Skip navigation

Dr Brabha Nagaratnam

Associate Professor

Department: Mechanical and Construction Engineering

Dr. Brabha Nagaratnam is an Associate Professor or Reader at the Faculty of Engineering and Environment. She is also the Programme Leader for the Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Programme at Northumbria University. She is a structural engineer with a sustainable and value engineering background. Her career commenced in the construction industry working in structural design firms mostly in Malaysia and Ireland, 5 years prior to joining academia. She started her academic career at Technological University Dublin in 2006. She then continued her academic career at Curtin University Malaysia from 2010 before joining Northumbria University as an Assistant Professor in 2017.

Her research interest is in innovative and sustainable construction materials i.e primarily concrete materials such as ultra-high performance, green concrete, self-compacting concrete, fibre reinforced concrete, analysis and design of structures, fire safety and structural investigations, and repair and strengthening. She believes that all future builds should have as little impact on the environment as possible and use as many natural materials, in order to keep wastage at a minimum. Since, she has expanded her experimental research portfolio including lightweight steel structures, modular building construction and other structural materials.

She is also an active researcher with numerous publications in Q1 Journals and is currently a reviewer for the International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials, Journal of Construction and Building Materials and Journal of Cleaner Production. 

Selected GRANTS:

1) Principal Investigator - European Regional Development Fund NU/Lynx Precast on Self Compacting Concrete Floor Slabs Containing Fibres (2019 to 2022)

2) Principal Investigator - European Regional Development Fund NU/Bespoke Concrete on Ultra High-Performance Concrete Thin Slabs (2020 to 2023)

3) Principal Supervisor - Knowledge Transfer Partnership with ESS Modular Construction, Ireland on Innovative Modular Building Connections (2020 to 2022). 

4) Principal Investigator - Knowledge Transfer Partnership (Redbrooks/Northumbria University) Development of Composite Structures - Long Span Flooring Systems”. (2020)

5) Co-Investigator - ERDF Industrial Intensive Innovation Programme (IIIP) (NU/The Home Engineers) (2020 to 2023)

6)  Co-Investigator - ERDF Industrial Intensive Innovation Programme, James Christopher Consulting Ltd, Newcastle (2019 to 2022)

7) Co-Investigator - Collaborative PhD Project, Northumbria University – Extraspace Solutions Ltd (2019 to 2022) 

 

 

RESEARCH SUPERVISION: 

10/2020-9/2023 (exp. completion): Muhamad Sifan, Durability of Ultra High Performance Concrete. (ERDF-Bespoke Concrete Funded) Principal Supervisor

01/2021-01/2024 (exp. completion): Heshachanaa Rajanayagam. Development of Innovative Modular Bracing and Connections. Principal Supervisor

2018-2022 (expected completion): Jeffri Ramli, Experimental and Numerical Studies of Steel Fibre Reinforced Self-Compacting Concrete Walls. (ERDF-Lynx Funded) Principal Supervisor

10/2018-9/2021 (completed): Thadshajini Suntharalingam. 3D Printed Concrete Structures with increased Structural Performance: Experimental and Numerical Study. (RDF Funded) Principal Supervisor

 Completed. Tsao Kee Ern. MSc. Conflict Management Strategies for Project Leaders in Construction Industry. Principal Supervisor

2/2021-1/2024 (exp. completion). Armin Jamali. Porosity of Ultra-High Performance Concrete. (RDF Funded) Co-Supervisor

10/2020–09/2023 (exp. completion). Elilarasi Kanthasamy. Development of innovative modular construction beam. (ERDF – Home Designers) Co-Supervisor

10/2018–09/2021 (Completed) Gatheeshgar Perampalam. Optimum design of cold-formed steel beams for modular building applications. Co-Supervisor

10/2018-6/2021 (Completed): Hisham Hafez. Life Cycle Analysis of Concrete Using Supplementary Cementitious Material. (RDF Funded) Co-Supervisor

2019 - 2022 (exp completion). Ross Dobson. Structural Behaviour of Composite Light Weight Structures. Principal Supervisor 

10/2019–09/2022 (exp. completion). Kurugamage Dilini Nuwanthika Perera. Fire Performance of Affordable and High-Quality Modular Building Systems. Co-Supervisor

10/2018-9/2021 (Completed): DM Madhushan Priyankara Dissanayake. Structural Behaviour of Stainless-Steel Beams Subjected to Shear, Bending, and Combined Bending and Shear Actions. Co-Supervisor

10/2019-9/2022(exp. completion): Deighton Widdowfield Small. Development of Innovative Timber Panels and Connections for Non-Standard Arrangement. Co-Supervisor

2018-2021 (Completed) Khizar Abid “Geomechanical Evaluation of the Depleted Reservoir for CO2 Sequestration and Storage. Co-Supervisor

 

