Rate My Professor Gobithas Tharmarajah

Dr. Gobithas Tharmarajah serves as Lecturer at Curtin Colombo within the Global Curtin portfolio at Curtin University and as University Associate in the Faculty of Science and Engineering since 2016. He earned his PhD in Structural Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom, in 2011, and a B.Sc. Engineering (First Class Honours) in Civil Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, in 2007. His career encompasses leadership roles such as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), Senior Treasurer of the Faculty of Engineering at SLIIT since 2013, Acting Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at SLIIT in 2016, Structural Consultant and Chief Technology Officer at MVIVO (Pvt) Ltd. from 2018 to 2022, Research Engineer at Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland from 2011 to 2012, and Postgraduate Researcher at Queen’s University Belfast from 2007 to 2010. Earlier positions include CAD Designer Intern at The Culver Group Inc. in California and Trainee Structural Engineer at Stems Consultants (Pvt) Ltd. in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Tharmarajah’s research focuses on the application of natural, steel, and plastic fibres in fiber-reinforced concrete, fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement for sustainable civil infrastructure, nonlinear analysis of composite structures, modular structures, and non-destructive evaluation of concrete structures for corrosion. Ongoing projects involve natural fibres in cement-based composites, bridge health monitoring systems, and numerical evaluation of FRP-reinforced flexural members. Notable publications include the journal article “Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Compressive Membrane Action in GFRP-Reinforced Concrete Slabs” in Polymers (2023), “Corrosion-resistant FRP reinforcement for bridge deck slabs” in Proceedings of ICE - Bridge Engineering (2015), “Evaluation of corrosion-resistant basalt-fiber-reinforced polymer bars and carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer grid reinforcement to replace steel in precast concrete underground utility vaults” in PCI Journal (2016), and “Effect of Surface Modification and Fibre Content on the Mechanical Properties of Coconut Fibre Reinforced Concrete” in Advanced Materials Research (2020). He has also contributed book chapters such as “Arching Action in Laterally Restrained GFRP Reinforced Slabs” (2011) and conference proceedings on FRP-reinforced slabs. Awards include the ORSAS Fellowship from Queen’s University Belfast (2007-2010), Best Civil Engineering Comprehensive Design Project from the University of Moratuwa (2007), and Dean’s List honors (2004-2006). He is a Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia and an Associate Member of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka.