When Mohamed Moustafa was just six years old, a massive earthquake struck his home city of Cairo, Egypt, leaving an indelible mark on his young mind. Thirty-three years later, he no longer views this moment of fear as a hardship but as a pivotal point that shaped his career and life.
"I developed almost a trauma of earthquakes," he says. "We lived in a tall building, and I still remember how it shook during the tremors."
Now an Associate Professor of Civil and Urban Engineering at NYU Abu Dhabi, Moustafa is a global authority on earthquake engineering focused on mitigating structural vulnerabilities to ensure the safety of future generations.
He has also been lauded for his pioneering use of Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), a material that could revolutionize construction.
Now, at NYUAD, Moustafa is building the largest structural 3D printing lab in the Middle East. He is continuing his lifelong quest to create resilient infrastructure, a mission inspired by his father, also an engineer and professor.
“I graduated from UC Berkeley with an MS and PhD in Civil Engineering, along with a Certificate in Engineering and Business for Sustainability,” says Moustafa.
“Berkeley is very popular for earthquake engineering because of California’s seismic nature. I wanted to learn more about earthquakes, not only because of my experience as a kid, but for the honor of studying it at one of the world’s best institutions.”
In 2015, Moustafa joined the Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty at the University of Nevada, where he taught for nine years. He remains a registered professional engineer in the state of California, though the impact of his work transcends geographical boundaries.
"Ultra-high performance concrete is magical in two aspects," he says. "It's much stronger than conventional concrete, making structures smaller and lighter. This innovation could translate into significant economic benefits for regions like the UAE with premium real estate.
“It can also potentially extend a structure's life by two to three times compared to conventional materials, which is particularly crucial in harsh environments like the UAE.”
Now, Moustafa is committed to innovating in the UAE and beyond, with professionals seeking his expertise for complex infrastructure projects ranging from LNG tanks in Asia to bridges in Saudi Arabia.
For him, the move to NYU Abu Dhabi represents more than a career transition—it’s a unique opportunity to combine cutting-edge research with regional innovation.
"The UAE is extremely advanced and very forward-looking," he says. “I’m establishing the largest structural 3D printing lab in the Middle East, focusing on developing design tools and guidelines for innovative construction techniques.”
His lab will explore technologies traditionally used in aerospace and material science, scaling them up to transform civil infrastructure. By leveraging robotic 3D printers capable of working with concrete and metal, Moustafa aims to create complex geometries that were previously impossible to construct.
"What researchers do in biomedical devices at a small scale, we want to explore at the scale of entire bridges and buildings,” he says. “This isn't just a technological novelty; we can create smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable infrastructure tailored to the UAE's unique environmental challenges.”
The father of three feels that the UAE is ideal for raising his family.
"We wanted a place where our children could grow up experiencing different cultures, meeting people from around the world," says Moustafa. "The UAE offers our family not just a new home but a global environment where our kids can truly understand the richness of international perspectives."
For Moustafa, engineering is more than a profession—it's a mission to protect. As he continues to push the boundaries of engineering at NYU Abu Dhabi, the little boy who once trembled during an earthquake now stands at the forefront of technologies that could enhance countless lives.
