Dr Mihaela Anca Ciupala

Dr Mihaela Anca Ciupala

Reader

Resilient Built Environment, and Intelligent Technologies Research groups

Department of Engineering & Construction , School of Architecture Computing and Engineering

Dr Mihaela Anca Ciupala is a Reader in Structural Engineering and a European Union (EU) Marie Curie Research Fellow.

Dr Ciupala is an active researcher and a committed lecturer. Dr Ciupala’s interdisciplinary research currently spans the areas of structural engineering, environmental engineering, and applied digital science. Her work is currently focused on structural seismic damage assessment, sustainable seismic retrofitting of buildings, and the application of AI in structural and sustainability solutions. Dr Ciupala has been an active PhD supervisor in the above interdisciplinary research areas. As an educator, Dr Ciupala teaches a broad range of engineering subjects related to civil/structural engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, and railway engineering.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Earthquake Engineering and Safety of Structures, Technical University "Gh Asachi" Iasi, Romania (1999)
  • MEng Honours in Civil Engineering, Technical University "Gh Asachi" Iasi, Romania; Faculty of Civil Engineering and Building Services (1991)
  • MBA in General Management, University of East London, UK (2009)
  • Certification EON-XR Education Course (Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality), 2022
  • Certification - IBM Data Science: Introduction to Data Science, Data Science Tools, SQL for Data Science, Python Basics for Data Science, 2021; Analysing Data with Python, Visualising Data with Python, Machine Learning with Python: A Practical Introduction, 2022
  • Graduate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (GMICE), UK, 2018
  • Lean Competency level 1b, LCS Lean Accreditation Scheme, OEE Consulting, UK, 2018
  • Licensed Assessor - Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) International, Building Research Establishment (BRE) Global, UK, 2009-2014 (MIAC-MC25)
  • Licensed Assessor - Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) In Use - Non-domestic buildings, Building Research Establishment (BRE) Global, UK, 2012-2014 (BAUD0367)
  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA), UK, 2010 (41304)
  • European Engineer (Eur Ing), The European Federation of National Engineering Association (FEANI), Brussels, Belgium, 2008  (30255)
  • PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, UK, 2005

Areas Of Interest

  • Structural seismic damage assessment and sustainable seismic retrofitting solutions for buildings
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cyber Physical Systems for structural engineering and sustainability applications
  • Construction of narratives and communication of new perspectives on engineering and sustainability
  • Sustainable built environment and communities
Dr Mihaela Anca Ciupala

OVERVIEW

Dr Anca Ciupala obtained her five-year degree in Civil Engineering (Honours) and her PhD from the University of Technical University "Gh Asachi" Iasi, Romania.  She was awarded the EU Marie Curie Individual Research Fellowship, University of Sheffield, UK (2001-2003).

Dr Ciupala has 30 years of research and consultancy experience in the areas of earthquake engineering, structural design and materials, and FRP composites for construction. Her interests and experience have been extended to interdisciplinary work, including environmental engineering, digital science and analytics.  

Dr Ciupala has published more than 50 papers and book chapters.  She has contributed to multi-partner EU and UK Research Council-funded projects.  Dr Ciupala has been an active Associate researcher of the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) at UEL since its inception, playing an instrumental role in the development of the postgraduate research degrees capacity and the research activity of the institute. She regularly reviews research grant proposals for Europe and the national research councils of the UK.

Dr Ciupala was the Research Degrees Leader (RDL) and chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee (RDSC) in the School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering (2007-2023).  She is the Sustainability Champion in the School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, and she has served on other School and University committees, playing an active role to date.

Dr Ciupala is eager to take her interdisciplinary work further to narratives and communication of new perspectives on engineering and environmental subjects, and the educational perspective of disaster resilience in the built environment, in conjunction with Extended Reality Technology, and other innovative arts and creative industries.

External roles

 

  • Guest editor for international journals
  • Reviewer of  international journal manuscripts
  • PhD examiner
  • Member of EU  COST Action TU1207 "Next Generation Guidelines for Composite Reinforcements"
  • Member of the fib T5.1; International Federation for Structural Concrete, Task Group 5.1. on "FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymer) Reinforcement for Concrete Structures" , working party "Strengthening by FRP"
  • Expert evaluator for EU   Horizon Europe, EU Horizon 2020, and UK research proposals
  • Expert monitoring of EU Horizon 2020 research projects.

CURRENT RESEARCH

  • Structural seismic damage assessment and sustainable seismic retrofitting solutions for buildings
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cyber Physical Systems for structural engineering and sustainability applications
  • Sustainable built environment and communities

PhD supervision

Current:

  • Structural Seismic Damage Assessment using Deep Learning (Director of Studies) 2022 - date
  • A framework towards financing sustainable social housing in developing countries: A case of Ghana (Second supervisor) 2021 - date
  • Understanding construction industry constraints and their impact on project productivity (Second supervisor) 2020 - date
  • A Framework for the Evaluation of environmental sustainability in the Oil-rich Niger Delta (Second supervisor) 2020 - date
  • Can community participation rebalance housing land rights?  Case of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Director of Studies) 2018 - date

 Completed:

