The Inaugural Lecture of Professor Dilum Fernando, Chair of Structural Engineering

Discourses and mathematical demonstrations relating to two new sciences (Discorsi e dimostrazioni matematiche intorno a due nuove scienze) authored by Galileo Galilei published in 1638 is widely regarded as the birth of structural engineering discipline. By combining materials and geometry, structural engineers design the skeleton that create the form and shape of human-made structures. Within the discipline of civil engineering, structural engineers have made significant achievements demonstrated by the structures such as modern-day skyscrapers and bridges. As the society presents new challenges, structural engineers have always stepped up to face those challenges and provided innovative solutions. Safety of structures under different and sometimes extreme actions have dominated the design of modern structures. Within the civil engineering discipline, conservatism in designs have been widely accepted as a pathway for mitigating risks and ensuring safety. However, the new challenges human-kind face, especially with climate change are questioning the current approach to structural designs and pushing the structural engineers out of their comfort zones. Modern structural engineers are challenged on: how to achieve efficiency in structural designs to minimize the resource consumptions; how to keep up with the technology advancements in materials and manufacturing and incorporate those technologies to design and construct better structures; and how to improve resilience in structures to combat changing conditions. 

Biography 

Prof. Dilum Fernando is a researcher and educator in structural engineering with a particular interest in application of fundamental theories of material behaviors and geometric concepts to develop novel efficient hybrid/composite structural systems. Prof. Fernando received his doctoral degree from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2010, and then joined Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2013, he joined University of Queensland as a lecturer and subsequently promoted to senior lecturer and associate professor in 2016 and 2019 respectively. He joined The University of Edinburgh in 2021 as the Chair of Structural Engineering. 

Prof. Fernando has published over 70 scientific journal papers and over 80 other technical publications and reports in a broad array of subjects associated with composite materials and structures. His works have received the BERD-FEUP WPrize for World Innovation in Bridge Engineering in 2019 and the University of Queensland’s Award for Excellence in Innovation in 2019. Prof. Fernando was selected as one of the Australia’s Most Innovative Engineers in 2019 by Engineers Australia’s Create Magazine.

In his current position, together with the other researchers from the MATTERS group, Prof. Fernando continue to develop composite research programs to address the technological challenges associated with the use of advanced composites in infrastructure by investigating various processes for FRP materials as well as systems for innovative infrastructure solutions through theoretical and experimental research projects that bring together architectural, manufacturing, material, design, and construction challenges.