Advanced Concrete Materials for Extreme Loadings

Position description: The Institute of Bridge Engineering (IBE) is recruiting a PhD student to conduct research on Advanced Concrete Materials and related research topics. Specific research topics include performance-based design and investigation of advanced concrete materials, including ultra-high performance concretes (UHPC), strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC), etc.; reinforcement corrosion and rehabilitation of reinforced concrete structures; impact, blast, and thermal effects on material and structural performance; integrated resilience-sustainability assessments of infrastructure; 3D printing of concrete; and geopolymer materials.

Financial support: Doctoral students are supported with a stipend ($28,541 for AY 22/23), paid tuition and healthcare. Financial support after the first year is contingent on academic standing and research progress.

Research Facilities: IBE faculty and students have access to state-of-the-art research facilities, including Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory (SEESL), Shared Instrumentation Laboratories (SIL), and the Center for Computational Research (CCR). SEESL is equipped with a diverse array of test equipment and platforms, including two 6 DOF earthquake simulators, a geotechnical laminar box, a multiple-fan wind tunnel, a strong floor and strong wall, a furnace for structural fire testing, wind tunnel, and standard tools and equipment needed for performing state-of-the-art concrete materials and geotechnical-engineering research. A variety of equipment and test fixtures such as those shown below (rotational rheometer, high-shear mixer fiber-reinforced concrete mixer, single fiber pullout test setup) facilitate high-quality experimental research in advanced concrete materials. SIL provides access to a scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, nano-indenter, and other advanced equipment for nano/micro-scale investigation of materials. CCR is an academic supercomputing facility at the University at Buffalo and maintains high-performance computing and visualization laboratories.

Contact associate professor Ravi Ranade for the position description and Jackie Baum, graduate studies coordinator, for other information, including admission, visas, and the graduate program in the department.