Funded PhD and MSc positions

Kamal's presentation

Ajaya 3MT

Materials Today Advances

ITD Project Bridge Deck

ISU News Sweetcrete

PCI Committee Days 2026

Students welcome

EAAI

Neurocomputing

ASC publication

Katie's Paper

KEEN Engineering Unleashed EMCE Workshop

GRA Position

Editor’s Choice Recognition for ASCE Journal Article

Teaching Fall 2025

New Publication (Review)

Teaching Excellence Recognition: Expanding the NEST Innovator Award

New Publication

Recognition for High-Impact Research in Resilient Cities and Structures

New Publication Information, MDPI

New Publication Alert ASCE

Exciting Recognition: Top 2% of Scientists Worldwide

Postdoct position

PhD master position

Tenure track faculty

KISU’s Sustainable Idaho News

Excited and honored to join the ASCE ExCEEd Teaching Fellows family! After two intensive and inspiring weeks in the 2025 ASCE ExCEEd Teaching Workshop, I am walking away with a renewed passion for teaching and a powerful set of tools to better support student learning. This experience prompted me...

Honored to have attended the ASCE SEI - Structural Engineering Institute Structures Congress as a recipient of the Young Professional Scholarship. Grateful to SEI for this opportunity and the support. It was an inspiring experience connecting with leaders and peers in structural engineering.

ASCE SEI - Structural Engineering Institute Structures Congress

2025 American Society of Civil Engineers ExCEEd Teaching Workshop

#1 Most Popular article in Applied Soft Computing (Elsevier), a top-tier journal in the field!

REWLI training day 1

It was great to see such enthusiasm and engagement as we explored how a state-of-the-art CTGAN can help overcome data scarcity. If you missed today’s session, there’s still time to join tomorrow for the second part of this free in-person/online workshop. Looking forward to another insightful day of...

Harnessing Conditional Tabular Generative Adversarial Networks (CTGAN) for Engineering Research: Solving Data Limitations with AI

I'm honored to be awarded the SEI Young Professionals Scholarship for StructuresCongress2025! Grateful for the opportunity to connect with fellow professionals and contribute to the advancement of Structural Engineering. Excited to learn, collaborate, and be part of the future of our field! Learn...

SEI Young Professionals Scholarship

Engineering Structures paper among top 5 most cited

REWLI by UBCO

PCI Convention (FB)

Proud to share a special mentoring milestone today as two of my master’s students at Idaho State University successfully defended their theses. This marks seven graduate students I have had the privilege of advising at Idaho State University.

Celebrating a Mentoring Milestone: Seven Graduate Students Advised at Idaho State University

REWLI (From FB)

Honored to host the President of Idaho State University at our Structural Lab and Disaster Response Complex. It was a privilege to showcase our multidisciplinary research in impactful areas such as AI, machine learning, resilience, sustainability, smart materials, and disaster response.

ISU President's visit

I am excited to share that my first MSc student at Idaho State University successfully defended his thesis today! It has been a joy to support him on this journey, and I couldn’t be prouder. Congratulations, Pawan Bhattarai! Stay tuned for the publication of his paper, in which he experimentally...

Graduation of My First MSc Student

Thrilled to share that today, three more MSc students I had the privilege of co-supervising at Idaho State University successfully defended their theses! It has been an absolute pleasure to support these talented students throughout their journeys. Congratulations to Samjhana Rajbhandari, Aashish...

Four graduate students defend their theses within 48 hours

The First of Its Kind in Idaho!

Guest lecture by Dr. Adel ElSafty in Concrete Design Studio

Excited to share that our research is a winner of 2024 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) High Value Research (HVR) Award, which is one of the most prestigious national award! This award recognizes research that delivers exceptional value and impact and...

National Research Award in USA!

London School of Economics Business Review

Nobel Prize for AI pioneer marked at HoT-AML session

October 2024

Excited to announce the successful launch of the Hands-On Training in Applied AI & Machine Learning (HoT-AML)! The training is being conducted both in-person and online.We’ve been overwhelmed by the incredible number of registrations, which far exceeded our expectations, with participants from...

Successful Launch of HoT-AML

HoT-AML Kickoff (from FB)

HoT-AML News Coverage

Excited to share that our Hands-On Training in Applied AI and Machine Learning (HoT-AML) has been featured in the Idaho State Journal! As the Lead PI and Instructor, it’s wonderful to see this program gain such recognition.

