Alfred Gand

Alfred's principal research interests, in respect of which he has co-authored several technical papers, lie in the areas of structural testing, analytical evaluations of composite structures and systems incorporating steel, timber, concrete and pultruded fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) hybrid systems. 

Below are the core thematic areas of his research:

Structural Timber Engineering; Pultruded FRP Shapes and Systems; Hybrid Structures, Long-Term Reliability and Performance of MMC Systems and Configurations, Composite Connections and Failures; Fire Safety Engineering of Hybrid Systems; Behaviour of thin-walled structural systems.

Alfred supervises UG and PG research projects. 

Recent higher-degree research he has co-supervised includes:

Development of lightweight hybrid floor systems with FRP superstructural elements (Completed Nov. 2022)
Development of pultruded FRP composite columns (Completion expected in 2025)
Static Behaviour of Pultruded Fibre Reinforced Polymer Closed Sections Incorporating Blind Bolts (Completion expected in 2028)

Alfred is actively involved in the Institution of Structural Engineers and is currently the Senior Vice-Chair of the IStructE Midlands Regional Group. He sits on the Academic Qualification Panel of the same Institution.

For his service to the community and outreach work, Alfred co-chairs the Governing Body of Warwickshire Local Authority Maintained School. School governing boards provide strategic leadership and accountability in schools, with three key functions: overseeing the financial performance of schools and making sure its money is well spent - holding headteachers to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils. 

Alfred is the Course Director of the university's flagship summer school in structural engineering aimed at students aged 16 and 17. The course has been running consecutively since 2010 and is under the sponsorship of the university, the Institution of Structural Engineers and Smallpeice Trust, UK. The course has beneefits some 600+ students, most of whom have gone on to pursue STEM related careers.

He is a Fellow of Advance UK (formerly the Higher Education Academy).

Structural Timber Engineering; Pultruded FRP Shapes and Systems; Hybrid Structures, Long-Term Reliability and Performance of MMC Systems and Configurations, Composite Connections and Failures; Fire Safety Engineering of Hybrid Systems; Behaviour of thin-walled structural systems.