Dr Gabriel Barros dos Santos is Senior Lecturer in Structural Engineering at the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science at University of Hertfordshire. His research interests are on the investigation of structural behaviour of steel and composite structures and its components through experiments, numerical modelling and probabilistic assessments aiming for efficient, reliable and sustainable structural design guidance. He has academic partnerships with BRE Trust and the Royal Academy of Engineering. He actively participates in standardization committees and is an active reviewer for high impact academic journals and for UK research funding agencies. He is interested in collaborating with industry and society in general through specialized advisory works and/or contributing to the design and product development of innovative and sustainable structural engineering solutions.

He leads several undergraduate (BEng) and postgraduate (MEng/MSc) modules in structural analysis and design including Structural Design for Fire Safety (MSc) and Design of Steel and Composite Structures (MSc). Gabriel is external examiner for UK Universities and academic franchises abroad. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). Prior to join Hertfordshire, Gabriel developed new design recommendations for stainless steel members under concentrated transverse loading. These recommendations, which are considered in the next revision of the European Standards, were validated against extensive structural member tests, comprehensive parametric finite element analyses and reliability assessments.

Prior to academia, Gabriel acquired industry experience as structural engineer in the design of offshore structures such as modules of FPSO’s (Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels), particularly the analysis and design for transport, load-out, lifting and fatigue loading scenarios. Gabriel has been awarded “Highly Commended Graduate Teaching Assistant” at Civil Engineering department at Imperial College.

Gabriel is currently accepting PhD applications aligned with his research interests. If you are interested, please send me:

- a copy of your CV with a transcript of your grades,

- a short paragraph explaining your area of interest, why it is relevant to your current skill set and why you would like to work on this topic and,

- a description of the funding you hold or can apply to.