HoT-AML featured in Idaho State Journal

Named among the top 2% of scientists worldwide

Excited to share that our upcoming Hands-on Training in Applied AI and Machine Learning (HoT-AML) program is featured in IDAHO STATE TODAY! Stay tuned for more updates! "ISU Experts Offering Free Training in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to the Public"

ISU Experts Offering Free Training in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to the Public

I am thrilled to share that our upcoming Hands-On Training in Applied AI and Machine Learning (HoT-AML) has been featured in the university news! For more details, you can read the full article here.

Our Hands-On Training in Applied AI/ML (HoT-AML) Featured in University News!

Registration open for HoT-AML training

Dr. Wakjira has joined the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) as a member. PCI is a leading organization dedicated to advancing the use of precast and prestressed concrete in the construction industry. Membership provides valuable resources and networking opportunities to enhance...

PCI Membership

I’m thrilled to share that comprehensive Hands-On Training in Applied AI/ML is being offered soon! This program is designed to cater to a wide range of participants, whether you're a student eager to dive into AI, a researcher looking to expand your expertise, or a faculty aiming to integrate...

Exciting Announcement: Hands-On Training in Applied AI/ML (HoT-AML)

Dr. Wakjira is now a full member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He originally joined ASCE as an Associate Member in January 2023 and has now advanced to full membership status.

Became a full member of the American Society of Civil Engineers

I'm thrilled to learn that my NSF I-CREWS Seed proposal titled "Training Students and Researchers in the State of Idaho on Applied Artificial Intelligence for Engineers within the I-CREWS Framework" has been approved for funding, securing over $78,500 USD! This project will provide comprehensive...

NSF I-CREWS Seed Proposal Approved for Funding (16 July 2024)

Grateful to be recognized by ISU's Vice President for my research contributions.

Recognized by Idaho State University's Vice President for Research

I'm pleased to share that my Google Scholar citations have surpassed 1,000! Achieving this milestone in such a short period has been truly remarkable. I look forward to continuing the pursuit of knowledge and making further contributions to the field.

Google Scholar citations pass 1,000

Honored to receive the 2023 ASCE Outstanding Reviewer Award! This marks my third 2023 reviewer/editor award from different publishers in a short span since assuming the role. Thankful for recognizing my effort.

2023 ASCE Outstanding Reviewer Award

PhD Graduation (UBC 2)

New paper in Engineering Structures

I am thrilled to announce that I have graduated with my PhD from The University of British Columbia, Canada! This journey is a powerful testament to the relentless pursuit of dreams, unwavering faith in God, and boundless determination. Every challenge faced, and every obstacle overcome has shaped...

Celebrating My PhD Convocation at UBC, 07 June 2024

I had the pleasure of presenting my research work on "A novel framework for developing environmentally sustainable and cost-effective ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) using advanced machine learning and multi-objective optimization techniques" to leaders and researchers from Idaho National...

Presenting to INL Leaders and Researchers

Successfully defended PhD dissertation at UBC

You are invited to the public oral defense of my dissertation titled “Advanced AI-powered comprehensive framework for modelling, analysis, assessment and performance-based design of ultra-high-performance concrete elements” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of...

Public Oral Dissertation Defense

New paper in Applied Soft Computing

I had the privilege of attending the 2024 PCI Professors Conference in Pennsylvania. This event offered a wealth of knowledge and insights into the latest developments in precast/prestressed concrete education and the latest practices and technologies. It was an excellent opportunity to engage with...

Attending the 2024 PCI Professors Conference

I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 ACI Intermountain Chapter Concrete Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was an enlightening experience, during which I gained valuable insights into the latest advancements and innovations in the concrete industry. The conference provided a fantastic...

2024 ACI Intermountain Chapter Concrete Conference

ACI 341 Voting Member (September 2023)

I'm thrilled to share that, within a short span of assuming editorial roles, I have been awarded the 2023 Outstanding Editor Award by the esteemed Frontiers in Built Environment journal. I am incredibly honored to receive such recognition, and it fuels my motivation to continue making valuable...

2023 Outstanding Editor Award

I'm thrilled to announce that I've been promoted to Associate Editor in the Frontiers in Built Environment journal, Computational Methods in Structural Engineering section.

Promoted to Associate Editor, Frontiers in Built Environment

Glad to be invited to join the Editorial Board of The Scientific World Journal, Hindawi.

Joined the editorial board of The Scientific World Journal

I am thrilled to share that I have been appointed as an Associate Editor for the Innovative Infrastructure Solutions journal (Springer). I look forward to working with the Editor-in-Chief and fellow Associate Editors to maintain high standards and ensure the journal's continued relevance. As...

