Dr Tatheer Zahra

With rising extreme weather events leading to increasing disasters, it is critical to reduce the use of carbon intensive materials in the construction industry and develop resilient infrastructure to sustain disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, collisions and explosions.

Dr Tatheer Zahra’s research is inspired by shock absorbing memory foams used in shoes, replicating these to develop sustainable 3D printed reinforcement for application in civil structures, and protecting them from disasters such as collisions and earthquakes. Her experimental research on small-scale designed geometries has already proven to enhance impact resistance, with results highlighted in the World Economic Forum and receiving worldwide interest. Tatheer’s ambitious research agenda is to use these sustainable materials at large-scale and replace conventional unsustainable materials in the construction industry.

Tatheer received her PhD in Structural Engineering from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in 2017. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering (QUT) with a reputation for creating highly engaging learning environments in her classes for STEM students. Evidence of this is demonstrated by her receiving the Faculty of Engineering and Vice Chancellor’s awards for Student Learning Excellence in 2021. She also engages in QUT STEM Summits inspiring school students into engineering careers.