Sam Rigby Email & Phone Number

I am a Senior Lecturer in Blast & Impact Engineering, an area of civil engineering that is dedicated to protecting people and infrastructure from the devastating effects of explosions.I specialise in the development and use of novel experimental techniques for quantification of blast loading, and use of analytical and numerical tools to derive fast-running, engineering-level approaches for blast parameter prediction and structural response modelling. In particular, my work focusses on developing a detailed understanding of the fundamental mechanisms governing blast loading in complex settings, and using this "prior knowledge" to then design more robust predictive approaches. Such approaches can leverage novel and emerging data-driven and physics-informed machine learning techniques.I am a named researcher on over £4M of research council funding in the past 5 years, and have worked closely with UK MoD and US DoD in developing protective solutions against emerging threats, e.g. buried improvised explosive devices. I have completed numerous industry research projects, including work with Network Rail to understand the vulnerability of train stations to explosive attacks, and work with Scottish Water to quantify risk from explosive failure of pressurised water mains.I teach an M-level course on blast effects on structures, and have previously taught computer programming and structural analysis modules to first and second year students. I am currently Director of Education and am passionate about providing an excellent student experience through the use of novel and engaging teaching techniques.