Dr Farhad Aslani is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering and the Director of the Materials and Structures Innovation Group at UWA. The aim of the group is to develop new structural materials, designs and technologies to maximise the benefit to national strategic development plans and infrastructures. 

Dr. Aslani is the UWA Lead for the $250M Australian Composites Manufacturing (ACM) CRC, which has the potential to secure over $20M in funding for UWA over ten years in collaboration with FUZE Solutions.  He also leads the Engineering Materials research cluster at UWA, jointly with Professor Tim Sercombe, and leads the Multidisciplinary Material Sciences at the UWA Defence & Security Institute.

Dr Aslani holds the position of Program Leader for Research Program 4, which focuses on 'Design & Integration' within the ACM CRC based at The University of New South Wales.

Dr. Aslani has been at the forefront of pioneering research in the field of innovative and sustainable construction materials and structures. His focus includes the protection and construction of high-performance buildings and infrastructure. At UWA, he has developed:

• Self-sensing concrete,
• 3D printable self-sensing concrete,
• Conductive 3D printable concrete for electromagnetic interference shielding,
• Re-centring concrete using novel shape memory alloy and steel fibres,
• 3D-printed rubberised and lightweight engineered cementitious composites,
• Ultra-lightweight engineered cementitious composites,
• Fire resistant fibre-reinforced lightweight engineered cementitious composites,
• 3D printed structural concrete elements,
• Concrete-filled spiral-welded mild and stainless steel tubes,
• Concrete-filled glass fibre-reinforced polymer tubes,
• Heavyweight, lightweight, and rubberised concretes,
• Heavyweight, lightweight, and rubberised geopolymer concretes,
• Neural network prediction models for alkali-silica reaction of concrete,
• Neural network prediction models for compressive strength of concrete using ultrasonic pulse velocity, 
• Residual bond between concrete and reinforcing GFRP rebars at elevated temperatures,
• Creep and shrinkage prediction models for recycled aggregate concrete,
• Constitutive relationships for ultra-high-performance concrete at elevated temperatures,
• etc.

Looking for students for projects related to:

Smart and sustainable construction materials,

Advanced concrete technology (conductive concrete, self-compacting concrete, geopolymer concrete, lightweight concrete, heavyweight concrete, engineered cementitious composite, and ultra-high performance concrete),

Fire performance of structures,

Advanced reinforced concrete structures,

Steel-concrete composite structures,

Rehabilitation and strengthening techniques, 

Offshore structures, and

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) of cementitious/geopolymer composites.

UWA scholarship webpage for more information.  https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/research/research-scholarships

Thomas, L. & Aslani, F. (2024). “Durability of reinforced concrete sewer access chambers to soil and groundwater conditions found in greenfield development areas around the greater Perth metropolitan area”, Water Corporation, Grant Value: $30,000.

Zhuge, Y., Pham, T., Lu, G., Tao, Z., Hadi, M., Chen, W., Nguyen, T., Li, J., Aslani, F., Sheikh, M., Nguyen, H. & Sercombe, T. (2024). “2D electromagnetic Hopkinson apparatus for multi-axial dynamic testing”, ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF), LE250100089, Grant Value: $420,000.

Hajirasouliha, I., Mojtabaei, M. & Aslani, F. (2024). “New generation of sustainable lightweight cold-formed steel structures”, The Royal Society International Exchanges, Grant Value: $24,000.

Rajakaruna, M., Chakrabortty, A., Gunawardena, Y. & Aslani, F. (2024). “Experimentally investigate the form-filling ability of concrete in relation to T-beams”, Main Roads WA, Grant Value: $60,000.

Ehsman, J., Farquharson, V. & Aslani, F. (2024). “The performance of corrosion protection measures on chloride ingress into concrete in a solar salt environment”, Rio Tinto, Grant Value: $30,000.

Aslani, F., Sercombe, T. & LeCoultre, J. (2023). “Structural health monitoring for tubular joints”, The Australian Composites Manufacturing (ACM) CRC, Grant Value: $3,280,000.

Spencer, W., Gunawardena, Y. & Aslani, F. (2022). “Simplified strengthening methods for half-cap splices of timber bridges”, Main Roads WA, Grant Value: $24,000.

Zetterlund, P., Agarwal, V. & Aslani, F. (2022). “Polymeric nanocomposite coatings for electromagnetic interference shielding applications”, National Intelligence and Security Discovery Grant, Grant Value: $710,661.

