Concrete materials · Experiment & computation

Alireza Shirazi

I am an MSc student in Smart Building Engineering at Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran. My research interests include self-healing concrete, concrete durability, sustainable construction materials, nanotechnology in concrete and machine learning applications in concrete science.

Seeking PhD positions

Portrait of Alireza Shirazi
TRB 2026 · ACI 2025Publications & conference presentations
Fresno State
co-supervision
Dr. Fariborz M. Tehrani
4studies in preparationConcrete materials and smart systems
Structural Dynamics
Teaching assistant
Graduate teaching support

Research direction

My research focuses on improving the durability and sustainability of concrete through experimental investigation and data-driven methods. My master’s thesis examines self-healing concrete incorporating nanosilica and lightweight aggregates saturated with sodium silicate, with an emphasis on crack healing and mechanical performance. My broader interests include nanotechnology and smart materials in concrete.

Through collaboration with Dr. Fariborz Tehrani’s research group, I also work on machine learning applications in concrete science, including material performance prediction and low-carbon mix design. I am interested in combining experimental evidence with computational methods to better understand material behaviour and support concrete design.

I am seeking PhD opportunities and research collaborations in self-healing concrete, sustainable construction materials and machine learning for materials. My goal is to contribute to research that extends structural service life and reduces the environmental impact of construction.

Current M.Sc. research

Self-healing concrete with nanosilica

I investigate the interaction of nanosilica, slag and sodium silicate carried in lightweight aggregates, with a focus on crack healing and mechanical performance.

Co-supervised at Tarbiat Modares University and California State University, Fresno.

Explore the thesis and research work
Close-up photograph of a concrete specimen showing a network of surface cracks
Concrete specimen before healing; see the 28-day comparison on the Research page.

Research interests

Self-healing concreteConcrete durabilityLow-carbon materialsNanotechnology and smart materials in concreteMachine learning for materialsSustainable construction

Beyond research

I enjoy playing football and volleyball, both of which I have played professionally, and following football. I read political economy and literary fiction, and have a particular interest in contemporary Persian poetry and the work of Ahmad Shamlou.

A literary favourite · Ahmad Shamlou «وارطان» — احمد شاملو Read the poem in Persian and English

متن فارسی

وارطان

وارطان! بهار خنده زد و ارغوان شکفت.
در خانه، زیر پنجره گل داد یاس پیر،
دست از گمان بدار!
بودن به از نبود شدن، خاصه در بهار…

وارطان سخن نگفت،
سرافراز
دندان خشم بر جگرِ خسته بست و رفت

«وارطان! سخن بگو!
مرغ سکوت، جوجهٔ مرگی فجیع را
در آشیان به بیضه نشسته‌ست!»

وارطان سخن نگفت،
چو خورشید
از تیرگی برآمد و در خون نشست و رفت

وارطان سخن نگفت
وارطان ستاره بود:
یک دم درین ظلام درخشید و جست و رفت.

وارطان سخن نگفت
وارطان بنفشه بود:
گل داد و
مژده داد: «زمستان شکست»
و
رفت…

English rendering

Vartan

Vartan! Spring laughed, and the redbud blossomed.
In the house, beneath the window, the old jasmine bloomed.
Let go of your dark suspicion!
To be is better than not to be, especially in spring…

Vartan did not speak,
head held high,
he bit down on his anger with his weary heart, and went.

“Vartan! Speak!
The bird of silence has laid, in its nest,
the egg of a terrible death!”

Vartan did not speak;
like the sun,
he rose out of darkness, sank into blood, and went.

Vartan did not speak.
Vartan was a star:
for one moment, in this darkness, he shone, then leapt away and went.

Vartan did not speak.
Vartan was a violet:
he blossomed and
brought the tidings: “Winter is broken”
and
went…

English translation prepared for this website.