Dr Muhammad Rahman

Associate Professor

School: Engineering, Physics and Mathematics

Dr. Muhammad Ekhlasur Rahman is an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at Northumbria University (UK) and holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin (Ireland). An internationally recognised researcher, he has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals, along with a book and three book chapters. His research focuses on integrating nature-based solutions (NBS) in Civil & Environmental Engineering and Environmental Science to address global challenges such as climate change, resource efficiency, and ecosystem restoration. Dr. Rahman’s work spans sustainable construction materials, 3D-printed concrete, biocementation, and computational structural mechanics, with an emphasis on bio-mediated solutions and ecosystem-based approaches for resilient, low-carbon infrastructure. He has secured significant competitive funding from Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education, industry partners, as well as EU and innovative UK and collaborative industry-funded projects. His leadership extends to supervising nine PhD and three MPhil students, as well as a postdoctoral researcher. His research has had a significant societal impact, particularly in promoting sustainable urban development, eco-friendly construction, and resilient infrastructure solutions that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable built environment. Dr. Rahman’s work influences policy and industry practices, helping to shape a greener future for infrastructure worldwide. Recognised with the IMM Green Materials Award, Dr. Rahman brings valuable industry experience and advocates for green engineering. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Higher Education Academy (HEA), and Engineers Australia, and serves on the editorial board of Scientific Reports and the Editorial Panel of ICE-Civil Engineering.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Research focuses on applying nature-based solutions (NBS) in Civil and Environmental Engineering to tackle climate change, resource efficiency, and ecosystem restoration. Work includes sustainable construction materials, 3D-printed concrete, biocementation, and computational structural mechanics, emphasizing bio-mediated and ecosystem-based approaches for resilient, low-carbon infrastructure.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Thermal valorisation of sewage sludge into artificial aggregates: A critical review of processes, environmental performance, and circular bioeconomy implications, Kannan, T., Mannan, M., Rahman, M., Poologanathan, K., Rahman, M. 26 Feb 2026, In: Bioresource Technology Reports
Fatigue Evaluation of Sulphate-Attacked Industrial Waste-Based Concrete Using Concrete Damaged Plasticity Model, Ting, M., Wong, K., Rahman, M., Selowara Joo, M. 1 Feb 2025, In: Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering
Global, regional, and national burden of household air pollution, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, Bennitt, F., Wozniak, S., Causey, K., Spearman, S., Okereke, C., Garcia, V., Hashmeh, N., Ashbaugh, C., Abdelkader, A., Abdoun, M., Abdurebi, M., Abedi, A., Abeldaño Zuñiga, R., Aboagye, R., Abubakar, B., Abu-Zaid, A., Adane, M., Adegboye, O., Adekanmbi, V., Adepoju, A., Adeyeoluwa, T., Adeyomoye, O., Adha, R., Afzal, M., Afzal, S., Agide, F., Ahmad, A., Ahmad, D., Ahmad, M., Ahmad, S., Ahmadi, A., Ahmadi, S., Ahmed, A., Ahmed, A., Ahmed, H., Ajami, M., Akinyemi, R., Al Awaidy, S., Al Hamad, H., Alajlani, M., Alemayohu, M., Al-Gheethi, A., Ali, A., Ali, W., Alif, S., Mohammed, M., Rahman, M., Rahman, M., Shiue, I., Werkneh, A., Burkart, K. 5 Apr 2025, In: The Lancet
Introduction, Currie, C., Rahman, M. May 2024, In: Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Civil Engineering
Enriching the microstructure of AZ91D alloy by nano MoO3 composites, Anbuchezhiyan, G., Mujawar, M., Karri, R., Abusamin, B., Abnisa, F., Rahman, M. 15 Oct 2023, In: Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Fresh, mechanical, and durability properties of basalt fiber-reinforced concrete (BFRC): A review, Al-Rousan, E., Khalid, H., Rahman, M. 1 Apr 2023, In: Developments in the Built Environment
Graphene and its tailoring as emerging 2D nanomaterials in efficient CO₂ absorption: A state-of-the-art interpretative review, Azni Farhana Mazri, N., Arifutzzaman, A., Kheireddine Aroua, M., Ekhlasur Rahman, M., Ali Mazari, S. 15 Aug 2023, In: Alexandria Engineering Journal
Comprehensive review on carbon nanotubes embedded in different metal and polymer matrix: fabrications and applications, Khan, F., Mubarak, N., Khalid, M., Khan, M., Tan, Y., Walvekar, R., Abdullah, E., Karri, R., Rahman, M. 2 Nov 2022, In: Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences
Microwave-assisted synthesis of carbon nanotubes for the removal of toxic cationic dyes from textile wastewater, Qureshi, S., Shah, V., Nizamuddin, S., Mubarak, N., Karri, R., Dehghani, M., Ramesh, S., Khalid, M., Rahman, M. 15 Jun 2022, In: Journal of Molecular Liquids
Modelling and optimization for methylene blue adsorption using graphene oxide/chitosan composites via artificial neural network-particle swarm optimization, Khiam, G., Karri, R., Mubarak, N., Khalid, M., Walvekar, R., Abdullah, E., Rahman, M. 1 Jun 2022, In: Materials Today Chemistry

