After graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering in 2010, Dr Ma’s research in structural engineering, based on skills in structural analysis, computational mechanics and evaluation, both in theory and numerical simulation, particularly in regard to steel shell structures, has been being continued. Dr Ma has put a lot of energy into computational mechanics to the mathematical level for structure analysis, e.g., elastic stability, shell theories, structure plasticity, structure dynamics, and energy methods.
Dr Ma is actively engaged in the network of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) as a work group member of the project CA20109 MODENERLANDS. This participation provides him with a robust scientific platform, fostering multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary collaboration, enabling the development of innovative research outcomes and practical advancements.
Drawing from the substantial achievements of his PhD research from 2016 to 2020, coupled with his experiences during his three-year master's research (2012 - 2015) funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) on progressive collapse in composite frame structures, Dr Ma aims to further expand and elevate his research to a higher level in alignment with the principles of structural engineering. Dr Ma's commitment to computational mechanics and structural analysis exemplifies his determination to advance the field of structural engineering, e.g., imperfection sensitivity analysis of IH-treated bracing tubes, energy-curvature relations in buckling of wind turbine towers.
As a passionate teacher over the past ten years, Dr Ma consider his role as helping students to foster their critical thinking, to facilitate the acquisition of learning skills for their entire life, to develop their problem-solving strategies, to deliver to them the fundamental content of the courses, and to orient them to the discipline as highly educated individuals in the engineering world.