Tao, Z., ... & Aslani, F. (2021). “National Facility for Physical Fire Simulation”, ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF), LE220100030, Grant Value: $1,213,351.

Aslani, F. (2021). “Modular structural elements using flexible flowlines”, Woodside Energy Limited, Grant Value: $44,083.

Aslani, F. (2021). “Well cementing”, UWA-Woodside Energy Limited, Grant Value: $17,000.

Spencer, W., Gunawardena, Y. & Aslani, F. (2021). “Shear Strength Capacity of Half-Cap Scarf Splices of Timber Bridges”, Main Roads WA, Grant Value: $26,500.

Spencer, W., Gunawardena, Y. & Aslani, F. (2021). “Finite Element Modelling of Half-Cap Scarf Splices of Timber Bridges”, Main Roads WA, Grant Value: $19,000.

Aslani, F. (2019). “Teaching equipment for Structural Concrete unit to improve student learning experience,” School of Engineering, University of Western Australia, Grant Value: $30,000.

Ma, G. & Aslani, F. (2017). “Development of 3D printing conductive concrete for EMP shielding,” DP180104035, Australian Research Council Discovery Project, Grant Value: $401,814.

Ma, G. & Aslani, F. (2017). “Conductive Geo-Concrete,” OSEN Group Pty Ltd, Grant Value: $180,000.

Aslani, F. (2016). “Start-up and SWT research funds,” School of Engineering, University of Western Australia, Grant Value: $100,000.

Aslani, F., Paradowska, A. &  Uy, B. “Residual stresses in spiral and longitudinally welded steel tube columns (ID 5012),” funded by Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Instrument: KOWARI, Grant Value: $50,000.

Full-time Postdoctoral Fellow in the Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety (CIES), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the University of New South Wales (UNSW) for the following projects:

- Australian Research Council Discovery Project under DP120101944 titled: “The behaviour and design of composite columns coupling the benefits of high-strength steel and high-strength concrete for large scale infrastructure”,

- Australian Research Council Discovery Project under DP140102134 titled: “The behaviour and design of innovative connections to promote the reduction and reuse of structural steel in steel-concrete composite buildings”.

Dr Aslani worked as the head of Structural Engineers in Arman Rah Gharb Consulting Engineers Company for four years. He supervised three main projects related to bridge engineering and seismic retrofitting and rehabilitation of bridges with $3.6M allocated government fund.

Current industrial related works:

• Anti-roll pin in segmental tunnel lining testing for Alkimos SeaWater Alliance, Perth, Australia
• Expert review on blast design of the Morley Ellenbrook – Morley & Noranda Stations, Perth, Australia
• Expert review on fire design of the Gnangara portal structure, 114m long cut and cover tunnel on the Morley Ellenbrook Line, Perth, Australia 
• Expert review on concrete mixes from Holcim Australia for the Gnangara portal structure, 114m long cut and cover tunnel on the Morley Ellenbrook Line, Perth, Australia 
• Expert review on structural design of the Bennet Brook Bridge on the Morley Ellenbrook Rail Line, Perth, Australia 
• Thermogravimetric tests for waste plastics to use in pavement for ARRB National Transport Research Organisation, Melbourne, Australia 
• Tensile bond strength tests of concrete samples for the The Forrestfield-Airport Link, Perth, Australia 
• Tensile strength tests for cellulose-based material for Nanollose, Perth, Australia 
• Compressive, flexural and direct tensile strength tests for cellulose-based material for Nanollose, Perth, Australia 

CIVL4403 Structural Concrete

GENG5511 MPE Engineering Research Project Part 1

GENG5512 MPE Engineering Research Project Part 2

CIVL5552 Civil Engineering Design Project 2

Dr Farhad Aslani has published over 180 refereed journal articles. The outcomes of his research are highly valued and cited by other researchers, he has an h-index of 52, 9055 citations, and i10-index is 164 according to Google Scholar while the citations and h-index recorded on Scopus are 7338 and 47.

In 2018, Dr Aslani was the Chairman of The 13th International Conference on Steel, Space and Composite Structures (SS18), UWA, Perth, Australia: SS18 Program. He also was the co-chair of Concrete 2021, The 30th Biennial National Conference of the Concrete Institute of Australia.

Dr Aslani is an Editorial Board Member of several international journals. He also regularly serves as an invited reviewer for several national and international research funding bodies, books, journals and conferences.