teaching Materials (2008), and ranking in the Top 50 National Lecturer of the Year Awards (all Faculties) in 2007.
A prolific researcher, Nicholas has published extensively in internationally recognized journals and conferences. His publications cover advanced topics such as structural health monitoring, engineering education methodologies, and dynamic responses of structural systems. He is also frequently invited as a reviewer/assessor for national and international research bodies, highlighting his stature within the global engineering community.

Nicholas Haritos continues to influence engineering education and research, consistently demonstrating leadership, innovation, and dedication to advancing both the academic and professional engineering fields.

Dr. Jaehoon Bae

Dr. Jaehoon Bae graduated from the University of Warwick in the UK with a Ph.D. degree in Architectural Structures in 2019. He was a research professor at Korea University in Korea and is currently an Associate Professor specializing in Architectural Structures at Chonnam National University. With six years of professional experience in structural engineering and an internship at ARUP, he has established himself as a leading expert in sustainable building design. In recognition of his contributions to sustainability in science and technology, he was selected as a finalist for the 2021 British Council Alumni Awards in the category of Science and Sustainability.

Dr. Bae is a founding member of the Carbon Neutrality Committee of the Architectural Institute of Korea (AIK), which has since evolved into the Carbon Neutral Institute. He currently serves as the head of the Embodied Carbon Center within the institute, dedicated to advancing sustainable architecture and achieving carbon neutrality in buildings. In 2023, he co-authored the Guidelines and Casebook for Quantitative Carbon-Neutral Design, providing a comprehensive methodology for carbon quantification in architectural design in South Korea. He is actively working on integrating carbon-neutral design principles into national building standards.
In the academic sphere, Dr. Bae has pioneered new courses, including Advanced Integrated Structures and Sustainable Building Systems, fostering interdisciplinary education that combines ICT technologies with carbon reduction strategies. His commitment to education and research continues to shape the next generation of architects and engineers dedicated to a sustainable future.