PhD Dissertations

The work that our PhD students complete as part of their program speaks volume about the quality of a doctoral education in civil and materials engineering. Expand the accordions below to see recent dissertations and to learn which faculty advisors served as our students' research mentors.

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2020-2021

Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Ghimire, Sanjeeta	Dam and Spillway Safety: Screening Technique to Identify Risky Auxiliary Spillways at a Large Scale	Joseph Schulenberg
Izadmehr, Mahsa	The Impact of Wetland Biogeochemistry and Hydraulic Loading on Tile Drainage Nutrient Removal Efficiency	Karl Rockne
Khazraee Zamanpour, Morvarid	Biokinetic and Sediment Structural Controls on Gas Release from Contaminated Sediments	Karl Rockne
Klein, John	Collective Behavior of Mechanical Metamaterials in Response to Harmonically Distributed Loads	Eduard Karpov
Kumar, Girish	Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Bio-Mechanical Model for Holistic Performance Assessment of Municipal Landfills	Krishna Reddy
Rahimi, Ehsan	Transportation Resilience: Behavioral Impact Analysis of Disruptions and Pandemic on Public Transit	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Rezaei, Masoud	Size Effect and Dynamic Fracture Parameters of Concrete Subjected to High Loading Rates	Mohsen Issa
Shamshiripour, Ali	Citizen-Centric Smart Cities: Planning for Travel Behavior in a Technology Empowered Future	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Stinson, Monique	Strategic Decisions in Agent-Based Freight Transportation Models: Methods and Data	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Taghipour, Homa	Traffic Condition Assessment: Integrated Dynamic Travel Time Prediction and Accident Detection Models	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Torra-Bilal, Ines	Analysis and Behavior of Precast Beam-to-Column Connections under Cyclic Loading	Mustafa Mahamid
Tourki Samaei, Arash	Multiscale Modeling of Surface Modification and Multifunctional Coating Using Atmospheric Pressure Plasma	Santanu Chaudhuri

2019-2020

Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Abdoli Oskoui, Elias	Methods and Applications of Structural Health Monitoring on Bridges	Farhad Ansari
Appiah Danso, Larry	Deformation and Strain Energy Anomalies in Bistable and Nonlocal Mechanical Metamaterials	Eduard Karpov
Ballare, Sudheer	Investigation in Crowdshipping Enabled Urban and Last-mile Delivery Paradigms	Jane Lin
Bassim, Raymond	Effect of Fiber Reinforcement and Early-Age Elastic Properties on Fatigue in PCC Pavements	Mohsen Issa
Bozeman III, Joe Frank	An Exploration of Climate Change, Socioecology, and Human Health in Managing Food-Energy-Water Impacts	Thomas Theis
Cheng, Kai Yuan	Tribological Materials on Titanium Alloy (Ti6Al4V) for Orthopedic Applications	Michael McNallan
Hadeed, Reem	Parametric Study of Full Precast Concrete Deck Slabs Using Nonlinear Finite ent Analysis	Mohsen Issa
Hedman, Glenn	Pervious Concrete Accessible Pathways: Usability for Individuals with Disabilities	Mohsen Issa
Lee, Dongwoo	Machine-based Statistical Learning of Urban Metabolism	Sybil Derrible
Mahdavi, Ashkan	Meshfree Methods for Fracture and High-Velocity Impact Simulation	Sheng-Wei Chi
Mulrow, John	The Affluence-Technology Connection: Metrics, Analysis, and Implications for Sustainable Technology	Sybil Derrible
Nazari, Fatemeh	Modeling Travel Behavior with the Advent of Electric and Automated Vehicle Technologies	Kouros Mohammadian
Parvaneh, Seyed Milad	A Continuum Model for Soil Large Deformation and A Study on Numerical Aspects of Strong Discontinuities	Craig Foster
Sadasivam, Balayamini	Biochar-Based Biocovers for Landfill Methane Mitigation: Quantifying Adsorption, Transport & Oxidation	Krishna Reddy
Wu, Lisha	Removal of Chromium from Water using Manganese Oxide Based Adsorbents: Adsorption of Cr(III) and Cr(VI)	Amid Khodadoust

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Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Bilal, Kamel	Analysis and Behavior of Composite Transmission Towers	Mustafa Mahamid
Kamali Zonouzi, Negar	Enriched Numerical Method for Wave Propagation and Assessing Material Damage Using Nonlinear Acoustics	Sheng-Wei Chi
Mika, Mariusz	Synthesis of Carbide Derived Carbon by Reactive Anode Electrolysis in Molten Chloride Salts	Michael McNallan
Noruzoliaee, Mohamadhossein	Supply-Demand Equilibrium of Private and Shared Mobility in a Mixed Autonomous/Human Driving Environment	Bo Zou

