Introduction

A structure can be defined as any object that carries load. From a man-made bridge to a naturally growing tree, such objects are ubiquitous around us. Structural engineering is the discipline dedicated to comprehensive analysis and design of structures. Traditionally, structural engineering as a branch of civil engineering has been focused on understanding and design of large scale constructions such as buildings, bridges, silos, chimneys, cooling towers, antenna towers, art structures, shells, etc. In this classic realm, the engineers are responsible for proposing a topologically optimized design constrained by various criteria such as safety and serviceability. However, in current times that boundaries between disciplines keep fading, the territories accessible to structural engineers for research has expanded significantly. For instance, the atomic structure of materials can be studied with the same knowledge of classical mechanics that structural engineers utilize to understand forces in building components. Structural engineering has a remarkable flexibility and it's possible to carry out research over a wide spectrum from purely theoretical to completely experimental/applied work.
There are 22 faculty members in the school of civil engineering, conducting research in a very wide various areas with application in the structural engineering such as numerical and analytical analysis, multi scale analysis, seismic analysis of structures, wave propagation in continuum, experimental inspection on concrete structures, steel structures or structures constructed with new materials, structural control, structural health monitoring, etc. This gives the students the freedom to choose a research direction that they are most passionate about. The department is focused on training graduate students who are not only excellent researchers in their field of interest, but also capable engineers that can contribute to design of safe and economical structures.