Brabha Nagaratnam

Campus Address

Ellison Building ELB117
Northumbria University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Development and prospectives of lightweight high strength concrete using lightweight aggregates, Sifan, M., Nagaratnam, B., Thamboo, J., Poologanathan, K., Corradi, M. 2 Jan 2023, In: Construction and Building Materials
  • Effect of design variation in behaviour and performance of Endplate-Type intermodular connection, Rajanayagam, H., Yie Sue, C., Upasiri, I., Poologanathan, K., Nagaratnam, B., O'Grady, K., Corradi, M. 1 Oct 2023, In: Structures
  • Efficient mix design method for lightweight high strength concrete: A machine learning approach, Sifan, M., Nguyen, H., Nagaratnam, B., Thamboo, J., Poologanathan, K., Makul, N. 1 Sep 2023, In: Structures
  • Enhancing Energy Efficiency of Cold‐formed Steel Framed Walls with Vacuum Insulation Panels, Rajanayagam, H., Upasiri, I., Poologanathan, K., Gatheeshgar, P., Nagaratnam, B., Kanthasamy, E. 12 Sep 2023, In: ce/papers: the online collection for conference papers in civil engineering
  • Experimental and Numerical Study on Shear Behaviour of Bolted Inter‐Modular Connection, Rajanayagam, H., Gunawardena, T., Mendis, P., Poologanathan, K., Perampalam, G., Nagaratnam, B., Corradi, M. 12 Sep 2023, In: ce/papers: the online collection for conference papers in civil engineering
  • Web crippling behaviour of cold‐formed high‐strength steel unlipped channel beams, Kanthasamy, E., Alsanat, H., Poologanathan, K., Perampalam, G., Shanmuganathan, G., Nagaratnam, B., Corradi, M. 12 Sep 2023, In: ce/papers: the online collection for conference papers in civil engineering
  • A new four stage model of capillary pressure in early age concrete: Insights from high capacity tensiometers, Jamali, A., Mendes, J., Nagaratnam, B., Lim, M. 1 Nov 2022, In: Cement and Concrete Research
  • Finite Element Modelling to predict the Fire performance of Bio-inspired 3D Printed Concrete wall panels exposed to realistic fire, Suntharalingam, T., Upasiri, I., Nagaratnam, B., Poologanathan, K., Gatheeshgar, P., Tsavdaridis, K., Perera, D. 24 Jan 2022, In: Buildings
  • Flexural behaviour and design of hollow flange cold-formed steel beam filled with lightweight normal and lightweight high strength concrete, Sifan, M., Gatheeshgar, P., Navaratnam, S., Nagaratnam, B., Poologanathan, K., Thamboo, J., Suntharalingam, T. 1 May 2022, In: Journal of Building Engineering
  • Integration of origami and deployable concept in volumetric modular units, Beatini, V., Gatheeshgar, P., Rajanayagam, H., Poologanathan, K., Suntharalingam, T., Perera, D., Kanthasamy, E., Nagaratnam, B. 10 Nov 2022, In: Scientific Reports

  • Dishan Markandu Light-weight High Performance Concrete for Floating Structures Start Date: 01/03/2024
  • Fitsum Haile Reinforcement of masonry structures with advanced materials Start Date: 16/10/2023
  • Thadshajini Suntharalingam 3D Printed Concrete Structures with increased Structural, Fire and Energy Performance: Experimental and Numerical Study Start Date: 01/10/2018 End Date: 25/03/2022
  • Heshachanaa Rajanayagam Development of Innovative MODular Building System with Enhanced Fire, Environmental, Structural and Thermal Performance (MOD-FEST) Start Date: 18/01/2021
  • Jeffri Ramli DEVELOPMENT AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF FIBRE REINFORCED SELFCOMPACTING CONCRETE FOR PRECAST SLABS APPLICATION Start Date: 01/10/2018
  • Ross Dobson Start Date: 01/10/2019 End Date: 08/01/2020

Civil Engineering PhD June 30 2016


a sign in front of a crowd
+

Northumbria Open Days

Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.

Research at Northumbria
+

Research at Northumbria

Research is the life blood of a University and at Northumbria University we pride ourselves on research that makes a difference; research that has application and affects people's lives.

NU World
+

Explore NU World

Find out what life here is all about. From studying to socialising, term time to downtime, we’ve got it covered.


Latest News and Features

academic Jennifer Aston pictured in a law library holding an open book
Launch of The Regeneration Shop in Chopwell. Sarah Cotton, Senior Programmes Manager at Chopwell Regeneration Group; Jennine Wilson, Lecturer in Fashion and Senior Technician at Northumbria University; Hal Convery, Shop Manager at The Regeneration Shop; Crystal Hicks, Executive Director of Chopwell Regeneration Group; Gayle Cantrell, Assistant Professor BA Fashion Communication at Northumbria University; Sophie Wetherell, Assistant Professor BA Fashion / MA Fashion Design at Northumbria University; Emma Jane Goldsmith Assistant Professor BA Fashion / MA Fashion Design at Northumbria University; Professor Anne Peirson-Smith, Head of Fashion at Northumbria University.
Mooting
A new toolkit has been developed to support rural communities with the development of renewable energy projects. Photo: Adobe Stock
From left to right: Natalie Winchester, Subject Lead Health and Social Care and Post-16 Raising Standard Leader at Bede Academy, Dr Julie Derbyshire – Director of Apprenticeships and Assistant Professor in Nursing at Northumbria University, Andrew Thelwell – Principal at Bede Academy, Professor Alison Machin, Head of Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health at Northumbria University and pupils from Bede Academy.
British Military Uniform
More news

Back to top