About

I am an Associate Professor (Research) in the College of Science and Engineering. My duties include teaching and tutorial guidance for under- and post-graduate students, programme leadership, research and industrial consultancy services. I am teaching modules of Mathematics, Materials and Structures; supervising PhD and students' final year projects; and carrying out research in the development and application of advanced testing and computational methods for solving problems in multi-disciplinary areas, and my work is based predominantly in different disciplines of engineering, including structural, mechanical, manufacturing and medical-biological engineering.

Teaching responsibilities

• Engineering Mathematics
• Structural Analysis and Design
• Construction Materials Technology
• Independent Studies

Professional interests

I studied MPhil and PhD programmes in Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham, and at the same time, I worked as a Teaching Assistant for teaching in some undergraduate modules and giving support to students' final year projects. I graduated from my doctoral studies at the University of Birmingham in 2006 before beginning a four-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the same university in a research project where I used the best practices in structural and mechanical engineering to solve problems for biomaterials and cells in tissue engineering.

I then moved to industry where I spent seven years with Hadley Industries plc, a cold roll formed steel manufacturer, working as a Research & Development Engineer in technology and product design development projects for steel building products.

I have been collaborating in teaching and research with some universities in the UK and Vietnam. I was an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham for three years after I finished my Research Fellowship there in 2009. I have been a Senior Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Engineering and Design at the University of Sussex since 2015, a guest lecturer at Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Loughborough since 2012 and am working in collaboration with Hadley Group Technology, Hadley Industries plc.

Research interests

My principal research interests lie in the areas of mechanics of materials including biomaterials, material and structural testing, numerical modelling, Finite Element analysis. I am keen on carrying out research that has innovative ideas and industrial specific applications. In particular, I am applying advanced research methods for the following areas:

• Characterising material properties of materials used in different applications including construction-, composite-, bio- and nano-materials
• Product and process design and development including design optimisation for lightweight structures
• Thermal and acoustic performance of materials and structures in building construction
• Developing new theoretical models for plates of nano-materials under mechanical forces and vibrations
• Concrete and reinforced concrete structures under earthquake loading

Membership of professional bodies

Qualifications

• Diploma in Management and Leadership, Chartered Management Institute, UK
• BEng in Civil Engineering (major in Bridge and Highway Engineering), University of Transportation, Vietnam
• MPhil in Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham, UK
• PhD in Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham, UK

Recent conferences

• Nguyen, V.B., Ngo, C.P., Pham, N.B., Nguyen, T,P., Le, V.P., Nguyen, V.H., (2019). Creep behavior and rutting resistance of asphalt pavements by experimental testing and Finite Element modelling. CIGOS (Congrès International de Géotechnique - Ouvrages - Structures) - Innovation for Sustainable Infrastructure, 31 October - 1 November, Ha noi, Vietnam
• Nguyen, V.B., and English, M.E., (2018). The optimization of thin-walled cold rolled products using Finite Element modelling and Design of Experiments. The 8th International Conference on Thin-Walled Structures (ICTWS 2018), Lisbon, Portugal, July 24-27, 2018
• Nguyen, V.B., and English, M.E., (2017). Effects of cold roll dimpling process on mechanical and structural properties of dimpled steel. The International Conference on the Technology of Plasticity, ICTP 2017, 17-22 September 2017, Cambridge, United Kingdom
• Nguyen, V.B., Le, C.H., Zhang, z., Lee, R., Nguyen, T.A., and Packianather, M.S., (2016). Recent advances in experimental testing and computational modelling for characterisation of mechanical properties of biomaterials and biological cells. In: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on the Development of Biomedical Engineering: Healthcare Technology for Developing Countries, 27-29 June 2016, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, pp. 62-65
• Nguyen, V.B., Wood, P.K.C., English, M.A., and Castellucci, M.A., (2016). The design and development of new cold roll formed products by finite element modelling and optimisation. In: Proceedings of the 23rd International Specialty Conference on Cold-formed Steel Structures, 9-10 November, 2016, Baltimore Maryland, USA, pp. 29-40
• Nguyen, V.B., Cartwright, B., and English, M.A., (2016). Design of new cold rolled purlins by experimental testing and Direct Strength Method. In: Proceedings of the 23rd International Specialty Conference on Cold-formed Steel Structures, 9-10 November, 2016, Baltimore Maryland, USA, pp. 697-711
• Nguyen, V.B., English, M.A., and Castellucci, M.A., (2015). Finite Element techniques for new process and product developments in metal forming industry. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Cold Forming Congress, p.178-185, Glasgow, UK

Experience in industry

I had four years working as a graduate engineer and then as a principle engineer in several bridge engineering projects at the University of Transportation, Nippon Engineering Consultants Co. Ltd, Vietnam. I had prestigious internships with Tedi South, a leading consultant for civil and structural engineering services in Vietnam and with the construction of My Thuan Bridge, the first cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam.

I spent seven years with Hadley Group Technology, Hadley Industries plc, working as a Research & Development Engineer where I committed to improving the structural performance of steel building products through the use of advanced methods including design codes (American, British and European codes), physical testing, analytical and numerical modelling using Finite Element Analysis. This included a three-year KTP project where I worked as a research engineer associate linked with the University of Wolverhampton. My KTP project obtained an 'Outstanding' grade and nominated as a finalist for the Best KTP Award in 2013 by the UK Technology Strategy Board.

