At the University of Ottawa, Issa Fowai leads a portion of the interdisciplinary research on the recently deconstructed Champlain bridge after 57 years in-service. His research critically examines the performance of the fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) repair work on the Champlain bridge. The research aims to develop an innovative, multi-level approach to evaluate and predict the long-term performance of deteriorating critical infrastructure retrofitted with FRP sheets.
The practical goal of this project is to better understand the in-situ performance of externally bonded composites, develop new tools for assessing their condition in the field, and create new knowledge that is critical to extending the service life of other crumbling Canadian infrastructure networks in similar environments. Also, at the University of Ottawa, he served as the president of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Ottawa Student Chapter.
Before commencing his PhD at the University of Ottawa, he studied and worked in China for eleven years. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harbin Engineering University and pursued a short-term internship at Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), Thailand.
The Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology Momentum Fellowship is the flagship fellowship for the IBET PhD projects being launched early in 2021. Recipients will receive $25,000 a year for four years as they pursue doctorate degrees and specialized engineering research. At the University of Ottawa, all candidates are given the choice to pursue their PhD in French or English.
The IBET Momentum Fellowship is intended to support Indigenous and Black researchers in achieving inclusion in academia at the University of Ottawa. This fellowship is the result of a partnership between eleven Canadian universities in order to support diversity within all those institutions and within the STEM field.