PGR Supervision

Thushanthan Kannan Formulation of high-strength lightweight aggregates using renewable sewage sludge Start Date: 01/10/2023
Thushanthan Kannan Formulation of high-strength lightweight aggregates using renewable sewage sludge Start Date: 01/10/2023 End Date: 17/10/2025

Further Information

RESEARCH GRANTS

Development of an Integrated Modelling Platform for Predicting the Microstructure, Mechanical, and Durability Properties of Carbon Dioxide-Mineralized Cementitious Materials for Net-Zero Construction (MP-CO2MCM), Horizon Europe; £232,090.
Structural and Fire Performance Assessment of Intelligent Steel Hybrid Core (Stair/Lift Core) Walls, PI; Innovate UK (AKT): £31,503.
Formulation of high strength lightweight aggregate using renewable sewage sludge. PI; Northumbrian Water, UK; £69,000.
Structural performance of built-up cold formed steel beams subject to web crippling action. Co-I; James Christopher Consulting Ltd. UK: £33,000
Structural Performance of Modular Construction Beam with Web Openings Co-I; James Christopher Consulting Ltd. UK: £39,488;
The “LITEFLOATCON” (Lightweight High-Performance Concrete for Modular Floating Structures) project is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchanges under Horizon Europe: £109,000
Chemically Robust Flow Batteries Nanohybrid Electrodes Towards the High-Performance Renewable Energy Storage. Co-I; Horizon Europe: £236748; Comment: Your proposal has however been put on the reserve list .
A mathematical model for high strength cold-formed steel screwed connection under cyclic loading. Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, January 2019-December 2021.
Polycal Wire Rope Vibration Isolator for Industrial Equipment, Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, November 2015November 2017.
Enhancing the Wellbore Integrity in High Pressure High Temperature CO₂, sequestrated reservoirs by developing a new class of Portland cement using nano-materials. Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, July 2015June 2018.
Innovative Vibration Isolation Systems for Equipment & Structures, Exploratory Research Grant Scheme (ERGS), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, July 2012-June 2015.
Characterization of Ultrafine Palm Oil Fuel Ash under Different Heat Treatment to Suppress the Alkali Silica Reaction in Mortar Bar. Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, July 2014-June 2017.
Analytical and Numerical Approaches for Sustainable Bond Material Selection in Electronic Packaging Industry. Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Higher Education, January 2014-December 2015.
A mathematical model of a circular force transducer with uniform stress distribution. Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Higher Education, August 2016-July 2018.
Behaviour of Cold-formed Steel Built-up Section, EcoSteelSdnBhd, 2012-2015.
Experimental Studies on Self-Compacting High Performance Concrete Incorporating Industrial Waste, EPISO Group of Companies, November 2017- October 2020.
Strength and durability behaviour of fiber reinforced concrete incorporating industrial waste, marine sand and seawater, EPISO Group of Companies, November 2017- October 2020.
The Development of a Sustainable Industrialized Building System Using Cold-Formed Structural Steel. CSRI Flagship Grant Award 2014, Curtin Sarawak Research Institute, Malaysia, July 2015-June 2018.
Development of Novel Hybrid Polymer Bio-composite materials using Sugarcane Bagasse, Rice Husk Ash, Nano-silica and C-S-H gel in Epoxy matrix, Curtin Sarawak Collaborative Research (CSCR) Scheme, January 2014- December 2015.
Computational Analysis of Small Diameter Steel Piles (SDSP) Model for Landslide Countermeasure, Curtin Sarawak Research Fund (CSRF) October 2013-September 2014.
Development of normal strength self-compacting concrete (SCC) using Rice Husk Ash (RHA), Curtin Sarawak Research Fund (CSRF),
A Numerical Study of Ground Improvement Technique Using Group of Soil-Column on Peat, Curtin Sarawak Research Fund (CSRF),
Nonlinear Macro-element Formulation for Lead-Rubber Bearings, Curtin Sarawak Research Fund (CSRF).

