Monash University

Smart Structures Group

Led by Colin Caprani, the Smart Structures group works where bridge engineering, probability and sensing meet — developing the methods, software and field practice that keep critical infrastructure safe and open. We work in the lab and on-site, often through the night, monitoring the heaviest loads as they cross the oldest bridges.

Smart Structures team monitoring a superload crossing the Yarra River at night

The team on-site at night, monitoring a superload movement.

Current members

The team

PhD candidates

Samadhi Loku Hettiarachchilage

Bridge structural health monitoring under moving loads using real-time sensor data

Fatemeh Shaker

Bridge traffic loading, reliability assessment and model error

Joshua Stevens

Human perception of structural vibration in ambulant (moving) occupants

Yordanos Lemma

Self-diagnosing monitoring: Bayesian fault detection & outlier categorisation in SHM systems

Michael Crocco

Data-driven course assessment

Postdoctoral researchers

Akbar Rizqiansyah

Probability-based bridge assessment & the Australian Standards

Shiyi Mei

Multi-body heavy vehicle–bridge interaction

Zaid Mir Rangrez

Machine learning for value of information in monitoring

Ziyi Zhou

Automation & robotics for civil structures

Plus visiting scholars and final-year project students each year.

Alumni — celebrating their work

Doctoral graduates

Shihab Khan — now engineering data scientist for major infrastructure owners (LXRP, Queensland Rail) · PhD 2022LinkedIn ↗Website ↗
A comprehensive value-of-information framework for quantifying SHM benefits
Mayer Melhem — now Lead Engineer, Load Rating · PhD 2020LinkedIn ↗Monash ↗
A structural reliability approach for the management of heavy-vehicle access on highway bridge networks
Jun Wei (Justin) Ngan — now Research Fellow, Monash University · PhD 2019LinkedIn ↗Monash ↗
Vibration serviceability of pultruded GFRP sandwich-panel floor systems
Shaohua Zhang — now Bridge / Structural Analytics Engineer · PhD 2019LinkedIn ↗
Intermediate strain-rate behaviour of pultruded GFRP
Ehsan Ahmadi — now Engineering Manager | Industrial Vibration-Acoustic Control Research & Consultancy | Chartered Structural Engineer · PhD 2018LinkedIn ↗Scholar ↗
Human–structure interaction: experimentation and modelling for vertical vibration
Alessandro Lipari · PhD 2013LinkedIn ↗
Micro-simulation modelling of traffic loading on long-span bridges

Former postdoctoral researchers

Mohsen Hassanabadi · Postdoctoral researcher with the Smart Structures GroupLinkedIn ↗

Masters graduates

Amirhossein Eslamikhouzani · Drive-by bridge inspection: instrumented wagons for SHM of rail bridgesMSc 2020
Dong Guo · Improved modelling of long-span highway bridge traffic loadingMSc 2018
Ahmed Rasheed Mirza · Integrating network connectivity and structural reliability for transport-network reliabilityMSc 2017
Liam McCarthy · Probabilistic analysis of indeterminate highway bridges considering material nonlinearityMSc 2012

Interested in a PhD or research collaboration in bridge loading, reliability or monitoring?Get in touch →