Violeta Firescu | Engineering education | Best Researcher Award

Mrs. Violeta Firescu | Engineering education | Best Researcher Award

Assistant professor, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Dr. Violeta Firescu is an Assistant Professor at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (TUCN), specializing in Management and Industrial Engineering. With a strong background in ergonomics, occupational health & safety (OHS), and human resource management, she has been actively involved in teaching, research, and project management. Her expertise spans human-centered design, international co-teaching, and higher education pedagogy. Over the years, she has led and contributed to multiple Erasmus+ and research projects, focusing on innovation in engineering education and workplace ergonomics. In addition to her academic roles, Dr. Firescu has served as a Project Manager, Quality Assurance Leader, and Research Expert in various international consortia, bridging academia and industry. She is dedicated to enhancing educational methodologies and industrial practices through multidisciplinary research and collaboration.

Profile

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🎓 Education

Dr. Violeta Firescu earned her PhD in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (TUCN) (2002–2010). Her doctoral research, titled “Integrated Work Design: Ergonomics and Communication in the Management of Production Systems,” explored the intersection of ergonomics, human factors, and communication strategies in production management.

👩‍🏫 Experience 

🔹Assistant Professor (2001 – Present) – Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (TUCN) Roles: Junior Teaching Assistant (2001-2004), Teaching Assistant (2004-2007), Senior Teaching Assistant (2007-2020), Assistant Professor (2020-present)  Responsibilities: Teaching, research, curriculum development, student mentoring

🏆 Awards & Honors 

🔹 Excellence in Teaching & Research Award – TUCN (2023) 🎖️ Best Paper Award – International Conference on Industrial Engineering (2022) 🏅  Outstanding Contribution to Erasmus+ Projects – European Commission (2021) 🌍 Distinguished Researcher in Ergonomics & OHS – Romanian Academy of Sciences (2020) 🏆

🔬 Research Focus 

Dr. Violeta Firescu specializes in ergonomics, human-centered design, and occupational health & safety (OHS). Her research integrates engineering, psychology, and management to improve workplace efficiency and well-being. She explores how ergonomics impacts human performance in production systems and industrial environments.

Publications

1️⃣“The Role of Ergonomics in Industrial Workplaces: A Human-Centered Approach”📖
2️⃣ “Improving Occupational Health & Safety through Smart Work Design” 🏗️
3️⃣ “Integrating Emotional & Sensorial Capacities in Engineering Education” 🎓
4️⃣ “Industry-Academia Collaboration: A Framework for Future Engineers” 🔗
5️⃣ “Human Capital and Market Performance: A Strategic Perspective” 💼
6️⃣ “Digital Transformation in Industrial Engineering Education” 🌐
7️⃣ “Enhancing Production Efficiency with Ergonomic Interventions” ⚙️
8️⃣ “Evaluating the Impact of Workplace Stress on Engineering Performance” 🚀
9️⃣ “Next-Gen Engineering: The Role of Emotional Intelligence & Innovation” 🤖
🔟 “Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice in Engineering Curricula” 🏫

Conclusion

Violeta Firescu is a strong contender for the Best Researcher Award due to her extensive experience, international collaboration, and leadership in engineering research projects. Strengthening her high-impact publications and innovation-driven research output could further solidify her case. 🚀

Yasmeen Obaidat | Structural eng | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Yasmeen Obaidat | Structural eng | Best Researcher Award

Professor at ordan university of science and technology, Jordan

Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Jordan University of Science & Technology (JUST). 📚 Earned a Ph.D. from Lund University, Sweden (2011), and MSc/BSc from JUST. 🏗️ Expert in structural retrofitting, nonlinear finite element modeling, and AI applications in civil engineering. 🌍 Active researcher with 40+ publications and contributor to academic growth at JUST and Yarmouk University. 🎓 Dedicated mentor, supervisor, and conference participant.

 

Publication Profile

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Education🎓

Ph.D.: Civil Engineering, Structural Mechanics, Lund University, Sweden (2011). Dissertation: Structural retrofitting of concrete beams using FRP Licentiate: Structural Mechanics, Lund University, Sweden (2009). Thesis: Retrofitting reinforced concrete beams with CFRP. M.Sc.: Structural Engineering, JUST, Jordan (2007). Thesis: Retrofitting RC beams with composite laminates. B.Sc.: Structural Engineering, JUST, Jordan (2004).

Experience🧑‍🏫

Professor, Civil Engineering, JUST (2023-present). Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, JUST (2012-2019). Head of Civil Engineering Department, Yarmouk University (2012-2015). Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering, JUST and Yarmouk University. Established civil engineering labs and supervised 50+ undergrad projects.

Awards and Honors🏆

Member of Undergraduate Projects Committee, Jordanian Engineers Association (2019-present).  Instrumental in academic and research partnerships nationally and internationally.  Established civil engineering labs at Yarmouk University.  Significant contributions to faculty development at JUST and Yarmouk University.

Research Focus🔍 

Structural retrofitting and strengthening with FRP materials.  Nonlinear finite element modeling in civil engineering applications. AI integration in structural engineering solutions  Climatic design for sustainable civil engineering practices.  Published 40+ peer-reviewed articles and supervised MSc/PhD students.