Appointed Associate Editor of Innovative Infrastructure Solutions

Our recently published paper titled "How Circular Economy Can Reduce Scope 3 Carbon Footprints: Lessons Learned from FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," is the Most Downloaded paper in the Circular Economy journal.

Circular economy paper among the most downloaded articles

Dr. Wakjira has been invited to join the Editorial Board of International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology.

Joined the editorial board of the International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology

I am honored and humbled to have been invited to join the Editorial Board of the esteemed journal, Research on Engineering Structures and Materials. This journal is indexed by multiple databases, including Scopus, and has a broad scope. I invite you to explore its coverage and consider submitting...

Joined the editorial board of Research on Engineering Structures and Materials

IOP Trusted Reviewer status is designed to recognize the very best peer reviewers in the physical sciences, with only the top 15% of reviewers achieving this recognition.

Received IOP Trusted Reviewer status

Our paper titled "Development and strength prediction of sustainable concrete having binary and ternary cementitious blends and incorporating recycled aggregates from demolished UAE buildings: Experimental and machine learning-based studies" was published in the Construction and Building Materials...

Paper in Construction and Building Materials

It is an honor to serve as the Topical Advisory Panel for the esteemed Sustainability journal, by MDPI (Impact Factor 3.889).

Joined the Topic Advisory Panel of Sustainability

I am pleased to serve as the Topical Advisory Panel for the esteemed MDPI journals: Buildings (IF=3.324), Computation, Modelling, Journal of Composites Science, and CivilEng.

Joined the Topic Advisory Panel of MDPI journals

Dr. Wakjira has been invited to join the editorial board of Bridge Engineering, a section within the journal Frontiers in Built Environment, by Frontiers.

Joined the editorial board of Bridge Engineering, Frontiers in Built Environment

This Special Issue focuses on the intersection of numerical simulations and artificial intelligence techniques and their potential to drive advancements in the field, optimize designs for better performance and safety, and promote sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Important Dates:...

Guest editor for a special issue of Frontiers in Built Environment

"Journal of Future Sustainability is an online international journal for publishing high quality peer reviewed papers in the field of theoretical and applied sustainability affairs."

Joined the editorial board of the Journal of Future Sustainability

This research provides valuable insights into promoting sustainable infrastructure development in the context of mega-events. The study underscores the importance of adopting innovative approaches, such as circular design, to address challenges related to end-of-life material recycling and reuse of...

Study on how circular economy can reduce scope 3 carbon footprints of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

I'm delighted for joining the Editorial Board of Earthquake Engineering, a section of the journal Frontiers in Built Environment, by Frontiers.

Joined the editorial board of Earthquake Engineering, Frontiers in Built Environment

Our paper titled "Sensitivity Analysis and Genetic Algorithm-based Shear Capacity Model for Basalt FRC One-way Slabs Reinforced with BFRP bars" is accepted for publication in Composite Structures journal.

Paper accepted in Composite Structures on a shear capacity model for basalt FRC slabs

Our recent paper titled “Urban resilience and livability performance of European smart cities: A novel machine learning approach” was published in the Journal of Cleaner Production (IF: 11.072). This paper presents a novel two-stage multivariate metric-distance analysis and unsupervised and...

Paper in the Journal of Cleaner Production on the resilience and livability of European smart cities

I am absolutely delighted and honored to receive TWO highly competitive and Prestigious Research Awards on the same stage (2 medals, 2 certificates, QAR 10,000) for my research excellence and exceptional research contributions in Sciences and Engineering. The awards were presented by the Qatar...

Two research awards at Qatar University

Our paper titled "FAI: Fast, Accurate, and Intelligent Approach and Prediction Tool for Flexural Capacity of FRP-RC Beams Based on Super-Learner Machine Learning Model" was accepted for publication in the Materials Today Communications journal (Elsevier).

FAI: a fast, accurate and intelligent prediction tool for flexural capacity

(June 2022) My research, published in Structural Concrete is recognized as a Top Downloaded Article.

Emiri Gold Medal for academic and research excellence

Received certificate of recognition and award for the contributions that I have made to the College of Engineering Success Oasis at Qatar University, Qatar.

Certificate of recognition from the College of Engineering, Qatar University

Our recently published paper is one of the TOP10 most downloaded articles in the Engineering Structures journal.

News and highlights

Latest updates