Dr. Abbas A. Allawi has a Ph. D. in Structural Engineering from the University of Baghdad. He has 25 years of experience in the design field as structural engineer where he reached the level of Technical Director. He has many research articles published in multiple journals and presented at international conferences. Currently, He is a senior academic researcher and supervises many Masters and Ph. D. students. He was the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering from 2018 to 2023. Over the past 10 years, he has focused his research and practice on assessment and retrofitting using advanced composite materials. He currently leads a number of research projects on the use of GFRP rebars and section as an alternative to steel.