Dr Seyed Ghaffar BEng (Hons.), PhD, CEng, FICE, FHEA, MICT

Dr Seyed Ghaffar

Dubai Campus
Head of Engineering (Dubai)
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering

Contact details

Email
s.h.ghaffar@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@HamidGh12
View my research portal
Address
Department of Civil Engineering
School of Engineering

Dr Seyed Ghaffar is the Head of Engineering at the University of Birmingham, Dubai, and an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng, FICE).

Qualifications

  • PhD in Civil Engineering, Brunel University London
  • BEng (Hons.), in civil Engineering with Sustainability, Brunel University London
  • Fellow member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng, FICE)
  • Member of the Institute of Concrete Technology (MICT)
  • Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng)
  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Biography

I am an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering and a Chartered Civil Engineer. I am also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng, FICE), a Member of the Institute of Concrete Technology (MICT), and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Prior to joining the University of Birmingham, I held the position of Reader in Civil Engineering at Brunel University London from 2017 to 2023. At Brunel, I completed my Civil Engineering with Sustainability degree in 2012 and earned my Ph.D. in Sustainable Engineering Materials in 2016, fully sponsored by the Industrial Cooperative Awards in Science & Technology.

Over the years, I have taken on various academic roles, including Industrial Placement Coordinator, Admissions Tutor, and Senior Tutor for the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

I also serve as the Executive Editor for an Elsevier Journal, Results in Engineering | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier (IF of 5).

I recently edited a book titled Innovation in Construction: A Practical Guide to Transforming the Construction Industry | SpringerLink.

Book cover

I am a Member of the EPSRC Peer Review College and have been appointed as an expert evaluator for the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF), the office of the Government of the Slovak Republic, and the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). Additionally, I have served as an expert evaluator for Horizon Europe on the projects HORIZON-CL4-2021-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-12: Breakthrough technologies supporting technological sovereignty in construction (RIA), HORIZON-CL4-2022-RESILIENCE-01-16: Building and renovating by exploiting advanced materials for energy and resource-efficient management (IA), HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01, and HORIZON-CL4-2024-RESILIENCE-01.

Postgraduate supervision

Low-carbon engineering materials; 3D printing of geopolymers and LC3; Valorisation of waste; Construction and demolition waste management; Circular construction

Research

I conduct research spanning various construction materials, with a specific emphasis on advancing low-carbon technologies suitable for both new construction and retrofitting applications. My work combines materials science with innovative technologies such as 3D printing, including the valorization of construction and demolition waste for formulating and optimizing 3D printable mixes.

I have served as PI or Co-I for 8 grants, secured from prominent funding bodies including EPSRC, the British Council, and the EU H2020. Noteworthy among my projects are:

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Shabanlou, M, Meghdadi, Z & Ghaffar, SH 2025, 'Experimental and analytical study of the residual performance of reinforced concrete deep beams with circular web openings', Results in Engineering, vol. 25, 104229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2025.104229

Al-Noaimat, YA, Chougan, M, Sambucci, M, Valente, M, Tirillò, J, Albar, A, Nematollahi, B & Ghaffar, SH 2025, 'Optimising limestone calcined clay cement containing excavated low-grade waste clay for 3D printing applications', Cleaner Engineering and Technology, vol. 27, 100991. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2025.100991

Nassrullah, G, Ali, MM, Abu Al-Rub, RK, Cho, CS, El-Khasawneh, B, Ghaffar, SH & Kim, TY 2025, 'Optimizing cement-based material formulation for 3D printing: Integrating carbon nanotubes and silica fume', Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 22, e04579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2025.e04579

Albayati, AH, Mohammed, AM, Al-Kheetan, MJ, Al-ani, AF, Oukaili, NK, Moudhafar, MM, Sukhija, M, Jweihan, YS & Ghaffar, SH 2025, 'Performance enhancement of natural asphalt using waste-derived modifiers: Sugarcane molasses and waste engine oil', Cleaner Waste Systems, vol. 11, 100261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100261

Abdallah, S, Rees, DWA, Hilal, AA, Fan, M, Ghaffar, SH & Ali, HA 2025, 'Pull-out behaviour of inclined straight and hooked-end fibres in normal and high strength concretes', Construction and Building Materials, vol. 471, 140744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2025.140744

Al-Noaimat, YA, Sambucci, M, Chougan, M, El-Seidy, E, Biblioteca, I, Valente, M, Tirillò, J, Al-Kheetan, MJ & Ghaffar, SH 2025, 'Sustainable repurposing of polyvinyl chloride waste as aggregates in limestone-calcined clay cement', Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 491, 144862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.144862, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.144862

Al-Raqeb, H & Ghaffar, SH 2025, 'The Role of BIM 6D and 7D in Enhancing Sustainable Construction Practices: A Qualitative Study', Technologies, vol. 13, no. 2, 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13020065

Al Ja’fari, MS, Al-Adaileh, MM, Al-Adayleh, AK, Al-Kheetan, MJ, Jweihan, YS, Albayati, AH, Rabi, M, Alrwashdeh, SS, Al-Noaimat, YA & Ghaffar, SH 2025, 'Titanium Dioxide for Improved Performance of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Aggregates in Concrete', Sustainability, vol. 17, no. 20, 9034. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17209034

Al-Noaimat, YA, Chougan, M, El-Seidy, E, Albar, A & Ghaffar, SH 2025, 'Valorising excavated low-grade waste clay in limestone calcined clay cement system for 3D printing applications', Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 106, 112634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2025.112634

Al-Raqeb, H & Ghaffar, SH 2024, '3D Concrete Printing in Kuwait: Stakeholder Insights for Sustainable Waste Management Solutions', Sustainability, vol. 17, no. 1, 200. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17010200

Chougan, M, Skibicki, S, Al-Noaimat, YA, Federowicz, K, Hoffmann, M, Sibera, D, Cendrowski, K, Techman, M, Nuno Pacheco, J, Ghaffar, SH & Sikora, P 2024, 'Comparative Analysis of Ternary Blended Cement with Clay and Engineering Brick Aggregate for High-Performance 3D Printing', Developments in the Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2024.100529

Al-Kheetan, MJ, Jweihan, YS, Rabi, M & Ghaffar, SH 2024, 'Durability Enhancement of Concrete with Recycled Concrete Aggregate: The Role of Nano-ZnO', Buildings, vol. 14, no. 2, 353. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020353

Ali, MM, Nassrullah, G, Abu Al-Rub, RK, El-Khasawneh, B, Ghaffar, SH & Kim, TY 2024, 'Influence of carbon nanotubes on printing quality and mechanical properties of 3D printed cementitious materials', Developments in the Built Environment, vol. 18, 100415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2024.100415

Chapter

Hamidreza Ghaffar, S, Al-Noaimat, Y, Chougan, M & Al-Kheetan, M 2024, Emerging resources for the development of low-carbon cementitious composites for 3D printing applications. in A Ashour, X Wang & B Han (eds), Sustainable Concrete Materials and Structures. 1st edn, Woodhead Publishing Series in Civil and Structural Engineering, Elsevier, pp. 371-397. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-15672-4.00013-9

Review article

Nasare, R, Shah, V, Joshi, T, Dave, U & Ghaffar, SH 2024, 'Exploring sustainable utilization of ceramic waste in heat-resistant concrete: A comprehensive review', International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijac.15021

View all publications in research portal