Engineering and Built Environment

Hero Carousel

Play

Meet Adam

Adam, a Civil Engineering apprentice, comes from a working-class background and is the first in his family to go to university. He shares how it’s never too late to follow your passion - if there’s something you want to do and it’s what you love, go for it, because there are opportunities out there.

Our Civil Engineering degree fosters creativity and innovation, enabling students to use advanced digital tools to bring their ideas to life through real-world structures and systems.

Why choose Engineering and Built Environment

Decorative

Industry-accredited, career-focused courses

Our engineering programmes are accredited by top professional bodies including the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM), the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES), and the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB). This ensures your degree meets industry standards and prepares you for immediate progression into the professional world.

Decorative

Real-world learning through industry partnerships

Through unique collaborations - like our Living Lab partnership with Siemens - students gain hands-on experience on cutting-edge projects such as biomedical retrofitting and autonomous vehicle development. Regular site visits to major engineering and construction projects in London provide valuable insight and real-world exposure, enhancing your employability from day one.

Decorative

Access to cutting-edge facilities and expert staff

Study in some of the best-equipped engineering labs in the UK, with access to hydraulic testing systems, robotic arms, fluid dynamics channels, CNC machines, and a 3D manufacturing suite. Our academic staff bring extensive industry experience and research leadership, supporting your development in a collaborative, cross-disciplinary environment focused on SMART systems, innovation, and sustainability.

Explore undergraduate courses

Explore postgraduate courses

Careers focused teaching

Graduates from the University of East London’s engineering programmes are well-prepared for diverse careers across multiple industries, thanks to UEL’s focus on practical skills, innovation, and employability. With expertise in areas such as electrical, mechanical, structural, and civil engineering, graduates are in demand across sectors like construction, transport, energy, and manufacturing.

Many go on to shape major infrastructure projects, develop smart transport systems, or contribute to renewable energy and sustainable utilities. Others work in aerospace, automotive, defence, and advanced manufacturing, applying engineering to cutting-edge technologies and innovation. Opportunities also exist in marine engineering, healthcare technology, and sport performance, where engineers design solutions that impact everyday life.

Some graduates choose to continue with postgraduate research or doctoral studies, leading to careers in academia or advanced technical roles. Supported by strong industry links and real-world learning, UEL engineering graduates are ready to lead and adapt in a fast-evolving global job market.

ACE Electronic Engineering Laboratory
Mechanical engineers are responsible for conceiving, designing, manufacturing, testing and marketing devices and systems that alter, transfer, transform and utilise the energy forms that cause motion. A mechanical engineer is something of a jack-of-all-trades with problem-solving and analytical abilities. This makes them a multi-skilled employee."

Dr Kalok Lee

Mechanical Engineering, BEng (Hons) Course Leader

Make an impact

The engineering and built environment cluster has an integrated research structure to enable major engineering challenges to be tackled effectively.

The subject cluster has world-class and unique facilities, internationally established research leaders, a strong Postgraduate Research population and a culture of innovation and enterprise. 

The five Research Themes are:

1. Connected Devices and Smart Systems

Lead: Dr Jaswinder Lota

This group works towards the development of novel devices and systems for building future environments with higher connectivity, for good health and improving quality of life.

Research topics include:

  • Next generation mobile communication, including beyond (B) 5G/6G/THz
  • Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication
  • Biomedical Systems
  • Connectivity in biomedical sensors for online/IoT-based monitoring
  • Smart manufacturing

To learn more or see how to join the team, email:

Dr Jaswinder Lota j.lota@uel.ac.uk

Dr Samir Morad S.Morad@uel.ac.uk (Biomedical Systems)

or Dr Subramaniam Arunachalam S.Arunachalam@uel.ac.uk (manufacturing)

2. Innovative Materials and Construction Systems

Lead: Dr Ali Abbas

This research team works towards the development of innovative materials and construction systems towards the improvement of the current construction practice, quality of life and the environment.

Research topics include:

  • Structural engineering for employing eco-friendly and lightweight composite structures, such as steel-concrete and fibre reinforced polymer structures, structural analysis and design.
  • Numerical modelling and experimental work, performance assessment of corroded reinforced concrete structures, stochastic deterioration modelling and reliability.
  • Construction management, including decision support systems and hazard preventive solutions. 

To learn more or see how to join the team, email: 

Ali Abbas - a.abbas@uel.ac.uk

3. Emerging Geohazards

Lead: Dr Arya Assadi-Langroudi

The team studies the mechanisms of classic and emerging ground hazards, their early prediction, prevention, mitigation and recovery through a new generation of technologies that are citizen-centric, more tailored, less intrusive and more courteous to the natural ground systems. Research topics include: 

  • Monotonic, dynamic, and anisotropic properties of geocomposite materials;
  • Micromechanics of granular matters;
  • Problematic soils in particular, expansive and collapsing soils, loess and liquefiable soils;
  • Advanced numerical analysis (FEM, RSFEM, FDM, DEM-CFD, …)

To learn more or see how to join the team, email: 

Dr Arya Assadi Langroudi - A.AssadiLangroudi@uel.ac.uk

4. Flood Risk Modelling and Mapping

Lead: Dr Ravindra Jayaratne

Research topics within this group include:

  • Coastal and river engineering, prevention mechanisms for tsunamis, storm surges and high waves
  • Advanced algorithms for processing survey data and flood risk management
  • Performance assessment of deteriorating infrastructures and flood risk management with stochastic modelling, improving reliability and optimising maintenance

To learn more or see how to join the team, email: 

Dr Ravindra Jayaratne - r.jayaratne@uel.ac.uk

5. Sustainable Urban Built Environment

Lead: Dr Mihaela Ciupala

Research topics include:

1. Smart Sustainability:

  • Exploiting environmental and engineering data to address data quality in large-scale Cyber Physical Systems in Smart Cities/places;
  • Digital technology: BIM, Digital Twin technology, IoT in construction;


2. Sustainable Engineering/Built Environment:

  • Retrofitting solutions: Sustainable Smart retrofitting solutions for energy efficiency in housing; Sustainable Engineering solutions: seismic retrofitting of RC frames with innovative materials (carbon fibre polymer materials);
  • Green infrastructure and ecological systems; resource management;
  • Safety and well-being of individuals and communities;


3. Sustainable Construction:

  • Sustainable Project Management;
  • Sustainable International Development; Global cooperation, Sustainable infrastructure development;
  • ICT in Construction;
  • Green building construction technology

To learn more or see how to join the team, email: 

Dr Mihaela Ciupala - m.a.ciupala@uel.ac.uk

Take a virtual tour of our facilities

  • Engineering Workspaces

    We have dedicated laboratory facilities for engineering at our Docklands Campus.

  • Flight Simulator

    Our state of the art flight simulator is used by students on our engineering courses.

  • Hydraulics Lab

    The hydraulics laboratory contains numerous valuable tools for hydraulics and water management engineering.

  • Mechanical Engineering Suite

    Our refurbished Mechanical Workshops house manual milling machines, lathes, HAAS CNC machines, and hot processing facilities.

Why choose UEL?

  • Ciara - Apprenticeships - University of East London
    Image 1 of x
  • Engineering at UEL
    Image 1 of x
  • Dr Arya Assadi Langroudi, Head of Engineering at UEL, gives a masterclass on Biomimetics for Engineering
    Image 1 of x
  • Dr Sohrab Donyavi, Senior Lecturer in Construction and Engineering, provides a masterclass on sustainable construction and digital innovation
    Image 1 of x
  • ACE Showcase - 2025
    Image 1 of x