Profile of A.F.M. Saiful Amin

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy in Civl Engineering, Saitama University, Japan. (2001)
• Master of Science in Civil Engineering, BUET, Dhaka, Bangladesh. (1998)
• Bachelor of Civil Engineering with Honors and First Position in Merit List with Gold Medal, BUET, Dhaka, Bangladesh. (1996)

Research Interest

• Dr. Amin in his capacity of the director of BUET’s Institute for Disaster Prevention and Urban Safety, focused on research on disaster management and disaster risk reduction and introduced postgraduate-level courses in BUET-JIDPUS for cultivating skilled workforce development for Bangladesh.  He led the country’s largest research project on earthquake-related disaster management and natural disaster-related risk reduction at BUET.  With assistance from Japan, this project played a significant role in shaping national policy across various relevant fields by publishing national guidelines for the seismic risk reduction of urban buildings.

• Prof. Amin conducted nearly decade-long field exposure tests on weathering steel for the diversified environmental conditions of Bangladesh. This led to the use of paintless weathering steel in the Jamuna Rail Bridge, the longest double-track rail bridge in Bangladesh. The most significant contribution is in reducing carbon footprint by eliminating the use of paints for corrosion protection, as opposed to conventional steel bridges, say, the Hardinge Bridge.

• From 1998 to 2007, Dr. Amin conducted fundamental research on using high-damping rubber bearings to protect bridges from earthquakes in Japan, Bangladesh, and Germany. This internationally tested and successful technology has been directly applied in the construction of the second Kanchpur-Meghna-Gomti bridges recently constructed on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, for the first time in Bangladesh.

• Thus, Prof. Amin pioneered hyperelasticity and viscoplasticity modeling of rubber materials for seismic isolation applications. His 2002 paper on improved hyperelasticity relations introduced the W-Amin, Alam, Okui (WAAO) strain energy function, capturing the high initial stiffness characteristic of high-damping rubbers at low strains—a limitation in conventional models. His most-cited work (2006) established a nonlinear viscosity law for rate-dependent rubber behavior under dynamic loading. Together, these models have had impactful citations globally, becoming standard tools for earthquake engineers designing base isolation systems that protect millions of people worldwide.

• On behalf of BUET, Dr. Amin also serves as the team leader in the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Rail Link Project, one of the mega projects of the Government of Bangladesh, and he is also serving as an expert in designing, constructing, repairing, and maintaining important buildings and infrastructure as well as Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge, Repair and Rehabilitation of Health monitoring of bridges, historic Kalurghat Bridge, Kanchpur-Meghna-Gumti bridges, Dhaka Elevated Expressway, Payra Bridge, Bangladesh Textile University, and various large and small bridges.

• Prof. Amin’s research on fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strengthening addresses the massive global inventory of seismically vulnerable existing buildings. FRP retrofitting reduces average annual repair costs by 5.32%, injury rates by 57.6%, with nearly zero deaths in retrofitted structures compared to unretrofitted ones. The technique shifts structures from “collapse prevention” to “limited safety” limit states while costing significantly less than demolition and reconstruction. For Bangladesh, his work on brick aggregate concrete demonstrates that GFRP wraps can increase axial capacity by 95%—providing economically feasible pathways to protect existing building stock in densely populated, seismically vulnerable areas.
• Prof. Amin’s discovery of residual cementing properties in recycled aggregates from demolished concrete represents a paradigm shift in sustainable construction. Recycled concrete aggregates cut CO₂ emissions by about 40%, and they can take in up to 0.05 tons of CO₂ per ton through carbonation. Given that buildings account for 37% of global carbon emissions and cement production contributes 8% of global CO₂, widespread adoption could achieve gigatonne-scale reductions. For Bangladesh—where natural aggregates are scarce and brick production consumes vast agricultural topsoil—this research provides economically and environmentally sustainable alternatives, addressing resource security and climate mitigation simultaneously while supporting disaster-resilient infrastructure development.
• Prof. Amin’s integrated approach to disaster risk reduction synergizes advanced technology, policy reform, and institutional capacity building. His most transformative contribution is an AI-based earthquake early warning system using Graph Neural Networks (GNN), which improves seismic intensity prediction accuracy by approximately 234% and provides over 10 seconds of warning for 70% of locations. This technology, combined with his leadership in implementing base isolation, FRP retrofitting, and the Bangladesh National Building Code, directly addresses life safety in densely populated regions. By linking theoretical research with practical applications and policy, his work protects millions from catastrophic infrastructure failure and seismic hazards.

Research Awards

• Prime Minister’s Gold Medalist (BUET) – 1996 for first position in undergraduate studies
• FY2016 JSCE International Outstanding Collaboration Award
• Georg Forster Research Fellow, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany. (2007)
• DAAD Fellow, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service), Germany. (2004)
• Numerous academic scholarships and public honors merit.
• Over 1,200 citations in Scopus-indexed journals
• Frequent Keynote Presenter at national and international conferences (e.g. BAETE Symposium 2024, IABSE Congress, ICE workshops)

Professional Work at National and International Levels

• Design Review Consultant for Construction of 162 km Railway between Dhaka & Jashore crossing the Padma Bridge for Bangladesh Railway from BUET as associate consultant with the Bangladesh Army.
• Rehabilitation and widening of the historic Kalurghat Bridge for an improved rating to facilitate the high axle load movement of the Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar direct train service, the longest train of Bangladesh.
• National expert for the construction of the first Dhaka Elevated Expressway for the Bangladesh Bridge Authority.
• Expert services for Rating of Bangabandhu Bridge (4.8 km long) for Bangladesh Bridge Authority.
• Checking the structural design of 100m and above steel truss bridges over the Surma and Madhumati rivers Roads & Highways and over the Lohalia River for LGED
• Consultancy services for the construction of 20-storied academic & administrative building for BUTEX.
• Checking the Structural Safety of Bangladesh Bridge Authority Headquarter Building,
• Checking structural safety of a building of ICDDRB, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Consultant of Bangladesh Bridge Authority for Identification of Cracks in Bangabandhu Bridge in 2006,
• Advisor to the Bangladesh Bridge Authority for Repair & strengthening of in the 4.8 km long Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge during 2012-2015, the longest bridge of Bangladesh.
• Team leader for structural health monitoring of 4.8 km long Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge during 2014-2015, the longest bridge in Bangladesh.
• Team leader for repair and rehabilitation of Meghna and Meghna-Gumti bridges, Roads and Highways Department, Bangladesh, in 2012, the two important bridges of Bangladesh to maintain connectivity between Dhaka, the capital, and Chittagong, the major port city.
• Identification of problems and solutions for Khodarhat Bridge, Roads & Highways, Bangladesh, and Mahananda and Meghna Bridges by the Local Government Engineering Department in 2012–2013.
• The introduction of fiber-reinforced polymer and micro-concrete jacketing techniques has strengthened Gausia Market and numerous other marketplaces and commercial facilities between 2006 and 2015.
• National Expert Committee to Investigate the Collapse of Bohoddarhat Flyover during Construction.
• Investigation of Spectrum Sweater Factory Building Collapse in 2005.
• Team Leader for Technical Services in the Construction of 60-90 m Telecommunication Towers for Police as part of the Dhaka-Chittagong Microwave Backbone & Dhaka City CCTV Surveillance Network in 2009.
• Team leader for structural safety assessment of over 100 commercial and industrial buildings in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013 and the Nepal earthquake in 2015.
• Advisor, Updating of Bangladesh National Building Code 2015.