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Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Abbasi, Zeynab	Stress Quantification of Complexly Loaded Structural Components using Acoustoelasticity	Didem Ozevin
Ahmad, Sk	Tracking Energy and Resource Consumption for Sustainable and Resilient Development	Sybil Derrible
Chen, Xin	Production, Characterization and Corrosion Analysis of Multiphase Alloy-Ceramic Composites	J. Ernesto Indacochea
Gattu, Vineeth Kumar	Role of Alloying Elements in the Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of Multiphase Alloys	J. Ernesto Indacochea
Golshani, Nima	Evacuation Behavior during No-Notice Emergency Events	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Kabir, Minoo	Engineered Acoustic Emission Sensing in Metallic Structures by Phononic Crystals and MEMS Sensors	Didem Ozevin
Mostavi, Amir	The Enhancement of Nonlinear Ultrasonic Testing to Detect Micro-structural Defects in Metals	Didem Ozevin
Qasem, Karoline	The Effect of Urbanization and Dam Removal on Stream Metabolism	Sean Vitousek
Rahman, Momenur	Seismic Behavior of Exterior Lightweight Concrete Beam-Column Joints Reinforced with Headed Bars	Mohsen Issa
Rahman, Tahsin	Effect of Alloying Elements Addition to the Corrosion Property of 316L Stainless Steel based Alloys	J. Ernesto Indacochea
Salman, Nassr	Parametric Investigation of Integral Abutment Bridges: Behavior and Pile Buckling Analysis	Mohsen Issa
Shabanpour Anbarani, Ramin	Adoption Behavior of Privately Owned Autonomous Vehicles	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Ray, Nathan	Chemical Sensing and Surface Energy Transfer on Mesoporous Metal-Semiconductor Nanostructures	Eduard Karpov
Xi, Shuoshuo	Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of Magnesium Alloy AZ31D in NaCl Solutions	J. Ernesto Indacochea
Zhang, Lu	Quantitative Acoustic Emission for Damage Detection in Complex Geometries	Didem Ozevin

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Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Brecheisen, Thomas	Life-Cycle Assessment as a Comparative Analysis Tool to Measure Brownfield Redevelopment Sustainability	Thomas Theis
El-Ghandour, Ahmed	A Full 3D Railroad System Model to Investigate Train-Substructure Interaction Under Dynamic Load	Craig Foster
Kafle, Nabin	Advancing the Urban Parcel Delivery System Using Crowdshipping	Bou Zou
Kermanshah, Amirhassan	A Geographic Analysis of the Resilience of Urban Infrastructure Networks to Extreme Events	Sybil Derrible
Mahmoudifard, Seyed Mehdi	Travel Behavior Analysis of Agricultural Commodities in a Freight Activity Microsimulation Framework	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Nazarian, Ebrahim	Machine Learning, Probabilistic and Mathematical Models for Damage Recognition in Structural Systems	Farhad Ansari
Nour, Said	Numerical Model of Interaction and Behavior of Short Span High Speed Rail Bridge on Viscoelastic Supports	Mohsen Issa
Siriaksorn, Thanakorn	Meshfree Methods for Geotechnical Disaster Simulation and Prediction	Sheng-Wei Chi

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Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Bonina, Solidea	Carbon Loading to Lake Michigan Sediments	Karl Rockne
Fasihozaman Langerudi, Mehran	Incorporating In-Home Activities into an Agent-Based Dynamic Activity Planning and Travel Simulation Model	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Hashemian, Mohammad Amin	Reaction Current Phenomenon in Bifunctional Catalytic Metal-Semiconductor Nanostructures	Eduard Karpov
Hosseini, Soheil	Implications of Carbon Deposition on the Fate of Semi-Volatile Organic Pollutants in the Great Lakes	Karl Rockne
Ibrahim, Mustapha	Effect of Limestone and Inorganic Processing Additions to Cement on the Strength and Durability of Concrete	Mohsen Issa
Kaliappan, Raja Shankar	Sediment Capping Effects on Gas Ebullition, Hyporheic Exchange and Benthic Microbial Community Structure	Karl Rockne
Karim Baba Najad Mamaghani, Saeed	Methods for Sensing, Analysis and Computation of Loads and Distributed Damage in Bridges	Farhad Ansari
Ko, Sanghyeon	Analysis of Containerized Freight Shipments into the U.S. -Port Choice and Inland Optimization	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Meng, Dewei	Investigations in Crack Detection and Monitoring Based on PPP-BOTDA Distributed Sensing Technology	Farhad Ansari
Motamedi, Mohammadhosein	Numerical Simulation of Mechanical Response of Geomaterials from Strain Hardening to Localized Failure	Craig Foster
Shibli, Aiman	Structural Behavior of Adhesively Bonded High Density Polyethylene Composite Beams	Mohsen Issa
Talebian, Ahmadreza	Planning Passenger Rail Services in a Competitive and Shared-Use Environment	Bo Zou
Tennant, Adam	Behavior of Cement-Stabilized Soil Block Masonry Under Flexure	Craig Foster
Weed, David	A Computational Framework for Capturing and Tracking Failure in Earthen Structures	Craig Foster
Zhou, Wei	Green Vehicle Routing Problems in the New Mobility Era	Lin, Jane a

