As part of a knowledge sharing lecture series aimed at strengthening final-year project preparedness, the Department of Civil Engineering successfully organized a guest lecture titled “Best Practice Guidelines for Advanced Finite Element Modelling” on 10th December 2025. The session was attended by undergraduate students, research assistants, and faculty members from the Departments of Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science Engineering, reflecting the interdisciplinary relevance of the topic.
The lecture was delivered by Associate Professor Damith Mohotti, a leading structural engineering researcher from the University of New South Wales. He serves as the Academic Lead of the National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation in Australia and is a leading researcher in blast- and impact-resistant structures and advanced computational modelling. The session focused on the growing importance of advanced finite element modelling (FEM) in analysing complex structural, material, and multi-physics engineering problems. Emphasizing that the reliability of FEM outcomes depends strongly on sound modelling practices, the speaker presented a structured framework for model development, verification, and validation. Drawing on his extensive hands-on experience with advanced simulation platforms such as LS-DYNA and ANSYS CFD, he enriched the lecture with practical insights and real-world examples.
