Dr Reza Keihani

I am a Senior Lecturer in Construction at ARU Peterborough. My work focuses on designing and delivering civil engineering and construction teaching, leading and supporting degree apprenticeships, and working closely with employers so that course content, projects and assessments are strongly rooted in current industry practice and workforce needs.

Email: r[email protected]

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Background

I joined ARU Peterborough in January 2026, having previously worked as a Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering at the University of West London, where I led on civil engineering degree apprenticeships and employer engagement. My experience spans curriculum design, course leadership, and the delivery of both traditional and apprenticeship-based programmes, with a strong emphasis on professional skills, ethics and real-world application. My earlier professional practice as a structural engineer and site manager in the UK and Iran, working on multi‑million‑pound projects and adopting BIM and advanced analysis tools, supports my commitment to practice‑led, industry‑engaged civil engineering education.

Spoken Languages

• English (fluent)
• Persian/Farsi (native)

Research interests

My research is around sustainable construction, structural performance and non‑destructive testing. I work on the early detection and monitoring of reinforcement corrosion in concrete using ground‑penetrating radar, high‑resolution photogrammetry and semi‑autonomous robotic platforms. I am also developing a growing body of work on rapidly deployable shelter structures for disaster response, drawing on Miura‑ori origami and Hoberman mechanisms to create resilient, low‑impact emergency housing aligned with climate‑resilience and sustainability goals.

Areas of research supervision

• Structural engineering and structural behaviour of buildings and infrastructure.
• Concrete and construction materials, including durability, performance and sustainability themes.
• Structural health monitoring and inspection of civil engineering assets, including applications of non‑destructive testing.
• Resilient and adaptable civil engineering systems in the context of climate change and natural hazards.

Teaching

• Module Leader for Construction Procurement (Level 5)
• Module Leader for Ethics and Professional Practice (Level 5)
• Module Leader for Procurement and Costing (Level 5)
• Module Leader for Leadership, Wellbeing and Strategic Management (Level 6)

Qualifications

• PhD in Civil Engineering, University of West London
• MSc in Civil Engineering, Coventry University
• BSc in Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Dezful
• PGCert in Professional Academic Practice, University of West London

Memberships, editorial boards

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) • Member, European Geosciences Union (EGU) • Member, Group on Understanding Structural Behaviour, Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) • Editor, Engineering Future Sustainability (University of West London) • Peer reviewer for several international journals in civil and structural engineering and sustainability

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

Lead applicant on expressions of interest for external funding on rapid‑deploy resilient shelters for climate‑related disasters and on resilience, sustainable communities and climate adaptation.

Principal Investigator on an early‑career impact grant proposal focused on early detection of reinforcement corrosion in concrete using ground‑penetrating radar and photogrammetry.

Extensive knowledge‑exchange activity through organisation of TEDx events, industry guest lectures and site visits with major civil engineering and construction partners.

Selected recent publications

• Georgiou, A., Keihani, R. and Haritos, G. (2025) ‘Artificial neural network modelling of moment‑resisting bolted steel connections using an attribute‑driven approach’, Engineering Future Sustainability, 2(1).
• Keyhani, M., Bahadori‑Jahromi, A., Godfrey, P., Keihani, R. and Amirkhani, S. (2024) ‘Analysing carbon impacts of green roof at Hilton Watford: life‑cycle assessment approach’, Proceedings of the ICE – Waste and Resource Management, 177(4), pp. 183–
• Keihani, R. et al. (2023) ‘Enhancing sustainability of low to medium‑rise reinforced concrete frame buildings in the UK’, Engineering Future Sustainability, 1(1).
• Keihani, R., Bahadori‑Jahromi, A., Goodchild, C. and Cashell, K. (2020) ‘The influence of different factors on buildings’ height in the absence of shear walls in low seismic regions’, Structural Engineering and Mechanics, 76(1).
• Keihani, R., Bahadori‑Jahromi, A. and Clacy, T. (2019) ‘Sustainable development of medium‑strength concrete using polypropylene as aggregate replacement’, International Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 13(9).
• Keihani, R., Bahadori‑Jahromi, A. and Goodchild, C. (2019) ‘The significance of removing shear walls in existing low‑rise RC frame buildings – sustainable approach’, Structural Engineering and Mechanics, 71(5).

Recent presentations and conferences

• European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria – oral presentation: Early detection of reinforcement corrosion in concrete structures: a preliminary investigation using non‑destructive testing techniques.
• European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2020 (online) – abstract: Investigate the influence of polypropylene as fine aggregate replacement on the mechanical and thermal properties of the concrete mix.
• 21st International Conference on Concrete Engineering and Technology (ICCET 2019), Paris, France – oral presentation: Sustainable development of medium‑strength concrete using polypropylene as aggregate replacement.