Keynote Speakers

Opening plenary session

Monday 10th June 2024

Professor Chun-Qing Li

School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, 3001, Australia

Keynote speech title:

Next generation of structural design - challenges and opportunities.

Professor Chun-Qing Li has been professor of civil engineering since 2006 initially in the UK and now at RMIT University, Australia. He is the fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers of UK (FICE) as well as the Institution of Engineers, Australia (FIEAust). He was the Head of School of Civil, Environmental and Chemical Engineering at RMIT from 2011 to 2016. Now Professor Li is the Director of Australian Research Council’s Industrial Transformation Training Centre (ARC ITTC) for whole Life Design of Carbon Neutral Infrastructure. This Centre is the first in the world of its kind.

Professor Li’s core research expertise is time-dependent reliability theory and its application to whole life assessment of deteriorating materials and structures, mostly corrosion induced. His research in this area was rated “international leading” (i.e., 4* - the highest rating) in UK’s 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

Professor Li has published over 400+ papers and two monographs on his core expertise, i.e., time-dependent reliability theory and its applications, and steel corrosion and degradation of its mechanical properties. He has been awarded many research grants in total over $20M in the past ten years.

Closing plenary session

Tuesday 11th June 2024

Professor Abdullahi Ahmed

School of Engineering, Technology and Design, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, UK

Keynote speech title:

Innovating towards Net-Zero: Engineering solutions for climate resilience.

Professor Ahmed Abdullahi is an esteemed UK Chartered Engineer and a leading figure in Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment. Demonstrating adeptness in innovative problem-solving, Professor Ahmed has successfully overseen numerous projects in building energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable materials and systems, circular economy, and sustainable buildings. Professor Ahmed brings a holistic approach to his work through energy systems modelling, deep renovation, building performance evaluation and circular economy techno-economic and business models.  

In addition to his noteworthy professional achievements, Professor Ahmed has effectively guided teams through complex projects, ensuring the delivery of impactful outcomes. His leadership was notably showcased as the coordination of large scale multi-disciplinary and multi-partner research projects. Beyond his professional expertise, Professor Ahmed is an esteemed educator, haven supervised 12 PhD researchers and was invited and keynote speaker for several national and international conferences and workshops.  Professor Ahmed’s blend of academic prowess, leadership acumen, and professional expertise positions him as a transformative force in the fields of Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment.