Research Plan/Objectives

Since my graduation in Civil Engineering in 2016, I have been working at IDAP

(Infrastructure Development Authority, Punjab); an autonomous government body.
During this period, I worked with both local and international consultants. At IDAP, I
have worked for the head of the Engineering Section, a doctorate from Stanford
University and currently a post-doctoral researcher in the current organization. Under
his leadership, I have worked in teams that are credited for solutions to many pressing
engineering problems. For example, the construction of PKLI (Pakistan Kidney &
Liver Institute), a high-end public hospital in Lahore, was subject to constant delays
due to inadequacy in the design of its pile-raft foundation. Our team resolved this
issue by analyzing its foundation design non-linearly; a practice not widely used in
Pakistan.

Similarly, on another public-sector project, MCCH (Mother & Child Care Hospital),
located in seismically active and undulating landscapes of Murree, I liaised with
international consultants, M/S Gruner and M/S SMEC, due to the non-availability of
local expertise in the seismic sensitive analysis. While working on these cases, I
realized that contemporary international experts make extensive use of non-linear
analysis and performance-based design; a practice currently unfamiliar to structural
engineers in Pakistan. This approach in structural design has led to reduced
construction costs and superior performance during an earthquake event in these
public projects. This scenario indicates a technological gap and an opportunity area
where I would want to work when I return to Pakistan.

Currently, no engineering university in Pakistan offers advanced courses on

earthquake hazard analysis, the behavior of structural materials and non-linear
dynamic response analysis of buildings. Academic training, as well as applied
structural design practices in the country, make use of a combination of local and
international building codes. These codes are based on the philosophy of providing a
minimum level of safety for short as well as tall structures resulting in structures
having below par life-cycle economic value and safety performance. However, the
performance-based design (PBD) approach, not only ensures reliable seismic behavior
and reduced construction costs in buildings but, also helps accommodating complex
architectural features while using innovative structural systems and materials.

I strongly believe that in a developing country like Pakistan, there is a dire need to
reform the above-mentioned conventional design practices to ensure a reduced burden
on already dwindling resources, optimal earthquake performance, and sustainable
infrastructure development. Therefore, through my Master’s degree, I aspire to bridge
this gap between limited advanced academic opportunities in Pakistan and
contemporary applied structural engineering design practices in the US.

Upon returning to Pakistan, I would empower and pursue my professional

development in two ways. Firstly, I would join my current organization, IDAP, and
play an instrumental role in developing a state-of-the-art R&D (Research and
Development) wing under the Engineering Section. I aspire to use this platform to
build tools and techniques to ensure a positive change in structural design practices in
the context of performance-based design (PBB). There is a perception among
academia and industry that government bodies practice engineering in the utmost
conventional and outdated manner.
I intend to change this notion by developing the R&D wing as an industrial leader for
innovations in structural design practices in Pakistan. Secondly, I would use both
national and international platforms such as PEC (Pakistan Engineering Council) and
ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineer) to nurture the exchange of ideas and
form a consortium with experts in the US to aid the professional development of
structural engineers in Pakistan. In this way, I am confident that a master’s degree on
the Fulbright Program will go a long way in fulfilling my dreams of working for
economic prosperity and integrity of infrastructure development in Pakistan.