Mohammadmahdi Gholami (PhD candidate) presented his research at the 2026 Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) Annual Conference in Québec City. His presentation, titled “Development of a Novel Hysteretic Model for Predicting the Cyclic Behaviour of Dowel-Type Timber Connections,” explored the seismic performance of timber lateral load-resisting systems. The research focused on improving the modelling of dowel-type timber connections, which play a critical role in dissipating energy during earthquakes. Using a novel hysteretic modelling approach, the study examined how connection-level characteristics affect the overall seismic response of timber structural systems. The findings highlight the importance of physically representative connection models for reliable seismic performance assessment and collapse prediction.

This work contributes to the advancement of resilient and sustainable timber structures and reflects ongoing research within our group on the seismic behaviour of mass timber systems. Congratulations to Mohammadmahdi on sharing his work with researchers and industry professionals from across Canada and beyond.

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Dr. Viau had the privilege of attending the International Timber Construction Forum as an invited speaker to present the work that has been taking place at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University and the University of Ottawa (Dr. Ghasan Doudak) on mass-timber structures subjected to extreme load effects. The International Timber Construction Forum (Internationales Holzbau-Forum or IHF) is a major international professional conference and exchange platform focused on timber and wood construction that brings together professionals involved in the design, engineering, research, manufacturing, and construction of timber structures.

In addition to the presentation, Drs. Viau and Doudak submitted an article to the conference proceedings. These can be accessed (subscription required)

The International Timber Construction Forum (IHF 2025) offers timber builders, planners, engineers and architects the opportunity to report on experiences, work and goals with timber structures and timber constructions. The forum will also give project managers, representatives of building and approval authorities, timber builders and craftsmen, practitioners and trainers the opportunity to inform themselves comprehensively and exchange ideas.

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Over the last four years, Dr. Viau had the pleasure and privilege of being involved in . This Action aimed to address taller multi-storey timber buildings from a collaborative and interdisciplinary perspective, considering static, dynamic, fire, acoustic, human health and other aspects in parallel and not in isolation. Only through interdisciplinary analysis and interaction can a set of holistic design guidelines be developed that will enable safe construction of taller timber buildings, as well as respect human wellbeing demands. Such an endeavor can only be possible through interdisciplinary work and interaction between different design backgrounds, as well as between academic and design professionals. Recently, Dr. Viau co-authored two book chapters on the topic of blast design of timber structures and multi-hazard design.

This open-access book and its chapters can accessed and .

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This award celebrates new faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching and who are active in and engaged with �Ӱ�ԭ��’s teaching and learning community. Read the announcement here and here. Congratulations to all of the recipients, particularly Dr. Shoeleh Shams from the Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering!

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VTEL proudly represented �Ӱ�ԭ�� University at the World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE) 2025, which took place from June 22 – 26 in Brisbane, Australia! Dr. Christian Viau and PhD student Mehdi Saloo attended the prestigious event, presenting a total of five conference papers, including those by Mohammadmahdi Gholami and Trevor Czorny. Their contributions spanned cutting-edge topics in timber engineering, showcasing the lab’s continued leadership in sustainable structural systems, advanced modeling techniques, and innovative timber connections. WCTE 2025 served as a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and international collaboration in wood research and engineering.

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Dr. Viau was interviewed by both CTV Ottawa News and The Morning Rush about the collapse of the downtown Ottawa parkade. He spoke to the issues of structural integrity and the need for more investment in infrastructure from a structural engineering perspective.

Read the CTV Ottawa News article .

Listen to The Morning Rush’s interview recording .

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Dr. Viau was invited to a special session of the 2024 Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference hosted by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) on October 7th in Toronto. Entitled “Celebrating Minorities and Women Leaders in Science and Engineering: In Memoriam of Jane Phillips“, the goal of this special symposium was to celebrate diversity, inclusivity, and equity in science and chemical engineering in Canada. The purpose was to highlight our field’s progress, spotlight rising stars, and promote networking and initiate dialogues on a variety of topics on creating a culture that promotes and nurtures the next generation, where everyone from all backgrounds could contribute and be their best. It was a true pleasure meeting the other invited speakers and seeing the excellence and breadth of expertise across a diverse group of people. Dr. Viau spoke about his work on mass-timber structures against extreme load effects, such as earthquakes, fires, impacts, and blast explosions.

Special thanks to the organizers, Drs. Ariel Chan, Cathy Chin, José E. Herrera, Bertrand Neyhouse, and Marisa Sterling, for the invitation.

The symposium honoured the late Jane Phillips (1931-2024), one of the first female faculty member of the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and possibly the first in North America, who had pioneered the field and contributed to catalytic science, to education, as well as serving as the first female academic PEO President in 1992.

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I can’t say I enjoy getting up before 7 am, but it was worth it this morning, particularly to speak about an ongoing event related to structural collapse. I had the chance to join Hallie Cotnam on CBC/Radio-Canada’s Ottawa Morning for an in-studio interview on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. From a structural standpoint, protecting the primary pier against the impact of a 116,000+ ton cargo ship travelling at 15 km/hr is likely not economically feasible. As with all built infrastructure here in Canada, engineers are tasked with striking a balance between life safety, reliability, and cost, following our building codes, standards, and regulations.

Listen in !

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On January 27th 2024, Dr. Viau joined Dr. Cynthia Cruickshank (Associate Dean EDI, Faculty of Engineering and Design) at the 2nd Annual EngiQueers Conference, which was hosted this year by �Ӱ�ԭ�� University.

Over three days, industry professionals, member groups, and student leaders transferred knowledge, discussed challenges student advocacy groups face, and provided tangible ways to address them.

Dr. Viau and Dr. Cruickshank were each invited to give a talk of their own on their personal journey and lived experiences as it pertains to the principles and application of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Also, the efforts and initiatives being brought forward at the Faculty of Engineering and Design of �Ӱ�ԭ�� University, through the EDI Council and the FED EDI Action Plan, were presented and discussed; many fruitful discussions and suggestions provided by the participants.

Truly a great and important experience, happy to have been invited!

To learn more about EngiQueers Canada, and how they are making a difference for 2SLGBTQIA+ students studying engineering,  Learn about �Ӱ�ԭ�� University’s chapter !

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