Concrete PhD Research Award

The Concrete Institute of Australia Concrete PhD Research Award (formerly known as the National Engineering Bursary) is a biennial award made to post graduate students studying engineering, chemistry, materials science, building science and other relevant subjects which contribute to the research knowledge base of concrete in Australia.

For the 2025 award, eligible thesis are those completed in 2023 and 2024, the years prior to the Biennial Conference of the Concrete Institute of Australia.

The award will be made for excellence in thesis work on concrete and cement based products and processes. Eligible topics could be related to cement, cementitious materials, concrete, concrete admixtures, reinforcement, related design and construction procedures, contributions to improvements in sustainability, and the like.

To be eligible, the student must have been resident in Australia during the completion of the thesis, studying at an Australian academic institution with the research having been principally conducted in Australia.

The overall value of the award consists of a cash prize of $2,500 and registration to participate in the next Biennial Conference.

The winning entry will be announced at the Institute’s Biennial Conference, and the author will be asked to present a summary paper on his/her thesis at the Conference.

The assessors will be suitably qualified persons nominated by the Concrete Institute of Australia. They will be guided, but not wholly bound, by the following parameters – value to industry and the professions, value to the community, thoroughness of the investigation, clarity of the exposition, and presentation.

Submissions for the 2025 Concrete PhD Research Award will open in early 2025.

Past Winners

AuthorInstitutionThesis TitleYear
Dr Ravendran (Arun) ArunothayanSwinburne University of TechnologyInvestigation of Ultra High Performance Concrete for 3D Construction Printing2023
Dr Van Tin DoCurtin UniversityDynamic Analysis and Design of Monolithic and Segmental Concrete Bridge Columns against Impact Loads2021
Dr Mahdi BabaeeUniversity of NSWCorrosion of Reinforcement in Alkali-Activated Materials2019
Dr Ali AminUniversity of NSWPost Cracking Behaviour of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete: From Material to Structure2017
Dr Farhad AslaniUniversity of NSWInstantaneous and Time-Dependent Behaviour of Reinforced Self-Compacting Concrete Slabs2015
Not awarded2013
Dr Hamid ValipourUniversity of NSWNonlinear dynamic analysis of reinforced concrete frames under extreme loadings2011
Dr Sakdirat KaewunruenUniversity of WollongongExperimental and Numerical Studies for Evaluating Dynamic Behaviour of Prestressed Concrete Sleepers Subject to Severe Impact Loading2009
Dr Mohammed Sharfuddin AhmedEffects of systematic increase in pozzolanic materials on the mechanical, durability and microstructural characteristics of concrete2007
Dr Radu BilucUniversity of NSWParticularities of the structural behaviour of reinforced high strength concrete slabs2005
Dr Rebecca GravinaUniversity of AdelaideNon-Linear overload behaviour and ductility of reinforced concrete flexural members containing 500 MPa grade reinforcing steel2003