Applied Laboratory for Advanced Materials & Structures (ALAMS)

School of Engineering · UBC Okanagan

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Resilient and sustainable structures

The Applied Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Structures (ALAMS) is a research group in the School of Engineering at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus, led by Dr. M. Shahria Alam. Its research focuses on resilient and sustainable civil infrastructure, including shape memory alloys and smart materials in earthquake engineering; seismic resilience, rehabilitation, and retrofit of structures and bridges; low-carbon and sustainable construction materials; and performance-based, life-cycle, and machine-learning-based design.

Meet the team

AcuTruss IndustriesAustin EngineeringAuthenTech HomesBAH Enterprises Inc.Canada Foundation for InnovationCanam GroupDillon ConsultingDinoflexFortisBCGeotilityGoodco Z-TechKon KastKelowna Ready MixLiberty Tire RecyclingLock-Block Ltd.MitacsNSERCOK Builders SuppliesPolyRAPRapid-SpanS-FRAME SoftwareStructurlam Mass TimberWilden

Research supported by NSERC, Mitacs, NRC, and Public and Private Industry Partners.

From our industry partners

Mike JacobsChairman, Emil Anderson Group

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Recent Highlights

2026

Horst Leipholz Medal

Dr. Alam received the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering’s Horst Leipholz Medal — one of the society’s highest honours — recognizing outstanding contributions to engineering mechanics research and practice in Canada.

2026

Fellow, Engineering Institute of Canada

Dr. Alam was elected a Fellow of the EIC, adding to his elected Fellowships of the ASCE and CSCE in 2024.

2024

Killam Faculty Research Prize

Dr. Alam received UBC’s Killam Faculty Research Prize — awarded to just ten UBC researchers each year for outstanding research making a significant impact — recognizing his work on durable, resilient, and more sustainable construction materials.

Research Areas

01

Smart Materials & Shape Memory Alloys

Shape memory alloys and smart materials in earthquake engineering.

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Seismic Resilience & Rehabilitation

Seismic resilience, rehabilitation, and retrofit of structures and bridges.

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Green & Low-Carbon Construction

Low-carbon and sustainable construction materials.

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Performance-Based & Data-Driven Design

Performance-based, life-cycle, and machine-learning-based design.

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ALAMS at a glance

$25M+In research funding & counting
500+Publications
50+Graduate students graduated
2009Leading research at UBC Okanagan since

Featured Publications

  • Hybrid machine learning-enabled multivariate bridge-specific seismic vulnerability and resilience assessment of UHPC bridgesWakjira, T. G., & Alam, M. S. (2025). Resilient Cities and Structures, 4(2), 92–102.
  • Self-centering steel structures for seismic resilience: a critical review of the latest trends and future needsHu, S., Chen, Y., Guo, T., Karavasilis, T. L., Alam, M. S., & Koetaka, Y. (2026). Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 244, 110441.
  • High-performance mortars incorporating copper–molybdenum mine tailings: mechanical and durability characteristicsKanaan, D., & Alam, M. S. (2026). Cement and Concrete Composites.

View all publications →

For a complete list of publications, see Dr. Alam’s Google Scholar (opens in a new tab).

Get in touch

For research collaborations or inquiries about our work, contact the lab.

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