Nouran ElMesalami
PhD Student
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BSc Eng American University of Sharjah; MSc Eng American University of Sharjah
Research Websites: AMBER Lab
Research Areas: Construction Materials; Structural Engineering; Sustainable Construction and Structural Materials
Nouran Elmesalami is a Global PhD Student in Civil Engineering at New York University Tandon School of Engineering, and is a Graduate Research Assistant at New York University in Abu Dhabi. She completed a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the American University of Sharjah (AUS) graduating Summa Cum Laude. She also holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the American University of Sharjah.
Prior to joining New York University, Elmesalami was working as a bridge engineer at AECOM Middle East Limited in Dubai, one of the world’s top design firms (as ranked by Engineering News-Record). She worked on the structural design and on the design verification of bridges, underpasses, culverts, and other associated structures as well as on the design verification of bridge components, such as bridge bearings and expansion joints. She worked on several mega projects inside and outside the UAE including, but not limited to, the improvements Dubai EXPO 2020 roads network, Al Maqtaa Bridge expansion in Abu Dhabi as well as Etihad Rail project which will form part of the largest railway network in the GCC region.
During her bachelor’s and master’s studies, Elmesalami was working as a Teaching and Research Assistant at AUS. Her research work is mainly in the fields of construction materials and structural engineering with a focus on sustainable construction and structural materials. Some of her research projects investigate the possibility of using recycled aggregates and treated wastewater in concrete making and for road base and subbase construction. Her research also includes studying the behavior of concrete members reinforced with fiber-reinforced polymer bars as a sustainable alternative to conventional steel reinforcement.
Her selected achievements include being placed on the AUS Chancellor’s Distinguished List for three consecutive years and being awarded the Sheikh Khalifa Presidential Scholarship as an undergraduate student. Nouran completed her master’s degree while working full-time as a bridge engineer, and was awarded the AUS Graduate Student Research, Scholarly, and Creative Work Excellence Award.