Recently, I have been working on a number of industrial consultancy projects including ERDF projects on the development of new products and delivery of training courses on analysis and design of reinforced concrete structures.

International experience

I am a Foreign Talent in the Vietnam FIRST project’s “Foreign Talents STI Grants” in collaboration with the University of Transport and Communications, Vietnam. The research project is about the development of numerical simulation and optimization technologies for optimal performance of concrete asphalt pavements taking into account the changes in traffic and climate conditions. I am also a guest lecturer at some universities in Vietnam.

Recent publications

• Malikan, M., Nguyen, V.B., (2019). Dynamic modeling of non-cylindrical curved viscoelastic single-walled carbon nanotubes based on the second gradient theory. Materials Research Express, 6, 1-17.
• Malikan, M., Nguyen, V.B., Tornabene, F., (2018). Electromagnetic forced vibrations of composite nanoplates using nonlocal strain gradient theory.  Materials Research Express, 5, 1-20
• Malikan, M., Nguyen, V.B., (2018). Damped forced vibration analysis of single-walled carbon nanotubes resting on viscoelastic foundation in thermal environment using nonlocal strain gradient theory. Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal, 21, 778-786
• Malikan, M., Nguyen, V.B., (2018). Buckling analysis of piezo-magnetoelectric nanoplates in hygrothermal environment based on a novel one variable plate theory combining with higher-order nonlocal strain gradient theory. Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, 102, 8-28.
• Nguyen, V.B., and English, M.E., (2017). Effects of cold roll dimpling process on mechanical and structural properties of dimpled steel. Procedia Engineering, 207, 1290-1295
• Nguyen, V.B., Pham, C.H., Cartwright, B., and English, M.A., (2017). Design of new cold rolled purlins by experimental testing and Direct Strength Method. Thin-Walled Structures, 118, 105-112
• Liang, C., Wang, C.J., Nguyen, V.B., English, M., Mynors, D., (2017). Experimental and numerical study on crashworthiness of cold-formed dimpled steel columns. Thin-Walled Structures, 112, 83-91.
• Nguyen, V.B., Mynors, D.J., Wang, C.J., Castellucci, M.A., and English, M.A., (2016). Analysis and design of cold-formed dimpled steel columns using Finite Element techniques. Finite Elements in Analysis and Design, 108, 22-31
• Nguyen, V.B., Morgan, T., English, M.A., and Castellucci, M.A., (2015). Vibro-acoustic performance of different steel stud profiles in double-leaf walls by Finite Element analysis. Journal of Building Acoustics, 22(2), 65-80
• Arjunan, A., Wang, C.J., Yahiaoui, K., Mynors, D.J., Morgan, T., Nguyen, V.B., and English, M., (2014). Development of a 3D finite element acoustic model to predict the sound reduction index of stud based double-leaf walls. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 333, 6140-6155
• Nguyen, V.B., Wang, C.J., Mynors, D.J., Castellucci, M.A., and English, M.A., (2014). Dimpling process in cold roll metal forming by finite element modelling and experimental validation. Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 16, 363-372
• Nguyen, V.B., Wang, C.J., Mynors, D.J., Castellucci, M.A., and English, M.A., (2013). Finite Element simulation on mechanical and structural properties of cold-formed dimpled steel. Thin-Walled Structures, 64, 13-22
• Nguyen, V.B., Wang, C.J., Mynors, D.J., English, M.A., and Castellucci, M.A., (2012). Compression tests of cold-formed plain and dimpled steel columns. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 69, 20-29
• Nguyen, V.B., Wang, C.J., Mynors, D.J., English, M.A., and Castellucci, M.A., (2011). Mechanical properties and structural behaviour of cold-rolled formed dimpled steel. Steel Research International, Special Issue, 1072-1077
• Mercade-Prieto, R., Nguyen, V.B., Allen, R., York, D., Preece, J.A., Goodwin, T.E., Zhang, Z., (2011). Determination of the elastic properties of single microcapsules using micromanipulation and finite element modelling. Chemical Engineering Science, 66, 2042-2049
• Nguyen, V.B., Wang, Q.G., Kuiper, N.J., El Haj, A.J., Thomas, C.R., and Zhang, Z., (2010). Biomechanical properties of single chondrocytes and chondrons determined by micro compression and finite element modelling. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 7, 1723-1733
• Nguyen, V.B., Thomas, C.R., and Zhang, Z., (2009). Mechanical properties of single alginate microspheres determined by microcompression and FE modelling. Chemical Engineering Science, 64, 821-829
• Wang, Q.G., Nguyen, V.B., Thomas, C.R., Zhang, Z., El Haj, A.J., and Kuiper, N.J., (2010). Molecular profiling of single cells in response to mechanical force: comparison of chondrocytes, chondrons and encapsulated chondrocytes. Biomaterials, 31, 1619-1625
• Nguyen, V.B., and Chan, A.H.C., (2006).  Smeared crack models for reinforced concrete bridge piers under cyclic loading. Proceedings of the Eight International Conference on Computational Structures Technology (CST) and the Fifth International Conference on Engineering Computational Technology (ECT), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, Paper No. 125
• Nguyen, V.B., Chan, A.H.C., (2004). Non-linear analysis for reinforced concrete structural members under randomly generated artificial earthquake-like ground motion. Proceedings of the 5th International PhD Symposium in Civil Engineering, 16-19 June, 2004, Delft, the Netherlands.  Vol. 2, 961-969. A. A. Balkema Publisher, London