PhD candidate specializing in structural fire resistance recipient of Dean's Graduate Achievement Award

Nan Hua (left) gestures toward the furnace in UB's Ketter Hall.

Nan Hua (left), gestures toward UB's furnace in Ketter Hall. *Photo taken before the COVID-19 pandemic

By Peter Murphy

Published June 28, 2021

Nan Hua, a PhD student co-advised by assistant professors Negar Elhami-Khorasani and Anthony Tessari is one of the recipients of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ Dean’s Graduate Achievement Award. 

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“I feel it is important to combine industrial experience with academic knowledge to develop solutions for practicing engineers ”
Nan Hua, PhD student
Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

According to the awards description, “this award honors exceptional graduate students who have distinguished themselves through excellence in research and related technical presentations/publications.”

Hua’s research focuses on evaluating structural fire resistance, specifically, involving tunnels. According to Elhami-Khorasani, “Nan’s research focuses on evaluating structural fire resistance of tunnels using a combination of numerical modeling and experiments to make recommendations for mitigating the risk of fires in tunnels.”

Hua joined UB as a PhD student in 2017. She plans to be a tunnel engineer after earning her PhD. “I feel it is important to combine industrial experience with academic knowledge,” Hua says, “to develop solutions for practicing engineers.”