Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management
EN 3074
1000 E. University Ave. | Dept. 3295
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2390
Email: cae.info@uwyo.edu
Current Postdoc and Research Scientist
Hua Yu completed his Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on rock mechanics
and geomechanics. He obtained his B.S. degree in Mining Engineering (2011) from Hunan
University of Science and Technology (China) and M.S. degree in Geological Engineering
(2014) from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently working on research development of coal-derived materials.
Chooi Kim Lau
Chooi Kim Lau completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Department of
Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management at the University
of Wyoming. Her current position is a research scientist and co-PI for coal-derived building
products. She has developed innovative construction materials such as the first-kind
coal-derived char brick that meet and exceed the engineering and building requirements
during her graduate study. Her thesis continues to develop more advanced and new products.
She is the founder of the Geomaterial Research Labs..
Current Graduate Students
Ehsan Dabbaghi
Ehsan Dabbaghi is pursuing his Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis
on rock mechanics. In 2015, he obtained his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering
from the University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran. In 2018, he completed his master’s degree
in Civil Engineering with a focus on the shear behavior of rock joints from K. N.
Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. He started his Ph.D. at the University
of Wyoming in August 2021 and is currently working on the effect of CO2 and H2 on the mechanical properties of rock.
Iftekhar Alam Dipta
Iftekhar Alam Dipta is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, specializing
in building materials. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in 2014
from the Islamic University of Technology, Bangladesh, where his research focused
on developing green lightweight concrete using recycled waste materials. Before joining
the research group in Fall 2022, he served as a Lecturer at the Bangladesh Army International
University of Science & Technology, Bangladesh. His current research explores the
use of innovative materials in concrete to enhance the durability of structures.
Ritu Giri
After obtaining her Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from Nepal Engineering
College (Pokhara University), Ritu Giri worked in a private construction company and
an engineering consulting firm, contributing to multiple government infrastructure
projects. Since 2015, she has been actively involved in teaching and has a long-term
goal of pursuing a career in academia and research. She is now pursuing her graduate
studies in Civil Engineering with a focus on Geotechnical Engineering at the University
of Wyoming. Her research, driven by her environmentalist values, explores char-based
building materials for their engineering and environmental benefits.
Nischal Chaulagain
Nischal Chaulagain completed his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Pulchowk
Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 2023. He is set to begin his MS in civil engineering
with a concentration in geotechnical engineering at the University of Wyoming from
fall 2024. He has experience working as a civil engineer at a geotechnical engineering
firm and also has served as a lecturer at a diploma-level college in Nepal. Currently,
he is working on studying effect of hydrogen storage on mechanical properties of rock.
Bhim Timilsina
Bhim Timilsina is pursuing M.Sc. in Civil Engineering at the University of Wyoming.
He completed his Bachelor’s degree at Himalaya College of Engineering, Tribhuvan University,
Nepal, in 2019. His Bachelor’s research focused on the use of natural fibers for soil
stabilization. He has also worked as a Civil Engineering Instructor for two years
in Nepal. His current research investigates the use of living materials for soil stabilization
and construction.
Kamal Gautam
Kamal Gautam is from Chitwan, Nepal. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering
from Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 2018. While he was in Nepal,
he worked as a consultant in ADB funded road and building projects for 1.5 years &
also served as a Lecturer for 3 years tutoring geotechnical subjects to undergrad
level. Currently, he is pursuing his MS in Civil Engineering at the University of
Wyoming and working on a research project that involves char cement stabilized soil.
Paritosh Chataut
Paritosh Chataut is pursuing his M.Sc. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Geotechnical Engineering.
He completed his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 2021 from Tribhuvan University.
Before joining his master’s program, he worked as a civil engineer in a private consulting
firm for two years. During his time as a consultant, he worked on various projects
related to the transportation sector. His current research project involves improving
subsurface investigation and the design of pile foundations using the Drive Point
method.
Sushant Timalsina
Sushant Timalsina is pursuing his MS in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Geotechnical
Engineering. Born and raised in Kavrepalanchok, Nepal, Sushant completed his bachelor’s
in civil engineering from Kathmandu University, Nepal in 2020. Before moving to United
States in January 2024 for his masters, he was working as a Civil Engineer in various
construction projects in Nepal for 2 years. Currently, his research focuses on char-based
construction materials.
Keshab Dhami
Keshab Dhami is from Nepal. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering
from Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 2023 A.D. Currently, he is pursuing
Masters in Civil Engineering with focus on Geotechnical Engineering at the University
of Wyoming. Before joining University of Wyoming, he worked as consultant for one
year in Nepal. His current research focuses on the development of Char-based building
materials.
