Profile of A.F.M. Saiful Amin

Present positions

• Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
• Part-time Lecturer, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Japan, delivering Special Lecture on Infrastructure III(E): Bridge Engineering (October 2024 to March 2027)
• Chair, Bangladesh National Group, International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE)
• Director, American Concrete Institute (ACI) Bangladesh Chapter (2026)
• Part-time Faculty, Islamic University of Technology (IUT), an organ of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Gazipur
• Country Representative for Bangladesh, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), United Kingdom
• Member, National Advisory Team for renovation, widening and strengthening of the Jamuna (Bangabandhu) Multipurpose Bridge deck, Bangladesh Bridge Authority (from February 2026)
• Team Leader, Design Review Team, Padma Bridge Rail Link Project, on behalf of BUET (from 2018)

 

Former positions

• Director, BUET-Japan Institute of Disaster Prevention and Urban Safety (BUET-JIDPUS), until 6 November 2024. During this tenure the Institute launched the M. Sc. Engg. (DRR), M. Engg. (DRR) and M.Sc. (DRR) programmes (April 2023).
• Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Acting Chairman, and Member-Secretary, Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education (BAETE), Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (Member-Secretary, 9 December 2015 to 21 March 2021; Vice-Chairman and Acting Chairman, April 2021 to 22 June 2023; Chairman, 22 June 2023 to 10 March 2025). Bangladesh was admitted as the 24th full signatory of the Washington Accord on 12 June 2024 during the chairmanship.

 

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Japan, 2001
• Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 1998
• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with Honours, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 1996 (first position; Prime Minister’s Gold Medal)

Medium of instruction throughout undergraduate study, postgraduate study and teaching at BUET: English.

 

Teaching

Undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in the Department of Civil Engineering, BUET, continuing established departmental teaching lines:

• CE 411 Analysis of Statically Indeterminate Structures (undergraduate). Successor to the teaching line of the late National Professor Jamilur Reza Choudhury.
• CE 419 Finite Element Method (undergraduate). Continuation of the teaching line of Professor Sohrabuddin Ahmad.
• CE 6109 Finite Element Method (postgraduate). Continuation of the teaching line of Professor Sohrabuddin Ahmad.

Faculty Advisor, ACI FRP Composites Competition 2026, Rosemont, Chicago. The BUET student team placed 4th of 43.

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 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, injury rates, 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, and they can take in tons of CO₂ per ton through carbonation. Given that buildings account for  global carbon emissions and cement production contributes a good share of global CO₂, widespread adoption could achieve significant 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 siginifciant amount 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.

International academic collaboration

• Part-time Lecturer, Saitama University, Japan (October 2024 to March 2027), following visiting academic collaboration with Saitama University and the University of Tokyo since 2001
• Contributor to the BUET–Saitama University academic and student exchange agreement and its renewals in 2011, 2016, 2021 and 2026
• Georg Forster Research Fellow, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, 2007
• DAAD Fellow, Germany, 2004

 

Recognition

• Prime Minister’s Gold Medal, BUET, 1996 (conferred 27 November 1997), first position in undergraduate civil engineering
• FY2016 JSCE International Outstanding Collaboration Award, Japan Society of Civil Engineers
• Georg Forster Research Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 2007
• DAAD Fellowship, 2004