Chair Profile 

Ying-Hei Chui, PhD, PEng 

Professor in Structural Engineering and Nasseri Senior University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair in Advanced Wood Construction

Dr. Ying Hei Chui is one of Canada’s foremost researchers in timber engineering and engineered wood products, with over 30 years of research experience. He has published more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Dr. Chui is a key figure in the field of advanced wood construction and is currently the Nasseri Senior University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair in Advanced Wood Construction, as well as the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Engineered Wood and Building Systems at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Chui earned his BSc in Civil Engineering from Southampton University and his PhD in Timber Engineering from the University of Brighton, both in the UK. Prior to joining the University of Alberta, he was the New Brunswick Innovation Research Chair in Advanced Wood Products and Director of the Wood Science and Technology Centre at the University of New Brunswick.

His research expertise spans the structural and dynamic performance of timber building systems, timber connections, non-destructive evaluation of timber members, and engineered wood products. He has led major research initiatives, including serving as the Scientific Director for the NSERC Strategic Research Networks, Canadian Wood Construction Research Network (CWCRN), and NEWBuildS, which brought together 23 professors from 13 Canadian universities between 2010 and 2015.

Dr. Chui plays an instrumental role in the development of building codes and design standards both nationally and internationally. He is a member of the Standing Committee of the National Building Code of Canada, serves on several CSA technical committees for the design of timber structures and wood products, and is the Vice-Chair of ASTM Technical Committee D.07 'Wood'. He also represents Canada as the Head of the Canadian delegation for the ISO TC 165 Technical Committee ‘Timber Structures’.

The University of Alberta’s Morrison Structures Laboratory serves as the hub for his research, offering state-of-the-art facilities for large-scale testing of structural elements, data acquisition systems for static and dynamic testing, as well as advanced imaging technologies such as high-speed cameras and 3D digital image correlation systems.

Research Interests 

• Timber-steel hybrid lateral load-resisting systems

• Timber connections

• Timber-concrete composite floor systems

• Engineered wood products and composites

• Wood quality and lumber properties

• Structural dynamics

• Non-destructive evaluation of timber members