Biography

Prof Tuan Ngo is the Director of the Advanced Protective Technologies for Engineering Structures (APTES) Group at the University of Melbourne. He initiated and coordinated the bid to establish of the ARC Training Centre for Advanced Manufacturing of Prefabricated Housing (ARC-CAMPH) and he is currently the Research Director of the ARC-CAMPH. He is also the Research Director of the Building 4.0 CRC, a new $130m initiative to transform how buildings are designed and manufactured in Australia.

The APTES Group led by Prof Ngo is recognised as one of the leading centres in advanced materials & structural systems, and physical infrastructure protection in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. His group has been working closely with industry and government organisations to carry out research and consulting work in these areas.

Prof Ngo has made a significant contribution to research in vulnerability modelling of critical infrastructure, particularly in the area of assessment of the effects of natural and technical hazards on buildings and infrastructure. He is recognised as an expert in protective technologies for protecting critical infrastructure by many government organisations and industry.

Prof Ngo has been involved in many projects to provide security assessment, risk modelling and protection solutions. These projects include design and strengthening of high-rise structures, government buildings, embassies, airports, bridges, tunnels, power stations and critical industrial facilities in Australia and overseas.

Prof Ngo has carried out significant research collaborations with industry and government agencies to perform large-scale experiments of prefabricated modular components of building structures (facades, wall panels and floor slab systems). The national and international research interactions have given Prof Ngo widespread recognition amongst the scientific community and industry as an expert in design and manufacturing of building components and systems using high performance materials.

Prof Ngo is leading a team of researchers in Protective Armoured Systems of the Defence Material Technology Centre (DMTC). His team has developed novel material testing and characterisation techniques and a multi-scale simulation framework for modelling ultra-high strength armour materials and vehicle structural components subjected to extreme mine blasts and ballistic attacks.

Prof Ngo is the winner of the 2013 Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia. He received the Safeguarding Australia Award for Best Contribution to National Security Technology Research in 2011. He also received the Award for Excellence in Concrete by the Concrete Institute of Australia-Vic Branch in 2017 and the University of Melbourne Excellence Award for Industry-engaged Research.

Research expertise:
- Prefabricated modular buildings and off-site construction
- Extreme loadings: blast, impact and fire
- High strength concrete
- Wind engineering and computational fluid dynamics
- Modelling urban systems and design of sustainable precincts