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Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Chirakkara, Reshma	Phytoremediation of Soils with Mixed Contamination	Krishna R. Reddy
Gao, Jing	Design, Improvement and Fundamental Studies on Aprotic Lithium-Oxygen Batteries	J. Ernesto Indacochea
Giri, Rajiv Kumar	Attaining Landfill Sustainability through Coupled Hydro-Bio-Mechanical Modeling of Municipal Solid Waste	Krishna R. Reddy
Heidary, Zahra	Numerical Modeling of Wave Propagation at Large Scale Damaged Structures For Quantitative AE	Didem Ozevin
Karimi Varzardoliya, Behzad	Generation Gaps in Activity and Travel Behavior	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Lotfy, Ibrahim	Structural Performance of High Density Polyethylene Crossties and Use in Accelerated Bridge Construction	Mohsen Issa
Peiravian, Farideddin	Geometric Complexity of Urban Road Networks	Sybil Derrible
Pourabdollahi, Zahra	An Agent-based Freight Transportation Modeling Framework	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Saboonchi, Hossain	Design and Characterization of the MEMS Sensor Fusion for Real Time Damage Detection in Structures	Didem Ozevin

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Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Babaeivelni, Kamel	Removal of Arsenic from Water using Manganese Oxides Adsorbents	Amid Khodadoust
Che Aziz, Azivy	Accumulation and Transformation of Halogenated Biphenyl and Diphenyl Ethers in Urban Sediments	Karl Rockne
Chen, Qin	Sustainable Last-mile Solutions:Urban Freight Consolidation and Eco-routing Strategies	Jane Lin
Hicks, Andrea	Solid State Lighting: A Nanoenabled Case Study in Sustainability	Thomas Theis
Mohammad Nejad, Talisa	Three-Dimensional Nonlinear Finite Element Modeling of Mammalian Cornea to Study Mechanics of Spiraling	Craig Foster
Vallamsundar, Suriyapriya	Integrated Framework for Evaluating Population Health Exposure to Emissions from Transportation Sources	Jane Lin

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Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Bogdan, Dorin	Removal of Bisphenol A from Water using Iron Oxide Adsorbents	Amid Khodadoust
Dasari, Suhas Kiran	Energy Conversion Application of Chemicurrents Induced in Metal-Semiconductor Nanostuctured Devices	Eduard Karpov
Godinez, Itzel	Transport, Deposition and Release Kinetics of Nano-TiO2 in Saturated Porous Media	Christophe Darnault
Granberg, Kelly	Multimedia Source Apportionment of Semivolatile Organic Contaminants in the Chicago Area of Influence	Karl Rockne
Jahangiribabavi, Negin	Analytical and Electrochemical Study of Passive Films in Stainless Steels Subjected to Aqueous Solutions	J. Ernesto Indacochea
Quintana Ponce, Oscar	Structural and Magnetic Studies of an Ex-Service Cast Austenitic Steel Tube Used in Hydrogen Reformers	J. Ernesto Indacochea
Zarafshan, Ali	Multi-Parameter Correlation Approach for Structural Health Monitoring of Operational Highway Bridges	Farhad Ansari

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Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Decker, Curtis	Investigation of Sand Lightweight Concrete Beam-Column Joints Subjected to Quasi-Static Loading	Mohsen Issa
Fischer, Chad	Mechanism Methodology for Structural Health Monitoring of Arch Bridges	Farhad Ansari
Kabelac, Jiri	Characterization of Bismuth Ferrite BiFeO3 and Barium Titanate BaTiO3 Films	Michael McNallan
Kulkarni, Hanumanth	Optimization of Leachate Recirculation Systems in Bioreactor Landfills	Krishna R. Reddy
Ovitigala, Thilan	Structural Behavior of Concrete Beams Reinforced with Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) Bars	Mohsen Issa
Viana, Priscilla	Contaminant Flux through Capped and Uncapped Sediments	Karl Rockne
Yaghoubi, Poupak	Development of Biochar-Amended Landfill Cover for Landfill Gas Mitigation	Krishna R. Reddy

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Student	Dissertation Title	Advisor
Almousawi, Ahmed	Flexural and Shear Performance of High Strength Lightweight Reinforced Concrete Beams	Mohsen Issa
Auld, Joshua	Agent-based Dynamic Activity Planning and Travel Scheduling Model: Data Collection and Model Development	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Hossein Rashidi, Taha	Households’ Long-Term Decision Making Process: Vehicle Transactions, Employment, and Residential Location	Abolfazl Mohammadian
Kannan, Raguraman	Finite Element Framework for Nanomechanics and Electronic Structure Calculations of Semiconductors	Mohsen Issa
Ruan, Minyan	Investigation of National and Regional Freight Data Needs and Urban Freight Delivery Patterns	Jie Lin
Talebinejad, Iman	A Structural Health Monitoring Method for Safety Assessment and Capacity Estimation of Masonry Bridges	Farhad Ansari

Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering

College of Engineering

PhD Dissertations

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2020-2021

2019-2020

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Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering

PhD Dissertations

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2020-2021

2020-2021

2019-2020

2019-2020

2018-2019

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2017-2018

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2016-2017

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2015-2016

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2014-2015

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2013-2014

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2012-2013

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2011-2012

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2010-2011

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