Email: yhc@ualberta.ca
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.
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
2023- Current Nasseri Senior University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair in Advanced Wood Construction
2017 – 2023 NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Engineered Wood and Building Systems
2016 – Present Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta
1993 - 2016 Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick
2015 - 2016 New Brunswick Innovation Research Chair in Advanced Wood Products, University of New Brunswick
1997 -2008 & 2011 - 2016 Director, Wood Science and Technology Centre, University of New Brunswick
2009 - 2015 Scientific Director, NSERC Strategic Network on Innovative Wood Products and Building Systems
1997 - 1999 Assistant Dean, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick
1990 - 1993 Research Associate, Wood Science and Technology Centre, University of New Brunswick
1988 - 1990 NSERC Post-doctoral Fellow, Faculty of Forestry, University of New Brunswick
Ph.D. 1987 Timber Engineering, University of Brighton, United Kingdom
B.Sc. 1976 Civil Engineering, Southampton University, United Kingdom
Fellow Canadian Academy of Engineering
Fellow International Academy of Wood Science
Member Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta
Member American Society of Testing and Materials