Sheida Afshan

Dr. Sheida Afshan is an Associate Professor in Structural Engineering at the University of Southampton's Department of Civil Maritime and Environmental Engineering. She leads a research group focused on high-performance metallic materials for infrastructure and energy applications, emphasizing resilience, sustainability, and decarbonization. Her work includes experimental and numerical studies on structural materials, liquid hydrogen storage, and stainless steel composites. She supervises multiple PhD students and teaches modules like Structural Design and Structural Stability Analysis. Dr. Afshan holds a Royal Academy of Engineering Leverhulme Trust Fellowship (2022) and is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (2024). She collaborates with industry and contributes to international design codes like Eurocode 3 for stainless steel structures.

Education & Qualifications:

• PhD in Civil Engineering
• Chartered Engineer (CEng), Member of Institution of Civil Engineers (MICE), Member of Institution of Structural Engineers (MIStructE)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Research Focus:

• Stainless steel for infrastructure and energy sectors
• Material behavior under extreme conditions (e.g., cryogenic temperatures)
• Hydrogen storage solutions for maritime decarbonization
• Structural safety and reliability analysis

Grants & Awards:

• EPSRC-funded RESIST Project (RESilient Infrastructure using STainless steel)
• Royal Academy of Engineering funding for hydrogen storage research
• Keynote speaker at EuroSteel 2023
• Aerospace Technology Institute Award (2025)

Teaching & Administration:

• Module Lead for Structural Design (CENV2036), Structural Stability (CENV3067), and Industrial Placement (FEEG3009)
• School of Engineering Industrial Placement Coordinator
• External Examiner at University of Birmingham and South Bank University

Labs & Collaborations: Active in the Infrastructure Group and Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, collaborating with industry partners on decarbonization and material innovation.