Publication  Top Notes

“The effect of CFRP and CFRP/concrete interface models when modelling retrofitted RC beams with FEM”
📄 Composite Structures (2010), 92(6), pp. 1391–1398.
👀 Cited 369 times, this study investigates finite element modeling (FEM) techniques for retrofitted RC beams using CFRP.

“Retrofitting of reinforced concrete beams using composite laminates”
📄 Construction and Building Materials (2011), 25(2), pp. 591–597.
🔗 Cited 202 times, this article explores composite laminate retrofitting for RC beams, focusing on structural performance.

“Retrofitting of partially damaged reinforced concrete beam-column joints using various plate-configurations of CFRP under cyclic loading”
📄 Construction and Building Materials (2019), 198, pp. 313–322.
🌐 Cited 72 times, it examines innovative CFRP configurations for seismic retrofitting of RC joints.

“Evaluation of parameters of bond action between FRP and concrete”
📄 Journal of Composites for Construction (2013), 17(5), pp. 626–635.
📊 Cited 62 times, focuses on critical bond parameters affecting FRP-concrete interaction.

“Effect of olive waste (Husk) on behavior of cement paste”
📄 Case Studies in Construction Materials (2016), 5, pp. 19–25.
🌱 Cited 58 times, investigates the sustainable use of olive waste in cement paste formulations.

“Structural retrofitting of concrete beams using FRP-debonding issues”
📄 Doctoral Dissertation (2011).
📗 Cited 54 times, addresses challenges of FRP debonding in structural retrofitting applications.

“A new technique for repairing reinforced concrete columns”
📄 Journal of Building Engineering (2020), 30, 101256.
🏗️ Cited 44 times, proposes an innovative column repair method using CFRP.

“Non-linear finite-element investigation of the parameters affecting externally-bonded FRP flexural-strengthened RC beams”
📄 Results in Engineering (2020), 8, 100168.
🖥️ Cited 42 times, presents a FEM analysis for flexural strengthening of RC beams.

“New anchorage technique for NSM-CFRP flexural strengthened RC beam using steel clamped end plate”
📄 Construction and Building Materials (2020), 263, 120246.
🚧 Cited 40 times, this work details advanced anchorage solutions for NSM-CFRP systems.

“Performance of RC beam strengthened with NSM-CFRP strip under pure torsion: Experimental and numerical study”
📄 International Journal of Civil Engineering (2020), 18, pp. 585–593.
🔄 Cited 38 times, investigates the torsional strengthening of RC beams using NSM-CFRP strips.

“Shear strengthening of RC beams using near-surface mounted carbon fibre-reinforced polymers”
📄 Australian Journal of Structural Engineering (2019), 20(1), pp. 54–62.
✂️ Cited 38 times, explores NSM-CFRP applications for shear strength enhancement.

“Compressive strength prediction of lightweight short columns at elevated temperature using gene expression programming and artificial neural network”
📄 Journal of Civil Engineering and Management (2020), 26(2), pp. 189–199.
🔥 Cited 27 times, uses AI to predict structural performance under heat stress.

“Case study on production of self-compacting concrete using white cement by-pass dust”
📄 Case Studies in Construction Materials (2018), 9, e00190.
🔍 Cited 27 times, highlights sustainable concrete production methods.

“Effect of aggregate size on the bond behavior between carbon fiber–reinforced polymer sheets and concrete”
📄 Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering (2019), 31(12), 04019295.
📐 Cited 24 times, examines how aggregate size impacts CFRP-concrete bond behavior.

“Effect of elevated temperature on the bond behavior between NSM-CFRP strips and recycled aggregate concrete”
📄 Construction and Building Materials (2020), 251, 118970.
🌡️ Cited 22 times, investigates bond integrity under heat exposure.

“Behavior of NSM CFRP reinforced concrete columns: Experimental and analytical work”
📄 Case Studies in Construction Materials (2021), 15, e00589.
🏗️ Cited 21 times, combines experimental and analytical approaches to column strengthening.

“A nonlinear finite element model for shear deficient heat-damaged concrete beams repaired using NSM CFRP strips”
📄 Construction and Building Materials (2018), 170, pp. 314–325.
🔨 Cited 21 times, provides a FEM-based solution for repairing heat-damaged beams.

“Repair of heat-damaged SCC cantilever beams using SNSM CFRP strips”
📄 Structures (2020), 24, pp. 151–162.
🔧 Cited 20 times, focuses on repairing SCC beams using advanced CFRP techniques.

“Innovative strengthening schemes of concrete cantilever beams using CFRP sheets: End anchorage effect”
📄 Construction and Building Materials (2018), 190, pp. 1215–1225.
💡 Cited 17 times, analyzes the end anchorage impact in CFRP-strengthened beams.

Conclusion

The candidate demonstrates exceptional qualifications and achievements in structural mechanics, retrofitting techniques, and civil engineering education. Their blend of academic excellence, research productivity, leadership roles, and mentorship makes them a strong contender for the Best Researcher Award. By focusing on enhancing global impact and diversifying research interests, they can further solidify their stature as a leading researcher.