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About Associate Professor Abbas El-Zein

The goal of research of this nature is to develop better theories that account for the behaviour of the lithosphere under environmental stress as well as a better understanding of human-environment interactions and, consequently, better environmental policy-making.

My research falls in the area of applied mathematics and environmental science and engineering. It covers both theoretical and applied topics using deterministic, stochastic and statistical approaches, with focus on computational and environmental geomechanics, as well as environmental risk. I am currently working on the mathematical modelling of problems of seepage and contaminant migration in soil and groundwater, desiccation of geosynthetic clay liners in waste containment systems, carbon dioxide dynamics in geologic strata and waste management decision-making under conditions of uncertainty. One spinoff of my research is a finite-element computational software in 2D and 3D that is used to simulate problems of water, heat and chemical transport in the environment. In addition, I have an active interest in educational research, specifically research into the teaching computing and environmental sustainability to science and engineering students. My own teaching covers environmental, geo-mechanical and computational topics.

Education Background

  • BE in Civil Engineering, 1986, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
  • MSc in Structural Engineering (with distinction), 1987, University of Southampton, UK.
  • MSc in Environmental Science and Technology (DEA), 1993, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees, Universite Paris XII, Ecole Nationale du Genie Rural des Eaux et des Forets, Paris, France.
  • PhD in Computational Mechanics, 1990, University of Southampton, UK.

Selected publications

  • Abbas El-Zein. 2009. A non-isodimensional finite-element approach to the modeling of transient flow and mass transport through domains with thin layers. Computers and Structures (special journal issue for 5th MIT Conference on Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics, Advances in CFD), 87:618-629.
  • Ali El Hanandeh and Abbas El-Zein. 2009. Strategies for the municipal waste management system to take advantage of carbon trading under competing policies: the role of energy from waste in Sydney. Waste Management, 29:2188-2194.
  • Abbas El-Zein, Tim Langrish and Nigel Balaam. 2009. Blended teaching and learning of computer programming skills in engineering curricula. Advances in Engineering Education, 1(3).
  • Abbas El-Zein and R. Kerry Rowe. 2008. Impact on groundwater of concurrent leakage and diffusion of dichloromethane through geomembranes in landfill liners. Geosynthetics International, 15(1):55-71.
  • Abbas El-Zein. 2008. A generalized approach to the modelling of contaminant transport through intact and leaking geomembranes. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 32(3):265-287.
  • Abbas El-Zein, David Airey, Peter Bowden, Henriikka Clarkeburn. 2008. Sustainability and ethics as decision-making paradigms in engineering curricula. International Journal for Sustainability in Higher Education, 9(2):170-182.
  • Abbas El-Zein, Iman Nuwayhid, Mutassem Fadel, Salman Mroueh. 2007. Did a ban on diesel-fuel reduce emergency respiratory admissions for children? Science of the Total Environment,384:134-140.
  • Abbas El-Zein. 2006. Steady-state diffusion-advection by exponential finite elements. International Journal of Geomechanics ASCE, 6(6):428-434.
  • Samer Jabbour, Abbas El-Zein, Iman Nuwayhid, Rita Giacaman. 2006. Can actions for better health be a vehicle for social and political reform? British Medical Journal, 333:837-839.
  • Hala Tamim, Ghassan Akkari, Abbas El-Zein, Rana El Roueiheb, Zena El Shemaly. 2006. Exposure of school children to environmental cigarette and narghile smoke in Beirut. European Journal of Public Health, 16:509-512.
  • Abbas El-Zein, Rola Nasrallah, Iman Nuwayhid, Lea Kai, Jihad Makhoul. 2006. Why do neighbours have different environmental priorities? An analysis of environmental risk perception in a Beirut neighbourhood. Risk Analysis, 26(2):423-436.
  • Abbas El-Zein, John P. Carter and David W. Airey. 2006. Three-dimensional finite element method for the analysis of soil contamination. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 30(7), 577-597.
  • Abbas El-Zein. 2006. A Laplace boundary-element model of thermo-elastic consolidation of multi-layered media. Technical note. International Journal of Geomechanics ASCE, 6(2):136-140.
  • Abbas El-Zein, Rola Nasrallah, Iman Nuwayhid. 2006. Determinants of the willingness-to-participate in an environmental intervention. Environmental Management, 37(2):200-208.