We’re excited to let industry know that Reza Kordani has joined our Structural Systems team this week.
Reza brings to HERA over four years’ of consulting experience in Aotearoa, and we’re very excited to bring this ‘commercial’ understanding to our research at hand so we can better serve our members.
Reza studied his Bachelor of Civil Engineering at the Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. Continuing his education to get his MSc from Swansea University in the UK. During this time, he was involved with applications of Finite Element modelling in a variety of engineering problems and gained an in-depth understanding of structural behaviour under different types of loading such as fluid-structure interaction, thermal stress, static and dynamic loading.
From here, he continued his PhD in structural engineering at the University of Canterbury, which allowed him to follow his research interests in the field of low damage seismic design and steel frames. This research allowed him to provide modifications to the SCNZ design guide on rocking steel frames to estimate the force demand and displacement demand more accurately.
Reza has been exposed to a wide variety of steel projects in New Zealand including, design of steel buried culverts, seismic design of steel liquid tanks, retrofit of buildings with heritage values, and seismic restraint of non-structural components.
Reza saying: “I have preserved my zeal in academic and technical presentations, doing independent research, attending various conferences, and delivering presentations. It is what has led me to realise how important technical training is for individual engineers, companies, and the industry to develop a widespread technical solution.”
“During my time consulting in New Zealand I have identified several key areas that require further research to provide technical solutions for practicing engineers. One such example is the reusability of steel elements, corrosion resistance of stainless and hot deep galvanized steel, and developing simplified low-damage design guides.”
“Being involved in a future-focused research environment and educational programs is a key reason why I’m excited to join the HERA team, so I can explore these areas to deliver value to industry,” he said.
This was a sentiment shared by our Manager Structural Systems Kaveh Andisheh.
Kaveh saying: “We are delighted to have brought Reza on board – in addition to his combined experience of research and engineering practice, Reza brings high-quality design tools and programming skills to our business.”
“He is a valued addition to our team as his skills diversify our capabilities to support our membership and the New Zealand industry in general.”
