News

Dalhousie Engineering is proud to celebrate the remarkable achievements of three exceptional faculty members. From advancing hydrological sciences and thermal energy systems to revolutionizing foundation engineering, their ground-breaking research and leadership is driving innovation and addressing global challenges that impact academia and communities around the world.

Dr. Barret Kurylyk:

Dr. Barret Kurylyk, an associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Coastal Water Resources, has been selected to receive the prestigious Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to hydrology, specifically his research on groundwater resources and the impacts on climate change, particularly in Arctic and coastal regions. Dr. Kurylyk’s work addresses critical challenges like saltwater intrusion, rising sea levels, and the impacts of climate change on water systems in cold regions.

Dr. Kurylyk’s leadership extends beyond research, serving as President of the Canadian Geophysical Union's Hydrology Section and holding roles in several national and international hydrology organizations, including AGU and the Canadian Water Resources Association.

Within Dal’s Faculty of engineering, Dr. Kurylyk leads the Dalhousie Coastal Hydrology Lab, where his team utilizes cutting-edge technologies to study interactions between atmospheric, oceanic, surface water, and groundwater systems. Their research supports water security and community resilience initiatives, working closely with First Nation and rural communities across Canada.

Dr. Dominic Groulx:

Dr. Dominic Groulx, a professor in Dalhousie’s Mechanical Engineering department, has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to the field of thermal fluid and energy systems. Elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the prestigious honor is awarded to individuals who demonstrate exceptional engineering achievements. Dr. Groulx’s research is centered on thermal energy storage and multiphase thermal processes, with a focus on phase change materials (PCMs) used in renewable energy systems and thermal management,.

Dr. Groulx is the founder and director of the Laboratory of Applied Multiphase Thermal Engineering (LAMTE), where his team explores solid-liquid phase change heat transfer and energy storage.

In addition to his research, Dr. Groulx holds notable leadership roles, including Head of Dalhousie Department of Mechanical Engineering, as well the founding chair of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) National Heat Transfer Technical Committee and as the senior Canadian delegate to the International Heat Transfer Conference and the International Center for Heat and Mass Transfer.

Dr. Hany El Naggar:

Dr. Hany El Naggar, a professor of Geostructural Engineering at Dalhousie University’s Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, has been awarded the prestigious G. Geoffrey Meyerhof Award by the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS). The award celebrates his outstanding contributions to soil mechanics and foundation engineering. Dr. El Naggar’s pioneering work on the seismic performance of corrugated steel plate culverts led to important revisions in the seismic provisions of the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CHBDC, 2019), ensuring safer and more resilient infrastructure across Canada.

Dr. El Naggar’s influence extends further with his contributions to the 5th edition of the Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual (CFEM, 2023), where he introduced a new pile design procedure. This innovation greatly improved the consistency of pile capacity calculations among different designers, reducing discrepancies and fostering more reliable designs. His expertise also includes the modeling of buried concrete structures, with his work on rigid pipes being highlighted as a best practice example in the CHBDC (2019).

With more than 20 keynote addresses, over $3.5 million in research funding, and the supervision of more than 50 graduate students, Dr. El Naggar has had a significant impact on both academia and the engineering industry.