Alumni
Hua Yu completed his Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on rock mechanics
and geomechanics. He obtained his B.S. degree in Mining Engineering (2011) from Hunan
University of Science and Technology (China) and M.S. degree in Geological Engineering
(2014) from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently working on research development of coal-derived materials.
Esraa M. Alomari
Esraa M. Alomari completed her Bachelor's in Civil Engineering (2011) from Jordan University
of Science and Technology (Jordan), where she worked as a teaching assistant for 3
years. In addition, she has 4.5 years’ experience in several construction projects.
She completed her Masters in Civil Engineering from Jordan University of Science and
Technology in 2018 with her research focused on the shaft capacity of driven piles
in sand. She completed her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a major in Geotechnical Engineering in Spring 2024. She completed a project on laboratory rock testing to improve design and construction of transportation
infrastructures.
Nafis Masud
Nafis Masud completed his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a major in Geotechnical
Engineering. He obtained his Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering (2013) from Islamic University
of Technology (Bangladesh) and Masters Degree in Geotechnical Engineering (2019) from
Old Dominion University (VA, USA). Just after his undergraduate he worked as a Senior
lecturer in Stamford University Bangladesh for around 3.5 years. His Masters research
focused on seismic response of geosynthetic reinforced soil bridge abutments. He joined
University of Wyoming in August, 2019 and completed a project focusing on a comprehensive
field load test and geotechnical investigation program for the development of LRFD
recommendations of driven piles on intermediate geomaterials.
Opeyemi Oluwatuyi
Opeyemi E. Oluwatuyi completed his PhD degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Geotechnical Engineering.
He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Ladoke Akintola University
of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. He obtained his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering
from Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. He is a Lecturer in the Department
of Civil Engineering, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Nigeria. He has authored/co-authored
over 15 scientific papers. His research focused on the variability analysis of IGM and the development of LRFD recommendations for
piles driven on IGM.
MD Tarik Hossain
Md Tarik Hossain completed his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on building materials. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering in 2011 from Khulna University of Engineering
and Technology. He also obtained two Master’s Degrees, the first one from Bangladesh
University of Engineering and Technology in 2015 and the second one from the University
of Wyoming in 2021, in Civil Engineering with a major in structural engineering. He
has research experience on concrete durability problems and retrofitting techniques
of structural elements. He taught for five years as a lecturer at Stamford University
Bangladesh. He completed a research project focusing on the development of coal-derived building materials.
Prayush Jonchhe
I am Prayush Jonchhe from Nepal. I completed my Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering
in 2018 from Khwopa College of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Before pursuing
my Masters Degree, I worked in a private construction company. I have 3-year experience
working in that field. I completed a research project on cement-based grout, learning
its properties and its possible applications. I am also interested in studying rocks
and geology. In my free time, I like to listen music, and spend time with family and
friends.
Suraj Prasad Pandey
Suraj Prasad Pandey completed his M.Sc. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Geotechnical
Engineering at the University of Wyoming. He has published one research paper on ground
improvement techniques. In addition, he has teaching experience on soil mechanics
along with consulting experiences in the field on the design and cost estimation of
civil engineering structures. He completed his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering
from Sagarmatha Engineering College, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, in 2021. His research
focused on char-based building materials.
Sahul Kharel
Sahul Kharel is from Kathmandu, Nepal. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Civil
Engineering from Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 2018. He worked in
different consultancies and road construction projects in Nepal. He completed his
MS in Civil Engineering at the University of Wyoming and finished a research project
to develop char-based building materials.
Priyanka Joshi
Priyanka Joshi obtained her master's degree in civil engineering with a focus on geotechnical
engineering at the University of Wyoming. She received her Bachelor of Civil Engineering
degree from Thapathali Engineering College of Tribhuvan University in Nepal (2022).
She worked as a Civil Site Engineer in Nepal before joining the research team. Her
research concentrated on soil stabilization.
Prapti Giri
Prapti Giri completed her PhD degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Geotechnical
Engineering. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Tribhuvan
University, Institute of Engineering, Nepal. She worked with a private company and
involved in performing many different soil tests and geotechnical investigations.
She developed a hazard monitoring and warning system for mining, water structures
and transportation infrastructure.
Pramila Adhikari
Pramila Adhikari completed her PhD in Civil Engineering with a major in Geotechnical
Engineering. She completed her Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering and Masters of Science
in Geotechnical Engineering from Tribhuvan University, Institute of Engineering, Nepal.
