Professor Kuldeep Virdi

Overview

My areas of research include stability analysis of beams, columns, and frames with material and geometrical nonlinearities. This covers composite steel/concrete, torsionally stiff steel sections and reinforced concrete (in situ and precast) members, under a variety of loading and end conditions.

Another line of research has been of strength under elevated temperatures, such as those encountered in fire, of steel, concrete and composite beams, columns and frames .

Earlier, I published papers on analysis of structures when subjected to impulsive loading from blasts or impact. This was extended into progressive collapse of tall framed structures, following a local failure due to hazardous loading from blasts, impact or fire.

I have developed simplified exact or rigorous methods of analysis for the use of designers in the profession, so that more efficient structural systems could be designed rapidly, yet with only a slight loss of accuracy. A design method I developed for axially loaded composite columns eventually was included in British and European standards.

I have long experience of experimental validation of new theoretical or materials oriented research work, of approximate designs, or of otherwise intractable problems.

Qualifications

• PhD, Imperial College London, United Kingdom, September 1970 - November 1973
• ME, University of Roorkee,, India, September 1966 - April 1970
• BTech, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India, July 1961 - December 1964
• BSc, Agra University, India, July 1959 - April 1961

Employment

• Professor Emeritus of Structural Engineering, City, University London, United Kingdom, June 2009 - present
• Professor of Structural Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark, June 2008 - December 2014
• Associate Dean, Postgraduate Programmes, City, University London, United Kingdom, August 2003 - June 2008
• Professor of Structural Engineering, City, University London, United Kingdom, October 1988 - May 2009
• Reader, City, University London, United Kingdom, October 1983 - March 1988
• Lecturer, City, University London, United Kingdom, March 1979 - September 1983
• Lecturer, University of Melbourne, Australia, September 1976 - February 1979
• Research Fellow, Imperial College London, United Kingdom, November 1975 - June 1976

Fellowships

• Institution of Structural Engineers, October 2016 - present
• Institution of Civil Engineers, October 2016 - present

Memberships of professional organisations

• Fellow, Higher Education Academy, 2000 - present
• Member, International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, Zürich, 1977 - present
• Chartered Engineer, 1975 - present

Awards

• University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Sofia, Bulgaria (2003). Doctor honoris causa
  for “scientific achievements” in the field of structural engineering
• Association of Building Engineers (2002). Fire Safety Award
  for “outstanding service and valuable contribution to fire safety through research in the field of fire engineering and its application”
• City, University of London (2001). Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning
• Technical University of Brno, Czech Republic (1999). Gold Medal
• Royal Society for Arts and Sciences in Göteborg, Sweden (1999). Elected as "Foreign Member"
  One of only ten international members covering all disciplines.
• Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic (1996). Awarded title "CTU Visiting Professor"

Languages

Danish (can read, understand spoken), French (can read), German (can read, understand spoken), Hindi (can read, write, speak, understand spoken, peer review) and Panjabi; Punjabi (can read, write, speak, understand spoken)

Current Research

EU project STABFI (Steel cladding systems for stabilization of steel buildings in fire), funded by Research Fund for Coal & Steel (2017-20).

Publications by category