Fawad Ahmed Najam

(He, Him, His)

Lecturer

School of Engineering
Office: EME 3233
Phone: 250 807 8466
Email: fawad.najam@ubc.ca

Research Summary

Resilient Infrastructure; Structural Dynamics; Earthquake Engineering; Performance-based Design of Built Facilities; Nonlinear Structural Modeling; Seismic Hazard and Vulnerability Assessment; Software Development for Structural Engineering Applications

Courses & Teaching

ENGR 428/528 Earthquake Engineering (2023 Winter Term 1)
APSC 181 Dynamics (2023 Winter Term 2)
APSC 173 Engineering Analysis II (2024 Summer Term 1)
APSC 179 Linear Algebra for Engineerings (2024 Summer Term 1)

Biography

I joined the School of Engineering (UBCO) in January 2024. My work mainly focuses on the performance-based evaluation of built facilities under extreme loads, e.g., severe earthquakes and winds. I study seismic resilience of innovative structural systems, site-specific seismic hazard analysis, earthquake vulnerability assessment of existing infrastructure, nonlinear modeling of structures, and other related aspects of earthquake risk.

Beside research activities, I also enjoy sharing knowledge through the development of “Open Educational Resources (OER)”. My passion is to strive towards coverting knowledge and research into products and actions for a better society.

Websites

Personal Website (www.fawadnajam.com)

My YouTube Channel (Understanding Structures with Fawad Najam)

Research Group Profile (Advanced Structural Simulation & Experimental Testing, ASSET)

Google Scholar Profile

ResearchGate Profile

UBC Centre for Learning and Teaching Faculty Story

Degrees

Mitacs Accelerate Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, 2023
PhD, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, 2017
MS, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan, 2011
BSc, University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Taxila, Pakistan, 2009

Research Interests & Projects

Innovative Solutions and Technologies for Construction of Sustainable, Resilient, and Cost-effective Buildings in Canada.

Summary: In Canadian construction practice, there is a dire need to develop and adopt robust, sustainable, and resilient structural components and systems that can exhibit superior performance and limited damage under natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes and storms) while being practical and cost-effective to build. To achieve this goal, I am interested in exploring several innovative solutions for both low- and high-rise buildings while considering the practicality and construction optimization. These includes innovative energy dissipation devices and damped outrigger systems to reduce structural and nonstructural damage in core walls, and novel base-isolation systems. While contributing toward the long-term goal of achieving earthquake resilience, the outcomes of this research program will also result in an advancing the construction and design practice in Canada.

Selected Publications & Presentations

  1. Malik U. J., Najam F. A., Khokhar S. A., Rehman F., Ria R. D. (2023). Advancing seismic resilience: Performance-based assessment of mid-rise and high-rise engineered cementitious composite (ECC) buildings. Case Studies in Construction Materials, Elsevier. Volume 20, e02732, DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2023.e02732, Online ISSN: 2214-5095. [Impact Factor: 6.2] [Link]
  2. Tobber L., Tang T. Y., Najam F. A. (2023). Seismic design and evaluation of controlled rocking outrigger core wall (CROCW) system using equivalent energy design procedure (EEDP). Engineering Structures, Elsevier. Volume 295, 116845, DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.116845, ISSN: 0141-0296. [Impact Factor: 5.5] [Link]
  3. Masoom, M. N., Karim, Q.A., Badar, I., Khushnood, R. A., Najam, F. A., & Naseer A. (2023). Development of a new base isolation system using the concept of metamaterials. Engineering Structures, Elsevier. Volume 286, 116151, DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.116151, ISSN: 0141-0296. [Impact Factor: 5.5] [Link]
  4. Riaz, R. D., Malik, U. J., Shah, M. U., Usman, M., & Najam, F. A. (2023) Enhancing seismic resilience of existing reinforced concrete building using nonlinear viscous dampers: A comparative study. Actuators 2023, 12(4), 175; DOI: 10.3390/act12040175, ISSN: 2076-0825. [Impact Factor: 2.523] [Link]
  5. Kiani, U. B. N., Najam, F. A., & Rana, I. A. (2022). The impact of risk perception on earthquake preparedness: An empirical study from Rawalakot, Pakistan. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 76, 102989. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102989. [Impact Factor: 4.842] [Link]
  6. Rahman, A., Najam, F. A., Zaman, S., Rasheed, A., Rana, I. A. (2021). An Updated Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis of Pakistan. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, Springer. DOI: 10.1007/s10518-021-01054-8. [Impact Factor: 2.602] [Link]
  7. Rahman, A., Rasheed, A., Najam, F. A., Zaman, S., Rana, I. A., Aslam, F., Khan, S. (2021). An Updated Earthquake Catalogue and Source Model for Seismic Hazard Analysis of Pakistan. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Springer Berlin Heidelberg. DOI: 10.1007/s13369-021-05439-4. [Impact Factor: 1.711] [Link]
  8. Mehmood, T, Qureshi, M. I., Najam, F. A., Maqsoom, A., Nawaz, A., Salahuddin, H., Tufail, R. F. (2020). New Nonlinear Modal Decomposition Method for Seismic Analysis of Tall RC Core Wall Buildings. Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering, E-ISSN 2364-1983, Springer Nature. DOI: 10.1007/s40996-020-00376-y. [Impact Factor: 0.8] [Link]
  9. Najam, F. A., Warnitchai, P., Qureshi, M. I., Mehmood, T. (2019). Simplified Seismic Demand Estimation for Existing Tall Buildings in Thailand. Structures and Buildings, ISSN 0965-0911, E-ISSN 1751-7702, Volume 172 Issue 6, pp. 391-406, DOI: 10.1680/jstbu.16.00088. [Impact Factor: 0.877] [Link]
  10. Anwar, N., Uthayakumar, A. and Najam, F. A. (2019). Significance of Soil-Structure Interaction in Seismic Response of Buildings. NED University Journal of Research, Special Issue on First South Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering (SACEE’19), Vol. 1. DOI: 10.35453/NEDJR-STMECH-2019-0004. [Link]
  11. Najam, F. A., Qureshi, M. I., Warnitchai, P., Mehmood, T. (2018). Prediction of Nonlinear Seismic Demands of High-rise Rocking Wall Structures using a Simplified Modal Pushover Analysis Procedure. The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings, ISSN 1541-7808, Volume 27, Issue 15, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/tal.1506. [Impact Factor: 2.204] [Link]
  12. Najam, F. A., Warnitchai, P., Qureshi, M. I., Mehmood, T. (2018). A Modified Response Spectrum Analysis Procedure to Determine Nonlinear Seismic Demands of High-rise Buildings with Shear Walls. The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings, ISSN 1541-7808, Volume 27, Issue 1, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/tal.1409. [Impact Factor: 2.204] [Link]
  13. Thilakarathna, S. N., Anwar, N., Norachan, P. and Najam, F. A. (2018). The Effect of Wind Loads on the Seismic Performance of Tall Buildings. Athens Journal of Technology and Engineering – Volume 5, Issue 3, Pages 251-276, DOI: 10.30958/ajte.5-3-3. [Link]

For Complete List of Publications, Click Here or Download CV

Selected Grants & Awards

“Mitacs Accelerate – PDF Fellowship Award” (100,000 CAD) for the year 2023 in the School of Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Okanagan, Canada.

Professional Services/Affiliations/Committees

  1. Member, Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering & Seismology, Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada, 2023 (https://www.caee.ca/)
  2. Network Member, Disaster Resilience Research Network (DRRN), Vancouver, BC Canada (https://drrn.ubc.ca/)
  3. Professional Engineer (PE), Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), License No. Civil/29188, 2020
  4. HEC Approved PhD Supervisor, Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, 2019
  5. Associate and Member, Pakistan Society of Civil Engineers (PSCE) Pakistan, 2021
  6. Member, American Society of Civil Engineers, (ASCE) USA, (M/472537), 2005
  7. Member, Institution of Civil Engineers, (ICE) UK, (M/63744520), 2005
  8. Member, American Concrete Institute, (ACI) USA, (M/01177805), 2009

Codes & Standards Development

  1. Member, “Primary Taskforce for Updation of Building Code of Pakistan (BCP 2007)”, formulated by the Think Tank Department of Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), (2020 – 2022).
  2. Member, Technical working groups and sub-committees formulated by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) for the following activities.
    • Working Group 1: To conduct an updated probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of Pakistan and develop updated seismic hazard maps.
    • Working Group 2: To develop an updated equivalent static seismic analysis and design procedure for Pakistan.
    • Working Group 6: To develop guidelines and recommendations for the retrofit of existing masonry buildings in Pakistan.
  1. Member, “National Committee for Standards of Low-cost Prefabricated Units” formulated by the Naya Pakistan Housing & Development Authority (NAPHDA) and PEC, Government of Pakistan. (2021 – 2022).

 

Apologies, but no results were found.