RESEARCH SUPERVISION

PhD:

1. Brabha Hari Nagaratnam; (Completed in 2016); Thesis Title: Experimental Studies on Self-Compacting Concrete Mixed With Palm Oil Fuel Ash and Fly Ash.

2. BalajiPalaniSelvaraj, (Completed in 2017); Thesis Title: An Analytical and Experimental Study on Wire Rope Isolators for Vibration Isolation Equipment and Structures.

3. Omid Nabinejad, (Completed in 2017); Thesis Title: Mechanical Performance and Thermal Stability of Natural Fiber Composite Using Palm Oil Biomass.

4. Wan NurFirdausBinti Wan Hassan (Completed in 2019); Thesis Title: Mix Design Optimisation and Durability Study of High Performance Concrete Containing Micro and Nano Palm Oil Fuel Ash.

5. Timothy Ting (Completed in 2019); Thesis Title: An Experimental and Numerical Study of Axially Loaded Lightweight Concrete Wall Panel.

6. Michelle Tiong; (Completed in 2019); Thesis Title: Enhancing the Wellbore Integrity in High Pressure High Temperature CO2 Sequestrated Reservoirs by Developing a New Class of Portland Cement using Nano Materials.

7. Matthew Ting (Completed in 2021); Thesis Title: Strength and durability behaviour of fibrereinforced concrete incorporating industrial waste, marine sand and seawater.

8. Sarder Mohammad Yahya (In Progress); Thesis Title: A mathematical model for high-strength cold-formed steel screwed connection under cyclic loading.

9. Alex Mcintosh (Completed 2022); Thesis Title: Web crippling of cold-formed carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminium channels: Investigation and design.

10. Kajaharan Thirunavukkarasu (Started) Co-supervisor: Structural performance of built-up cold formed steel beams subject to web crippling action.

MPhil:

1. Sadia Tasnim(Completed in 2017); Thesis Title: Modified Cement Paste using Ultrafine-POFA under Aggressive Ammonium Nitrate Condition.

2. Ting Yuk Shyh (Completed in 2018); Thesis Title: Polycal Wire Rope Vibration Isolator for Industrial Equipment – An Analytical and Experimental Study.

3. Nor Hashimah bt. Mohamad Zain, (Completed in 2019); Thesis Title: Utilization of Agro-Industrial Waste in Aluminium Metal Matrix Composite (MMC).

EXTERNAL EXAMINER

PhD:

University Malaysia Sarawak
Anna University, India
SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India
Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, India

INTERNAL EXAMINER

PhD:

Hisham Tarek Hafez; Northumbria University, UK
Gatheeshgar Perampalam; Northumbria University, UK
Madhushan Dissanayake; Northumbria University, UK
Thadshajini Suntharalingam; Northumbria University, UK

Qualifications

Civil Engineering PhD June 15 2007
Fellow (FICE) - Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) FICE 2022
Fellow (FHEA) Higher Education Academy (HEA) 2019
Fellow (FIEAust), Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng), NER Engineers Australia 2017