Biography
Dr Kajaharan Thirunavukkarasu is a dedicated civil and structural engineering professional with a strong academic and industrial background. His research focuses on Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) structures, structural mechanics, and sustainability in the built environment. Passionate about advancing innovative construction materials and enhancing structural performance, he has published over 10 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals such as Structures, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, and Journal of Building Engineering.
Before joining academia full-time, Dr Kajaharan gained over two years of industry experience at JC Consulting and the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB), Sri Lanka, where he contributed to structural design, computational modelling, and project execution. He has also played an active role in developing research funding proposals for EPSRC, ERC, KTP, and Innovate UK projects, fostering collaboration between academia and industry.
With over four years of teaching experience at Northumbria University, University of Moratuwa, and University of Jaffna, Dr Kajaharan has led undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Structural Analysis, Structural Mechanics, Civil Engineering Management, Surveying, and Concrete Technology. He has served as a module leader, research supervisor, and curriculum committee member, contributing to curriculum design, student mentoring, and academic development. At Northumbria University, he introduced practical-based learning, extra walk-in sessions, and industry-integrated teaching approaches to enhance student engagement and success.
Dr Kajaharan’s current research interests include sustainability, modular construction, and circularity in the built environment, aligning with emerging global priorities in civil engineering. As an active member of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), and Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL), he continues to engage in professional development and industry collaboration.
Through his combined expertise in research, teaching, and industry engagement, Dr Kajaharan is committed to advancing sustainable construction practices, bridging theory and practice, and inspiring the next generation of civil and structural engineers.
Publications
• Sustainable performance of a modular building system made of built-up cold-formed steel beams,
Buildings, 11 (10), 460.
• Shear behaviour of doubly symmetric rectangular hollow flange beam with circular edge-stiffened
openings, Engineering Structures, 250, 113366.
• Web crippling design of modular construction optimised beams under ETF loading, Journal of Building
Engineering, 43, 103072.
• Shear behaviour and design of doubly symmetric hollow flange beam with web openings, Journal of
Constructional Steel Research, 185, 106836.
• Shear performance of SupaCee sections with openings: Numerical studies, Journal of Constructional
Steel Research, 190, 107142.
• Web crippling behaviour of cold-formed high strength steel unlipped channel beams, Buildings, 12 (3),
291.
• Flexural Behaviour of Built-Up Beams Made of Optimised Sections, Buildings, 12 (11), 1868.
• Flexural behaviour and design rules for SupaCee sections with web openings, Journal of Building
Engineering, 63, 105539.
• Web crippling behaviour of sigma sections under end two flange loading–Numerical investigation,
Structures, 59, 105765.
• Web Crippling Behaviour of Cold-Formed High-Strength Steel Unlipped Channel Beams Under Interior-
Two-Flange Load Case, International Journal of Steel Structures, 1-15.
• Investigation on effect of partially replacing cement by GGBFS (Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag)
in concrete, International Conference on Civil Engineering Applications, 2019.
• Study on concrete with manufactured sand, International Conference on Civil Engineering
Applications, 2019.
• Web crippling behaviour and design of aluminium SupaCee sections, Euro steel conference, 6 (3-4),
930-935, 2023.
• Design of aluminium Sigma sections for web crippling behaviour under Interior Two Flange (ITF) load
case, Euro steel conference, 6 (3-4), 627-632, 2023.
• Web Crippling Behaviour of Aluminium Sigma Sections: One Flange Load Cases, International
Conference on Engineering, 2024.
• Web crippling design of stainless-steel sigma sections - One flange load cases, Nordic Steel
Construction Conference, 2024.
