👥 The WISE Research Team: Driving Innovation and Collaboration
The Windstorm Impact, Science, and Engineering (WISE) Research Group is an inclusive, collaborative team led by Dr. Aly, dedicated to advancing resilient and sustainable coastal infrastructure. Our work spans Wind Engineering and Structural Optimization, leveraging diverse perspectives to tackle complex challenges.
👨🏫 Faculty Director
Dr. Aly Mousaad Aly, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, M.ASME
Title: Associate Professor, Director, WISE Research Lab @ LSU
Affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, LSU
Office: 3230H Patrick F. Taylor Hall
Contact: aly@lsu.edu | (225) 578-6654
Focus: Wind Engineering, Structural Dynamics, Machine Learning
Curriculum Vitae [PDF] (Last update on March 2nd, 2023)
🎓 Current Graduate Students
Binura J Kudagam
Role: Ph.D. Candidate, Wind Engineering
Status: Successfully Passed the Qualifying Exam
Focus: Advanced wind load analysis and structural response.
Feng Xie, P.E.
Role: Ph.D. Candidate, Wind/Structural Engineering
Status: Successfully Passed the General Exam
Focus: Integrating structural analysis with wind engineering solutions.
Amro Zahrawi
Role: Ph.D. Candidate, Aeroelasticity
Status: Successfully Passed the General Exam
Focus: Study of fluid-structure interaction and aeroelastic stability.
📝 Current Undergraduate Students
Hannah T Lowery
Role: Undergraduate Student Researcher
Discipline: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Ethan Fenton
Role: Undergraduate Student Researcher
Discipline: Computer Engineering
🌟 Alumni: Postdoctoral and Ph.D. Graduates
Dr. Milad Rezae, P.E.
Graduation: Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2017
Thesis: Vibration Control in Wind Turbines for Multihazards
WISE Affiliation: Postdoctoral Researcher, 2017
Current Position: Structural Engineer at AECOM
Dr. Hamzeh Gol-Zaroudi, PE, CEEM
Graduation: Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2017
Thesis: Atmospheric Boundary-layer Processes to Mimic Peak Pressures on Low-Rise Buildings
WISE Affiliation: Postdoctoral Researcher, 2017-2018
Current Position: Senior Catastrophe Modeling Analyst, Brown & Brown Insurance
Husam AlShannaq, Ph.D.
Graduation: Ph.D., fall 2025.
Thesis: Development of a Comprehensive Framework for Predicting Fatigue in Wind Turbine Blades: Integrating Finite Element, Experimental Testing, and Artificial Intelligence for Enhanced Renewable Energy Sustainability
Md Faiaz Khaled, Ph.D.
Thesis: Aerodynamics of Low-Rise Buildings: Large-Scale Open-Jet Testing and CFD Simulation
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Graduation: Ph.D., fall 2022; and M.S., summer 2022.
Thesis: Aerodynamics of Low-Rise Buildings: Large-Scale Open-Jet Testing and CFD Simulation
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Texas Tech.
Suvash Chapain, Ph.D. , EIT
Graduation: Ph.D., 2021
Thesis: Vibration Control in High-Rise Buildings and Wind Turbines to Achieve System-Level Performance Under Multiple Hazard Loads
Current Position: Structural Design Engineer, Ferrovial Construction
📈 Alumni: M.S. Graduates
Husam AlShannaq
Thesis: Predicting Fatigue in Wind Turbine Blades: An Integrated Approach Using OpenFAST And ANSYS (Fall 2024).
James Lawson Powers
Thesis: Understanding and Mitigating Corrosion Impact on Structural Steel: A Comprehensive Analysis and Case Study in Carrolton, TX (Spring 2024).
Patrick Crifasi
Project: Fluid Structure-Interaction in Wind Engineering (2023).
John R. Clarke
Thesis: Leveraging ML and CFD to Predict Aerodynamic Wind Loads on Solar Panels (Fall 2022).
Hannah N. DiLeo
Thesis: Aerodynamic Mitigation in Bridges: Open-Jet Testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics (Spring 2023).
Emily Rone
Thesis: Wind Loads on Low-Rise Gable Roofs with and Without Solar Panels and Comparison to Design Standards (Summer 2022).
Md. Faiaz Khaled
Project: Bridge Scour (Summer 2022).
Matthew Luke Thomas
Thesis: Proposed Modifications and Additions to ASCE Generated Pressure Coefficients Applied to Low-Rise Buildings Fitted with Varying Size Parapets (Spring 2021).
Bianca Goodlow
Thesis: Mitigating the Urban Heat Island via Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling of the Step-Up Urban Geometrical Configuration (Fall 2020).
Nader da Fonseca Yousef
Thesis: Influence of Parapets on the Roof Pressure Distribution of Low-rise Buildings with Different Size and Shapes: CFD and Experimental Investigations (Spring 2020).