Just after her undergraduate she worked as a part-time lecturer in Tribhuvan University,
Institute of Engineering, Nepal for a semester. She was then appointed as Civil Engineer
in Department of Irrigation by the Government of Nepal in June, 2013. She joined University
of Wyoming in August, 2016 and completed a research project to develop the LRFD resistance
factors for driven piles in soft rocks.
MD Shafiqul Islam
Md. Shafiqul Islam completed his MS in Civil Engineering with a major in Geotechnical
Engineering. His research focused on the development of LRFD recommendations of Piles
driven into shales. He completed his Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Khulna University
of Engineering & Technology (KUET), Bangladesh in 2013.
Harish Kalauni
Harish Kalauni completed his MS in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Geotechnical
Engineering. His research focused on the development of LRFD recommendations for piles
driven into rock-based intermediate geomaterials. He obtained his Bachelor degree
in Civil Engineering from Tribhuvan University, Institute of Engineering, Nepal. Prior
to joining the research group in spring 2020, he worked with the National Reconstruction
authority, Nepal.
Lokendra Khatri
Lokendra Khatri completed his MS in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Geotechnical
Engineering.His research focused on bedrock characterization for highway infrastructure.
He obtained his Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from Sagarmatha Engineering College,
Nepal. Prior to joining the research team, he worked for several consultant companies
in Nepal as a Civil Engineer.
Sajan Pudasaini
Sajan Pudasaini completed his master’s degree in Civil Engineering with a major in
Geotechnical Engineering. He completed his Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Tribhuvan
University, Institute of Engineering, Nepal. He worked in a consulting firm as a structural
design engineer for six months. He also worked with government for the detail damage
assessment of the earthquake damaged building for a year. Then, he was recruited by
the government of Nepal as a reconstruction Engineer. His duties were to monitor and
supervise the construction of earthquake resistant building and assess the geotechnically
vulnerable site for reconstruction. After working for 3 year, he joined University
of Wyoming in August, 2018 and his research focused on the applicability of fly-ash
based Geopolymer as a building material based on its mechanical properties.
Melake Anghesom Brhanemeskel
Melake Brhanemeskel completed his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering with a focus
in Geotechnical Engineering. He earned his Bachelor degree from Eritrean Institute
of Technology , College of Engineering, Asmara, Eritrea, in 2014. Before coming to
the University of Wyoming, he worked at DNC construction company, Debarwa, Eritrea.
His research project focused on Enhancement of Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design
Guide (MEPDG) for Roadway Design, Construction and Rehabilitation.
Yrgalem Zewde
Yrgalem Zewde obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Eritrea Institute
of Technology (EIT) in 2010. He worked for three years as a graduate assistant in
the Department of Civil Engineering at EIT. He also worked as a part time civil engineer
with a private construction company. Yrgalem completed his MS in Civil Engineering
with a research focus on the Development of Load and Resistance Factor Design Procedures
for Driven Piles on Soft Rocks in Wyoming.
Seyed Yasrobi Yashar
Seyed Yashar Yasrobi received his Master degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis
on Geotechnical Engineering. He received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
(2009) from Tabriz University, and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (2011)
from Tarbiat Modares University, both in Iran. Before coming to Wyoming, he worked
as a research assistant at Middle East Technical University of Turkey for a year.
He worked on a research project focusing on bridge approach slabs.
Christopher Savan
Christopher Savan, E.I.T. completed his Master degree in Civil Engineering. His research
involves applications of intelligent compaction as a method for increasing the quality
and cost effectiveness of roadway construction. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering
from the University of Wyoming in 2013 and also holds a B.A. in Political Science
from the University of Washington. Christopher worked in city planning from 2007 to
2010. He enjoys writing music, playing basketball, and cooking in his free time.
Danny Hellrung
Danny Hellrung, E.I.T. was a Master student from Arvada, Colorado. He graduated from
the University of Wyoming with a B.S. in Civil Engineering emphasizing in Transportation.
During his senior year, he completed a design project focused on redesigning the Interstate-25
and College Drive interchange in Cheyenne, Wyoming to accommodate the anticipated
traffic growth. The project made recommendations for the interchanges geometric design
and pavement design. While completing his undergraduate degree, Danny worked for the
Wyoming Technology Transfer Center as a Student Research Assistant. He assisted with
gravel road surface evaluations as well as analyzing truck traffic patterns to determine
the appropriate time to collect traffic counts. Danny is also a member of the Institute
of Transportation Engineers student chapter at UW.
Ram Sundar Chakradhar
Ram Sundar Chakradhar graduated in Spring 2014 with his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering.
