Question & Answer
For more than a decade, Dr.
Alireza Bayat has been conduct-ing
world-renowned research
that impacts the heavy construction
industry at the University of Alberta.
“A career in engineering and con-struction
appealed to me as it offers
the scope to solve an interesting range
of problems,” he said. “As a civil engi-neer
with a strong background in geo-technical
and construction engineering,
I have the privilege of collaborating
with people from a variety of back-grounds
– whether from industry or
other academic disciplines – to address
current challenges and develop innova-tive
solutions that improve aspects of
daily life. I find it exciting to develop
research-based solutions that are found-ed
on sound science and have a positive
impact on society.”
As a graduate student, Bayat
completed his Ph.D. focused on
pavement engineering at the University
of Waterloo in Ontario, but was also
exposed to underground trenchless
construction over the course of his
studies, including developing software
for the design of horizontal directional
drilling projects.
Bayat joined the University of
Alberta in 2009 and leads pavement,
construction and geotechnical research.
Dr. Alireza Bayat,
University of Alberta
He also established the Integrated Road
Researche Facility (IRRF) and the
Consortium for Engineered Trenchless
Technologies (CETT). He became a full
professor in 2018 and currently holds
the NSERC Associate Industrial Resarch
Chair in Underground Trenchless
Construction. He is also the Ralph Haas/
Stantec Fellow in Civil Engineering.
Currently, Bayat supervises more
than 20 researchers in pavement engi-neering
and trenchless research, includ-ing
four postdoctoral fellows, graduate
students and undergraduate students.
“Overall, my time at the University
of Alberta has been very rewarding
so far and I look forward to what is
ahead,” he said.
Bayat spoke to Alberta Heavy about
his research and how he hopes that the
projects he works on have immediate,
positive impacts on industry.
What is the IRRF and what
are its goals?
Dr. Alireza Bayat (AB): The IRRF
was established in 2012 as a result of
a partnership between the University
of Alberta, Alberta Recycles, Alberta
Transportation, the City of Edmonton
and the Edmonton Waste Management
Facility. There was (and is) a major
problem related to the disposal of used
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