James D. Benson
Thesis: CFD Study of Wind Loads on Overhead Sign Structures (Spring 2020).
Erin M. Dougherty
Thesis: CFD ANALYSIS OF BRIDGE PIER GEOMETRY ON LOCAL SCOUR POTENTIAL (Fall 2019).
Jennifer Michelle Whipple
Thesis: Investigation of Wind Loading on Ground-Mounted Solar Arrays: A Comparative Study (2020).
Marc Alexander Hoffmann
Thesis: Over-Height Vehicle Impact Reduction on Bridges: A Case Study (Spring 2018).
Laura M. Iverson
Thesis: Aerodynamic Mitigation of Roof Suction Using Solar Panels (Spring 2016).
Srinivasa Adithya Sailesh Abburu
Thesis: Vibration Control in High-Rise Buildings for Multi-Hazard (Fall 2015).
Amar Cumurovic, P.E.
M.S. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2014.
Area: Dynamic response and mitigation of steel stacks under wind loads
Mujahed Shalabi, P.E.
M.S. in Civil Engineering, LSU 2014.
Area: Flow validation in a new open-jet simulator at LSU
Brian Carrington II, P.E., LEED AP
M.S. in Civil Engineering, LSU, 2014.
Area: Aerodynamic retrofitting of roof geometry on low-rise buildings to reduce uplift
🏅 Undergraduate Alumni
Jonathan M Russell,
Undergraduate Student Researcher, College of Coast and Environment | Ogden Honors College
LSU Stamps Scholar
CES - Coastal Meteorology | Climatology & Disaster Science Management
LSU Student Government Gov. Relations | CRCL Future Leader
LASAL Scholar | Gulf Scholar | Shell Honors Scholar
Long Tran
Undergraduate Student Researcher, Civil and Environmental Engineering
LSU President's Future Leaders in Research.
Anthony T Nguyen
Undergraduate Student Researcher, Civil and Environmental Engineering
LSU President's Future Leaders in Research.
Ethan N Nguyen
Undergraduate Student Researcher, Civil and Environmental Engineering
LSU President's Future Leaders in Research.
Jacob Conerly
Undergraduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Ryan T Clancy
Undergraduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
LSU President's Future Leaders on Research Awardee.
Eli P Barbin
Undergraduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
LSU President's Future Leaders on Research Awardee.
Hong Zhu
Undergraduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
2021 LSU Discover Scholar Awardee (Spring and Fall Semesters)
Matthew Thomas, EIT
Undergraduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
LCOPRI ASCE scholarship recipient, Project: Open-Jet Testing;
2018 LSU Discover Scholar Awardee
Current Position: Engineering Associate II, LCRA
Emily Rone, E.I.
Undergraduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
McLaughlin Medalist.
Raymond Poche
Undergraduate Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
2018 LSU Discover Scholar Awardee
Talk a little about your Research, Involvement, or skills learned at LSU.
My research at LSU focuses on the effects of wind loads on roofs and roof-mounted solar panels. I am studying why solar panels fail when subjected to loads often less than the advertised load capacity. Many variables affect how the panels withstand these wind forces, including the location of solar arrays to the roof, the array shape and size, inclination angles, mounting scheme, wind direction, and even the aerodynamics of the roof design itself. In performing this research, I learned about the fluid mechanics and dynamics of wind and rain computational fluid dynamic simulations in the OpenFOAM software to visualize flow fields and measure pressure and velocity profiles at various locations. In my research and my classes at LSU, I developed many skills that I believe will help me for the rest of my life. These include diligence, self-discipline, time management, communication, motivation to improve my skills, and even the ability to learn new information quickly while building upon previous fundamental material. I have applied these skills to the best of my ability here at LSU, allowing me to publish a journal with my research mentor, maintain a 4.2 GPA, earn several scholarships, and build new friendships along the way. I hope to continue this success in years to come.
Sunny Nguyen
Undergraduate, B.S.
Area: Wind Engineering
Lisa Goodgion, EIT
Undergraduate, B.S.
Area: Hurricane Engineering and Open-Jet Testing
Joseph Richard Bresowar
Undergraduate, B.S.
Area: Open-Jet Testing and Aerodynamic Mitigation
Dalton R Guidry
Undergraduate, B.S.
Area: Wind Engineering.
🧒 K-12 Student Researchers
Brice Sanders
School: Kenilworth Science and Technology School
Award: 3rd Place Winner, 2018 Region VII Science Fair
Derrick Batiste
School: Kenilworth Science and Technology School
Award: 3rd Place Winner, 2018 Region VII Science Fair
Jordan Freeman
School: Kenilworth Science and Technology School
Award: 4th Place Winner, 2017 Region VII Science Fair
Kolby Trosclair
School: Kenilworth Science and Technology School