  • Data Quality Management in Large-Scale Cyber-Physical Systems (Director of Studies) 2021
  • An Investigation into the Treatment and Modelling of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) Air Pollution Control (APC) Residues (Second supervisor) 2019
  • A novel use for oil-contaminated drill cuttings in the manufacture of lightweight aggregate (Second supervisor) 2018
  • An investigation into the relationship between post-occupancy behaviour and energy efficiency in residential buildings (Director of Studies) 2017
  • Management and creation of Open Mosaic Habitat for invertebrate conservation (Second supervisor) 2018
  • An investigation into the sustainable design of green roofs in relation to their hydrological performance (Director of Studies), 2016
  • Brownfield-inspired green infrastructure: a new approach to urban biodiversity conservation (Second supervisor) 2016
  • Hygrothermal performance of hemp-based thermal insulation materials in the UK,  (Director of Studies) 2014
  • Influence of macro and microstructure on static and dynamic characteristics of peat soil (Second supervisor) 2011
  • Novel Uses of Vegetable Oil in Asphalt Mixtures (Second supervisor) 2011
  • Moisture movement in prehydrated geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) (Second supervisor) 2008

 

Dr Ciupala is welcoming PhD applications in the areas of:

  • Applied Artificial Intelligence to Structural and Environmental Engineering;
  • Structural Health Monitoring using machine / deep learning;
  • Data-driven sustainable seismic retrofitting solutions;
  • Extended Reality Technology in Sustainable Engineering and Construction.

Other research topics are welcome. 

The impact of Dr Ciupala's interdisciplinary research has been reflected in her consultancy work and her contribution to REF2021.

SELECTED RESEARCH GRANTS/ FUNDING

  • Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF) Networking grant; Strengthening housing resilience in Turkey: sustainable strategies for seismic retrofitting decisions; University of East London, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey (January 2021 - November 2022), UEL Lead partner/PI
  • Cyber-Physical Systems in the Smart Built Environment, UEL funded Undergraduate Internship, June - Nov 2019
  • Modular Design in the UK and China - Towards Zero-Carbon Mass Customised Housing; University of East London, Tongji University, China (March 2022 - December 2023); Co-PI
  • Sustainable Retrofitting Solutions, UEL-funded Undergraduate Internship (Nov 2021 - Feb 2022)
  • Research on Visual Datasets of structural damage in buildings, UEL-funded Graduate Internship (Nov 2021 - Feb 2022)
  • Advances in smart composite materials (synthetic and natural fibre-reinforced composite materials) for civil engineering applications, University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering Dept, USA; Visiting researcher (July - August 2019)
  • Data Integration of large-scale sensor node networks, UEL funded PhD Research Internship at Thingful Ltd, UK (April - June 2019)
  • Cyber-Physical Systems in the Smart Built Environment, UEL funded Undergraduate Internship, June - Nov 2019
  • Environmental Internet of Things (IoT),  Monnit wireless temperature sensors for real-time monitoring, UEL Impact Fund (April 2019), PI
  • Sustainable Engineering Education in Secondary Schools using Innovative Advanced Technology (sustainable engineering solutions /design of sustainable green roofs using information visualisation), School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering (ACE) and School of Arts and Creative Industries (ACI) (May-Oct 2016), PI
  • Seismic Strengthening of deficient reinforced concrete (RC) buildings using ductile post-tensioned metal strips, Seismic Engineering Research Infrastructure for European Strategies (SERIES), EU Framework Programme 7 (2010-2012); UEL research lead/partner
  • EU Marie Curie Research Fellowship (2001-2003), PI.

PRESS MEDIA

TEACHING

  • BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering

    Earn your BEng in Civil Engineering from the University of East London. Gain hands-on experience and industry-relevant skills to build a successful career in civil engineering.

  • BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

    Unlock the world of innovation and design with a mechanical engineering degree! Dive into a dynamic curriculum blending theory and practical application, guided by industry-leading staff.

  • BEng (Hons) Mechatronics Engineering

    In this mechatronics engineering course, develop analytical, problem-solving and scientific knowledge to design integrated electronics, controls, computers, and moving parts.

  • BEng (Hons) Railway Engineering

    Study a comprehensive Railway Engineering degree in London. Gain hands-on skills, industry exposure, and access to cutting-edge facilities for top railway engineering jobs.

  • MSc Structural Engineering

    Develop your engineering expertise in line with the ever-changing demands of the profession. Get your engineering career off to the best start.

  • MSc Civil Engineering

    Advance your engineering career with our accredited MSc Civil Engineering. Study in London's Docklands and gain essential skills. Apply now for Chartered status!

  • PGDip Structural Engineering

    We have designed our Postgraduate Diploma in Structural Engineering to develop your engineering expertise in line with the ever-changing demands of the profession.

  • PGDip Civil Engineering

    Develop your engineering expertise and acquire comprehensive understanding of the most up-to-date practices and theories in civil engineering.

  • MEng Civil Engineering (Integrated Masters)

    Advance your career with a Civil Engineering course. Gain hands-on experience, industry insight, and prepare for diverse civil engineering jobs with expert-led teaching and cutting-edge facilities.

MODULES

  • EG7033 Structural Dynamics and Stability
  • EG4015 Engineering Mechanics
  • EG7030 Applied Research and Engineering Practice; dissertation supervision
  • EG7065 Mental Wealth Professional Life (Applied Research); dissertation supervision
  • EG4019 Mental Wealth: Professional Life 1
  • EG6011 Capstone project supervision
  • EG6110 Dissertation supervision
  • EG7010 Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering

Publications

Browse past publications by year.

Full publications list

Visit the research repository to view a full list of publications

Research repository