Dr Amr Ewais
Research associate
Office: 415 Davis Hall
Email: ewais@berkeley.edu
Amr is currently a research associate at The University of California, Berkeley; and, a registered Professional Engineer in Professional Engineers Ontario with diverse experience in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering as well as material testing. His current research activities include: (a) developing and using innovative composite materials in conservation of energy (e.g., energy geotechniques) funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; and, (b) using conventional and fiber optics sensors in monitoring infrastructures. In the later research activities, Amr will be collaborating with: Arub, California Department of Transportation and The University of Missouri to investigate the effect of post grouting techniques in improving drilled shaft end bearing capacity; and with, Cornell University and the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction to investigate the response of buried pipelines to fault movement.
Throughout his career, Amr received several awards that include: 2016 Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; 2016 RM Quigley Award, for the best paper published in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal; five times Distinction Award in his undergraduate studies.
Education and Academic Career:
Amr had his bachelor and master degrees from Ain-Shams University, Cairo Egypt. He did his PhD and two years of postdoctoral research under the supervision of Dr. Kerry Rowe, FRS at Queen’s University, Canada. His past research included: undertaking experimental and field investigations to assess the short-term and long-term performances of liner systems in mining, water, wastewater and waste disposal facilities.
His teaching experience varied from being a lecturer, guest lecturer and teaching assistant for many courses at both Queen’s and Ain-Shams Universities. Amr taught large classes with more than 200 students and have taken several teaching training and courses at both Queen’s and Ain-Shams Universities such as “Teaching and Learning in Higher Education” course at Queen’s University.
Professional Career:
As environmental engineer, Amr was involved with Chemonics Egypt Consultants in mega waste management projects at The Middle East, such as: (i) building sustainable solid waste management systems with a budget of 70 million Euros in Kafr-El- Sheik and Gharbia governorates, Egypt through corporation between the government of Egypt and European Union and (ii) preparing tender documents for building integrated solid waste management facility at UAE valued at $35 million dollars. In addition, he worked with Dr. Kerry Rowe in assessing several liner systems for different applications in the Middle East, Canada, Argentina.
As geotechnical engineer, Amr worked at dar Al-handasah Group on designing several infrastructures, such as: New Brine Intake Pumping Station at the Dead Sea in Jordan; New Highway roads in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Shamiyah Haram Expansion, Saudi Arabia; and, Wadi Al-Zyhimi Recharge Dam, Oman.
Also, Amr worked at The Integrated Engineering Group, Cairo, Egypt, on designing residential, educational and industrial buildings; providing site supervision and developing geotechnical reports.
Research interests:
- Infrastructure sensing using conventional and new technologies.
- Performance based design and maintenance of underground structures.
- The performance of exposed and buried liner systems in different climatological conditions.
- Utilizing conventional and novel materials in: geosystems and energy conservation.
- Developing a time- and cost-effective testing protocols to infer the longevity of geosynthetic materials.
Main publications:
- Ewais, A. M. R., Kerry Rowe, R., Rimal, S., & Sangam, H. P. (2018). 17-year elevated temperature study of HDPE geomembrane longevity in air, water and leachate. Geosynthetics International, (Accepted: https://doi.org/10.1680/jgein.18.00016).
- Rowe, R.K. and Ewais, A.M.R. (2015). Ageing of exposed HDPE geomembranes at locations with different climatological conditions. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 52 (3), pp. 326-343.
- Ewais, A.M.R and Rowe, R.K. (2014). Effect of ageing on the stress crack resistance of an HDPE geomembrane. Journal of polymer degradation and stability, 109, pp. 194-208.
- Ewais, A.M.R. and Rowe, R.K. (2014). Effect of blown film process on initial properties of HDPE geomembranes of different thicknesses. Geosynthetics International, 21(1), pp. 62-82.
- Ewais, A.M.R, Rowe, R.K., Brachman, R.W.I. and Arnepalli, D.N. (2014). Service Life of a High-Density Polyethylene Geomembrane under Simulated Landfill Conditions at 85°C. ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 140 (11), 04014060.