SABER Contact Studies Allied to Built Environment Research

Dr David Woodward

Reader in Infrastructure Engineering

I am Director of SABER and Reader in Infrastructure Engineering. For the last 34 years I have been involved with Civil Engineering courses at Ulster University were I now teach subjects including highway engineering and geology. My Doctor of Philosophy considered the Laboratory Prediction of Surfacing Aggregate Performance.

I have been involved with the supervision of over 20 post-graduate students and have over 200 academic publications related to road construction materials. I have worked with road authorities, consultants and industry both locally, nationally and internationally. I have travelled extensively with work presenting at conferences, short courses and seminars.

My academic interests are in applied research into highway engineering materials and covers a range of materials from utilising waste streams to BBA HAPAS accredited systems such as TSCS and HFS. Lately I have become interested in tyre / road interface, race track grip and 3D modelling of road surface textures. I

have been secretary of the Institute of Quarrying (NI Branch) and recently re-elected as committee member. From 2012 to 2014 I was the NI Branch Chairman of the Institute of Asphalt Technology. I am the current External Examiner for the University of Derby Asphalt courses. I have been internal PhD examiner in Ulster University and external examiner for Masters and highway engineering PhD students at UCD, Nottingham, Leeds and UEL. I am a member of the BSI committee B510/5 dealing with road surface characteristics.

Dr Brian Solan

Lecturer in Foundation Engineering

Brian Solan is a lecturer in Foundation Engineering at The School of The Built Environment (Ulster University). He was born in Co Louth and commenced his studies in Civil Engineering at the Regional Technical Collage Dundalk (now Institute of Technology) in 1986, thereafter he attended Queen's University of Belfast where he graduated in June 1991 with a BEng Honours (1st Class) and then a PhD is structural engineering in 1996.

In August of the previous year (1995), he commenced working in the Ballymena Division of the Department of Regional Development Roads Service (RS) as a Highways Engineer for 16.5 years.   While with RS, he specialised in the areas of foundation engineering, geotechnical assessment, pavement design, and bridge substructure design.  

He is currently a member of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland and a graduate member of the Institution of Structural Engineers.

His research interests include, working platform design, Traffic Loading of infrastructure structures, the new Eurocode 7 and the impact of extreme weather flooding on the stability of historic arch structures.  

He is currently the holder of a Royal Society Travel Scholarship to the University of Colorado for collaborative work with Professor Robert Ettema.

Dr Rodney McDermott

Lecturer in Civil & Environmental Engineering

Dr Paul Sargent

Lecturer in Civil Engineering.