Sam Salem

Prof. Sam Salem, Ph.D., P.Eng., is a Full Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Lakehead University's Faculty of Engineering. He founded the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)-sponsored Fire Testing and Research Laboratory (LUFTRL), the only facility of its kind in a Canadian university.

• Ph.D. in Structural Fire Engineering, Carleton University
• M.A.Sc. in Structural Engineering, Zagazig University (Egypt)
• B.A.Sc. (Honors) in Civil Engineering, Zagazig University (Egypt)

Dr. Salem specializes in structural fire engineering, focusing on performance-based fire resistance design, large-scale fire endurance testing, and finite element modeling of steel/concrete/timber structures. His research program investigates structural fire performance of innovative building systems, particularly mass timber construction, through experimental testing and computational modeling.

His work has attracted over $2.1 million in research grants from NSERC, CFI, OMRI, NOHFC, MNRF, MTI, and other agencies. He has authored/co-authored 60+ peer-reviewed publications and holds two patents (Canada/USA) for beam-end connection mechanisms in mass timber buildings.

• Lakehead University 2023 Research Excellence Award
• Lakehead Merit Awards (Research 2022, Teaching & Research 2020/2015)
• Contribution to Teaching Awards (2022, 2018, 2014)
• ASFE 2019 Outstanding Paper Award

Dr. Salem trained 40+ highly qualified personnel through a balanced approach emphasizing academic excellence, practical implementation, professional development, and career skills. He served as Dept. Chair (2021-2023), graduate program coordinator (2017+), and sits on multiple university and technical committees including ULC Standards Technical Committee and Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes.