Prof. Dr. Zahid A. Siddiqi

Professor

Civil Engineering

Biography

All basic education in Lahore. Done BSc Civil Engineering and MSc Civil Engineering from UET Lahore in 1984 and 1988, respectively. Joined Department of Civil Engineering UET, Lahore as Lecturer on 20-02-1984. Did Ph.D. Civil Engineering from University of Oklahoma, USA in 1995. Retired from UET on 28-02-2017. Have published 6 different books on various topics of Civil Engineering. Have taught almost all subjects of Structural Engineering. Was a member of various inspection teams of Government of Punjab. Have design all structures of UET KSK Campus. Have designed a number of sizeable buildings. Was part of a team conducting various tests on buildings while working at UET, Lahore. Joined University of Lahore in March, 2017.

Education

SrNo.	Year	Degree	Board/University
1	1984	BSc Civil Engineering	UET, Lahore
2	1988	MSc Civil Engineering	UET, Lahore
3	1995	PhD Civil Engineering	University of Oklahoma, USA

Experience

SrNo.	From	To	Category	Designation	Organization
1	20-02- 1984	03-09-1988	Academic Experience	Lecturer	UET, Lahore
2	04-09-1988	15-06-1997	Academic Experience	Assistant Prof	UET, Lahore
3	16-06-1997	01-11-2002	Academic Experience	Associate Prof	UET, Lahore
4	02-11-2002	28-02-2017	Academic Experience	Prof	UET, Lahore
5	01-03-2017	to date	Academic Experience	Prof	UoL, Lahore

Publications

SrNo.	Title	Category	Sub Category
1	Investigation of brick alignment effect on compressive strength	Publication	Journal Article
2	Reinforced Fibrous Recycled Aggregate Concrete Element Subjected to Uniaxial Tensile Loading	Publication	Journal Article
3	Optimization of flange and web slenderness for pre-engineered built-up steel sections	Publication	Journal Article
4	Field Testing & Strength Evaluation of Khushhal Garh Rail cum Road Bridge	Publication	Journal Article
5	Field Testing & Strength Evaluation of Khushhal Garh Rail cum Road Bridge	Publication	Journal Article
6	Causes of Delay in Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project	Publication	Journal Article
7	Effect of Varying Top Beam Reinforcement Anchorage Details on Ductility of HSC Beam-Column Joints	Publication	Journal Article
8	Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Normal & Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete	Publication	Journal Article
9	Analysis, Field Testing and Evaluation of Fatigue Life of plate Girder Railway Bridge at Ravi River	Publication	Journal Article
10	Countenance of Interferon Alpha (IFN-a) Induced Hepatic insult and potential role of vitamin-D in rat model	Publication	Journal Article
11	Role of extrapolative factors and circulating biochemical interplay in females with endometriosis	Publication	Journal Article
12	Hematological profile of preterm infants suffering from Anemia	Publication	Journal Article
13	Interrelationship of circulating biochmical variables of medical importance and their role in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer	Publication	Journal Article
14	Inter-dependence of Host lipid metabolism inscription and their critical role in the regulation of Hepatitis C virus replication	Publication	Journal Article
15	A Simplified Approach for Analysis and Design of Reinforced Concrete Circular Silos and Bunkers	Publication	Journal Article
16	Force- and Displacement-Controlled Nonlinear FE Analyses of RC Beam with Partial Steel Bonded Length	Publication	Journal Article
17	Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity and Rebound Hammer Testing for Nondestructive Evaluation of Existing Concrete Structure	Publication	Journal Article
18	Retrofitting of Reinforced Concrete in Flexure By Crack Sealing using Injectable Materials: Application To Beams	Publication	Journal Article
19	Load~Slip Behavior of L-Anchor Bolts Embedded in Reinforced Recycled Aggregate Concrete	Publication	Journal Article
20	Effect of Steel Fibers Addition on Compressive Strength and Flexural Behavior of Recycled Aggregate Concrete	Publication	Journal Article
21	Economical-Structural Performance of Steel Moment Resisting Building Frames Using the Section Variation Technique	Publication	Journal Article
22	Finite Element Modeling of RC Beams Strengthened in Flexure Using FRP Material	Publication	Journal Article
23	Comparison of Different Bracing Systems for Tall Buildings	Publication	Journal Article
24	Strength Prediction of Normal Strength Concrete Made using Locally Available Materials in Pakistan by Accelerated Curing	Publication	Journal Article
25	Performance of 3rd Generation Locally Available Chemical Admixtures in the Production of SCC	Publication	Journal Article
26	Concept of Personality Score in a Society	Publication	Journal Article
27	Performance Study of Locally Available Coarse Aggregates of Azad Kashmir	Publication	Journal Article
28	Determination of Compressive Strength and Water Absorption of Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR) Latex Modified Concrete	Publication	Journal Article
29	Equivalent Viscous Damping of Metallic Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (MFRC)	Publication	Journal Article
30	Comparison of Metallic Fibers and Steel Bars as Reinforcement in Improving Energy Dissipation Capacity of Concrete	Publication	Journal Article
31	Minimum Weight Design of Pre Engineered Steel Structures using Built-up Sections and Cold Formed Sections	Publication	Journal Article
32	Bond behaviour of high-strength concrete flexural member under low cyclic fatigue loading	Publication	Journal Article
33	Optimum unbraced length ratios of slender steel sections	Publication	Journal Article
34	Behaviour of Reinforced Fibrous Concrete Beams under Reversed Cyclic Loading	Publication	Journal Article
35	Role of Aggregates in Production of Ultra High Strength Concrete	Publication	Journal Article
36	Assessing Suitability of Margalla Crush for Ultra High Strength Concrete	Publication	Journal Article
37	Critical Traffic Loading for the Design of Prestressed Concrete Bridge	Publication	Journal Article
38	Effect of Rebar Cover and Development Length on Bond and Slip in High Strength Concrete	Publication	Journal Article
39	Configuration of a Multistorey Building Subjected to Lateral Forces	Publication	Journal Article
40	Comparison of Bond Behaviour of Hot Rolled and Cold Twisted Steel Reinforcement in High Strength Concrete	Publication	Journal Article
41	Slippage of Steel in High and Normal Strength Concretes	Publication	Journal Article
42	Disasters in High Rise Buildings and Safety Measures	Publication	Journal Article
43	Economical Sizing of Singly Reinforced RC Beams and Footing Slabs	Publication	Journal Article
44	Analysis of Transmission Poles	Publication	Journal Article
45	A Study on Power Transmission Poles	Publication	Journal Article
46	Composite Bridge Grids: An Efficient Technique for Highway Bridges	Publication	Journal Article
47	Analysis of eccentricity stiffened plates with mixed boundary conditions using differential quadrature method	Publication	Journal Article
48	Analysis of fluid storage tanks including foundation - superstructure interaction using differential quadrature method	Publication	Journal Article
49	Natural frequencies of stiffened and un-stiffened rectangular plates using differential quadrature method	Conferences	Conference Paper
50	PhD Dissertation	Publication	Journal Article
51	Structural Behaviour of Composite Double Layer Bridge-Grids with various Span/Depth Ratios	Publication	Journal Article
52	Plastic Analysis of Continuous Prestressed Steel Beams	Conferences	Conference Paper
53	Behaviour of Composite Double Layer Bridge-Grids having Eccentricity	Conferences	Conference Paper
54	M Sc Thesis	Publication	Journal Article

Conferences

Awards

SrNo.	Year	Awarding Organization	Description
1	Jan, 2015.	Quaid-e-Azam Gold Medal for Best Performance, Tehreek-e- Istehqam-e-Pakistan Council, Presented by the Governor Punjab, Pakistan.	Quaid-e-Azam Gold Medal for Best Performance, Tehreek-e- Istehqam-e-Pakistan Council, Presented by the Governor Punjab, Pakistan, Jan, 2015.
2	2011	LCCI Lahore	LCCI Award for Excellence in Civil Engineering presented by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, 2011
3	1995	University of Oklahoma, USA	Best Teaching Assistant Award, University of Oklahoma, USA, 1995

Memberships

SrNo.	From - To	Title	Organization
1	20-02- 1984 - to date	Professional Engineer	Pakistan Engineering Council
2	20-02- 1984 - to date	Member	The Institution of Engineers, Pakistan

Courses Taught

Project Supervisor

Services

Books

SrNo.	Title	Authors	Year	Publisher
1	Basics of the Engineering Drawing	Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi,,	2011	Help Civil Engineering Publisher
2	LRFD Steel Design Aids, ISBN 978-969-8633-08-9, 4t	Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi,,	2012	Help Civil Engineering Publisher
3	Steel Structures, 4th Edition, ISBN 978-969-8633-1	Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi,,	2017	Help Civil Engineering Publisher
4	Concrete Structures, Part-I, 3rd Edition, ISBN 978	Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi,,	2016	Help Civil Engineering Publisher
5	Concrete Structures, Part-II, 3rd Edition, ISBN 97	Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi,,	2016	Help Civil Engineering Publisher
6	Mechanics of Materials, 1st Edition, ISBN 978-969-	Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi,,	2014	Help Civil Engineering Publisher

Research Fundings

Extracurricular Activities

SrNo.	Hobbies	Interests

Languages and Skills

Active Collabrations

Consulting Experience

Achievements / Rewards

Dr Akhtar represents Pakistan, explores collaboration with Germany on global issues

Description

In a substantial ambassadorial effort, Prof Dr Rabia Akhtar (Director of the Center for Security, Strategy, and Policy Research (CSSPR)) represented Pakistan as a thought leader in a delegation of five eminent scholars from Asia. This delegation, constituted by the Asia chapter of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), visited Berlin, Germany, to engage in dialogues and meetings aimed at understanding Germany’s viewpoints on key global issues, from June 13-15, 2023.

The FES Strategic Foresight Group, comprising scholars from Pakistan, Thailand, India, South Korea, and Indonesia, sought to gain insights into Germany’s perception of the world, the interconnectedness of geopolitics and geoeconomics, and the overall security and stability of different regions. By interacting with parliamentarians, scholars, and think tank experts, the group aimed to identify Germany’s foreign policy direction amidst intensifying great power competition, technological advancements, and the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Dr Akhtar articulated Pakistan’s aspirations to become a regional and global connector, and expressed her belief that the country could serve as Germany’s partner in promoting peace. She said academic collaboration between the two countries must lay the groundwork for better ties. In that regard, she hoped that the University of Lahore (UOL) and CSSPR will like to establish linkages, to work on security and strategic issues with policymakers, universities, and think tankers in Germany.

Moreover, during the meetings with German officials and academicians, including Dr.Martin Thummel (Deputy Head for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Federal Foreign Office), Dr Akhtar along with the delegation underlined the importance of collaboration between nations in an increasingly interconnected world. It was argued that Europe and Asia should not be considered separate arenas, as common threats and opportunities necessitate a collective approach.

The participants engaged in thought-provoking discussions on how Germany’s foreign policy has evolved amid geopolitical tensions and how the country aims to strike a balance between values-based and interests-based approaches, particularly in the face of the evolving Sino-U.S. rivalry. Central to these discussions was Germany’s embrace of Zeitenwende, signifying a transformative shift in its foreign and defence policies following the war in Ukraine. German officials highlighted that this philosophy would enable their country to contribute positively to regional and global stability.

Furthermore, the delegation stressed the importance of inter-regional dialogues, trade, and economic cooperation between Germany and Asian countries during their meetings with parliamentarians. Geoeconomics emerged as a key theme, with experts acknowledging its potential to promote interdependence, peace, and stability. However, they also expressed caution, and were mindful of the geopolitical complexities that could hinder its effectiveness.

Dr Ashraf becomes Pakistan’s top and world’s 12th most cited Plant Science researcher

Description

What traits set exceptional academic leaders apart? One is their ongoing commitment to academic excellence. Prof Dr Muhammed Ashraf (Rector, UOL), in an interview with the Press and Publications Cell (PPC) of the University of Lahore (UOL), shared how his commitment to academics and research led him to stand amongst the top-cited Plant Science researchers in the world.

The second edition of Research.com rankings of the best researchers was released recently. According to these rankings, Dr Ashraf stood 12th in the list of top-cited researchers with a massive number of 72,461 citations and 1,169 publications in the field of Plant Science.

While sharing his sentiments with the PPC team, he said, “It is a great honour and privilege for me to be among the world’s top-cited Plant Science researchers. Barely people from third-world countries like Pakistan get such immense acknowledgement for research, but I, hailing from a developing country, take pride in the fact that I was able to garner the limelight along with researchers from advanced countries like America, Germany, etc.”

Motivation for Plant Science Research

For most of his academic life, Dr Ashraf has been conducting research anchored on Plant Science, his field of specialisation for which he has recently been recognised globally. Revealing his motivation behind his research drive, he mentioned that “Research is the key element for institutions and even for academicians to leave an unprecedented imprint on the global academic spectrum. The only sound way to project novel ideas pertaining to your field is through research, and that is what keeps me right on track with research. To make significant contributions to the field of Plant Science, I try to continually explore and conduct impactful research.”

Global Acclamation

In continuing the discussion of his research motivation, on a lighter note, he shared that he received a congratulatory email from Mr Rattan Laal (The Ohio State University, the United States). “To my surprise, Mr Laal, the world’s most cited researcher, shared his congratulatory remarks with me. I am humbled to the core by this global acclamation that I have received so far,” he said.

Catering to Contemporary Plant Science Issues

In every field of study, researchers try to address and explore solutions for the most pressing issues. In Plant Science and Agronomy, the focal point of researchers nowadays is the impact of climate change on plants and, broadly, on the agriculture sector. Upon being asked about the impact of his research, the UOL Rector stated that “Climate change, undoubtedly, has adversely affected the lives of plants, animals, and even humans. My focus is particularly on plants and agriculture. Through my research, I have always tried to address and highlight the pressing issues that are being faced mainly by Asian and African countries, and this is also one of the reasons that my research is getting global acknowledgement because it caters to global issues. Majorly, my work is based on different plant stresses such as drought, salinity, waterlogging, temperature extremes etc.”

Fundamentals of Research, Publications, and Rankings

Not many people are familiar with the Research.com rankings, and in fact, they lack even the most basic knowledge of research rankings. During his interview with PPC, Dr Ashraf summarised the entire research ranking process by saying that “A researcher gets ranked based on his number of publications and citations. Researchers should try to publish their work in international journals, which will increase their chances of maximum citations. The more publications and citations, the higher the H-index, and ultimately, the better the chances of getting ranked at the top.”

Tips for soon-to-be Early-career Researchers

There is no short cut to conduct profoundly organic research, and that is what Dr Ashraf said. “Dedication and hard work are the keys to achieve research goals. Nevertheless, to stand out in the pool of researchers, it is pertinent, especially for Plant Science research aspirants, to focus on technological and digital advancements, keeping oneself up-to-date with international contemporary research trends, and fuelling the urge of discovery by gaining more and more knowledge,” he advised the students.

Dr Tahir explores the role of financial risk-taking attitude in consumer satisfaction

Description

A consumer’s attitude of financial risk tolerance (FRT) plays an important role in his/her financial decisions, thereby determining his well-being. FRT is a consumer’s preference for the amount of risk he undertakes while making investments. Recently, a lot of research studies have been conducted on consumer well-being and FRT. Being motivated by this trend in financial research, Dr Muhammad Tahir (Assistant Professor, Lahore Business School, the University of Lahore (UOL)) and fellow researchers explored the relationship amongst financial literacy, propensity to plan (PTP), FRT, financial satisfaction, and life satisfaction.

Though scholarly acumen for consumer well-being is rapidly developing, not much is known regarding the collective roles of financial literacy, PTP, and FRT. Dr Tahir’s study addressed this gap by showing that financial literacy, risk-taking attitudes, and planning propensities are all interconnected and necessary ingredients to improve financial and life satisfaction.

Dr Tahir’s analytical study titled “Role of financial risk-taking attitude in personal finances and consumer satisfaction: evidence from Australia” revealed a strong partial mediation of FRT between financial literacy and financial satisfaction. Moreover, the analysis showed that a high PTP combined with a high FRT results in high financial satisfaction.

For achieving the main objective of the research, the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey was taken into consideration. Furthermore, Dr Tahir used the variance-based partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), also known as the PLS path modelling approach, to test the proposed hypotheses of the study empirically.

The findings of Dr Tahir’s research study showed the importance of creating financial plans in accordance with risk tolerance. Considering the relevance of increasing financial literacy, Dr Tahir suggested that the use of tools that could help consumers plan and spent in risky investments might lead them to have a more financial and life satisfaction.

UOL chemist explores an eco-friendly alternative thickening agent for textile printing

Description

Textile printing is the most versatile and vital methodology for introducing colour and design to textile fabrics. Different types of thickeners (chemical compounds) are used for printing, such as polysaccharide thickener, synthetic thickener, and emulsion thickener. Synthetic thickeners are highly criticised for endangering the environment at the manufacturing stages.

Dr Dure Najaf Iqbal (Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, The University of Lahore) and her team of researchers explored an eco-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners that is effective in the textile printing process. The team revealed that guar gum could serve as an outstanding natural thickener, stabiliser, and gelling agent and could as well be used in various industrial units, including food, cosmetics, textiles, oil fracturing, and mining. Guar gum is one of the most important naturally occurring non-ionic high molecular weight polysaccharides and consists of galactomannan, which has vast applications in various fields.

Dr Iqbal and her team synthesised carboxymethyl guar gum (CMG) via monochloroacetic acid under alkaline conditions. The carboxymethylation of guar gum was accomplished by the Willianson ether technique and the reaction conditions were optimised during the course of the experiment. Guar derivatives with variable degrees of substitution (DS) were prepared and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The DS was determined quantitatively by the titration method for each derivative.

For this research study, native guar gum was purchased from National Guar Industries, Karachi, with a molecular weight of 1.043 106 g/mol. Whereas, all the chemicals and reagents used were of analytical grade and were purchased from Merck, Germany.

The result proved that the substituted guar gum is an eco-friendly, non-hazardous thickener as compared to synthetic thickeners. Furthermore, the penetration properties, fixation ability, and colour fastness of guar gum were compared with those of commercial alginate thickeners. The printing trial of the thickener CMG also showed that carboxymethyl guar gum could easily replace conventional thickeners without any compromise on printing results and could prevent fabric stiffness. The tested water-holding capacity (a central aspect that determines commercial applications of gums) of guar gum made it ideal for improving the texture of end products in diverse industrial formulations.

Also, it was revealed that the implementation of carboxymethyl guar gum in textile printing can reduce the economic burden associated with exporting alginate and other synthetic thickeners. This, in turn, could enable exporters to offer competitive pricing without compromising on quality.

Faculty / Staff Profiles

Prof. Dr. Zahid A. Siddiqi

Professor

Civil Engineering

Biography

Education

Experience

Publications

Conferences

Awards

Courses Taught

Project Supervisor

Services

Books

Research Fundings

Extracurricular Activities

Languages and Skills

Active Collabrations

Consulting Experience

Dr Akhtar represents Pakistan, explores collaboration with Germany on global issues

Dr Ashraf becomes Pakistan’s top and world’s 12th most cited Plant Science researcher

Dr Tahir explores the role of financial risk-taking attitude in consumer satisfaction

UOL chemist explores an eco-friendly alternative thickening agent for textile printing