After completing his Bachelor’s Degree from Tribhuvan University, Institute of Engineering,
Nepal, he gained professional industry experiences in Civil Engineering for more than
three years. He worked as a material engineer and hydropower project engineer before
working as a research assistant at the University of Wyoming.. He worked on a research
entitled “Laboratory Investigation of Geotechnical and Hydraulic Influences during
Abutment Scour”. He involved in a numerical modeling using ABAQUS to simulate the
abutment scour experimental results.
Zachary Henrichs
Zachary Henrichs is a native of Avondale, Colorado. He graduated from Pueblo County
High School in 2008. Zach then attended the University of Wyoming on Academic and
Rodeo scholarships. Zach graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in May 2013. He
completed his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering with a focus in Geotechnical Engineering.
His research focused on developing a modified resilient modulus test procedure for
the Wyoming Department of Transportation. He enjoys hunting, camping, and boating.
His future dreams consist of a career, family, early retirement, and traveling the
world.
Rami Ksaibati
Rami Ksaibati was born and raised in Laramie Wyoming. His strong desire to become
an engineer from early on led him to complete over a semester of coursework while
finishing high school. Rami entered the University of Wyoming just three years ago
and worked with the Laramie Design Squad for WYDOT. In this position, he worked on
roadway projects around the state of Wyoming and aided in the development of plans
and contract documents required to construct the projects. He completed his Master
degree in Civil Engineering. His research was on pile setup. He developed a method
to quantify the amount of pile setup based on soil types and properties into which
a driven pile is driven.
Dawit Mebrahtom
Dawit Mebrahtom graduated in Spring 2017 with his Master’s degree in Geotechnical
Engineering. He received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (2012) from
Eritrea Institute of Technology, College of Engineering, Asmara, Eritrea. Before coming
to University of Wyoming, he worked as a site engineer at Infrastructure Department
of Municipal City, Asmara, Eritrea, China SFECO Group, Asmara and Debwin Construction
Company, Asmara. Also, he was a design engineer at Precon Company, Khartoum, Sudan
and EL- Construction Company, South Sudan. His research Project focused on quantifying
the resilient modulus of base materials for implementation of MEPDG in Wyoming.
Roshan Poudel
Roshan Poudel graduated in Spring 2017 with his Master degree in Geotechnical Engineering.
After completing his Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from Tribhuvan University,
Kathmandu Engineering College, Nepal, he worked for two years in industry. He monitored
the construction of various school buildings in remote areas of Nepal before joining
the University of Wyoming as a research assistant. His research focused on Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical
Interaction for Geothermal Energy and Wellbore Stability.
Zachary Hutson
Zachary Hutson was born in Denver, CO, but his family moved to Riverton, WY when he
was three years old. He was raised to be a hard worker and help others. Outdoor activities
(e.g. snowboarding, hunting, camping) and family are his life. Some of his interests
are learning about new technologies, current politics, and history. He received his
B.S. in Civil Engineering at the University of Wyoming in December 2013. He is currently
working on a M.S. in Civil Engineering with a Geotechnical emphasis. His research
is dedicated to assisting WYDOT update their pavement design guide to the Mechanistic-Empirical
Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). The MEPDG program will replace the current AASHTO 1993
Guide due to its localized and efficient manner. He is personally helping design a
workable database that WYDOT will use to locate relevant data and design values for
pavement designs. Additionally, he will be performing a correlation analysis on different
soil types’ modulus of resilience values (Mr-values) against the more readily obtained
resistance values (R-values). This analysis will give WYDOT one of many options for
determining a soil’s Mr-value without the need for expensive or time consuming tests.
Matthew Jensen
Matthew Jensen is pursuing his Master degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis
on Geotechnical Engineering. He is a Professional Engineer registered with the state
of Wyoming. He supervises several technicians involved in testing of construction
materials. He also performs subsurface investigations and laboratory soil tests as
well as preparing Geotechnical Engineering reports. His research focuses on the application
of miniature cone penetrometer for foundation engineering.
Kyle Walter
Kyle Walter is originally from Lancaster, PA and plans to stay in the west. He is
pursuing a M.S. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Geotechnical Engineering.
He received his B.S. in Architectural Engineering with an emphasis on Structural Engineering
in December 2015. He is working jointly on a scaled geothermal wellbore experiment
investigating the stress on rock surrounding the wellbore. He is involving in a numerical
study using ABAQUS to simulate the physical experiment model.
Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management
EN 3074
1000 E. University Ave. | Dept. 3295
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2390
Email: cae.info@uwyo.edu
