Dr Fahad Abro

Overview

Dr. Fahad Rehman Abro is a structural engineer specializing in sustainable and self-healing concrete, with a strong focus on durability, low-carbon materials, and data-driven methods in civil engineering.

He holds a PhD in Structural Engineering from Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea (2016–2020), funded by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan under the “HRDI–Faculty Development of UESTPs/UETS Phase-1” scheme, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering from Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Pakistan.

His research centers on developing sustainable concretes incorporating industrial and agricultural by-products, enhancing resistance to chloride, sulphate and acid attack, and investigating the self-healing behavior of cracked mortars and concretes.

He has published in international journals on topics such as the use of banana leaf ash and coal ash as cementitious and aggregate substitutes, the durability and fracture performance of fiber-reinforced self-healing concrete, and autogenous healing evaluated through steady-state chloride migration tests. He has presented his work at major conferences including ICSDC, SBE, SMSS, ICSHM and ACF.

Dr Abro has been awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship and is currently serving as a Senior Research Fellow at Ulster University, where he investigates the fire performance of self-healing concrete. This fellowship further strengthens his research profile at the forefront of innovative, resilient, and sustainable construction materials.

He has over a decade of combined academic and professional experience. At Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro, Pakistan he has served as a Lab Engineer in the Civil Engineering Department since 2013, leading concrete laboratory teaching and commercial testing, supporting outcomes-based education, and supervising undergrad, master’s and PhD students.

Previously, he worked as a Site Inspector (Highways) with the National Highway Authority and Professional Engineering Associates in Pakistan, where he gained hands-on experience in highway construction supervision, quality assurance, compliance with codes and specifications, and technical reporting.

At Ulster University, Dr Abro contributes as a researcher in sustainable and resilient infrastructure, bringing together laboratory expertise, field experience, and advanced analytical skills to help shape the next generation of low-carbon, durable and self-healing concrete structures.