Dr. Al-Mhdawi is a lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Engineering Project Management at the School of Computing, Engineering, and Digital Technologies (SCEDT), Teesside University, UK. He earned his Ph.D. in Risk Management from the University of Southampton and has over 13 years of experience in integrating risk and safety management into core business processes across different industries (construction, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, finance, space, and healthcare systems).

Dr. Al-Mhdawi’s research focuses on modelling risk behaviour, as well as developing mathematical models that capture the dependencies between risk categories and their levels of impact on projects/businesses. He has a special interest in developing decision support systems for risk management and risk communication. Moreover, Dr. Al-Mhdawi is interested in hazard recognition, safety risk perception, safety culture parameters, and the management of diversity in the construction workforce. Furthermore, Dr. Al-Mhdawi's research involves developing hybrid assessment, prediction, and optimization models utilizing a number of quantitative methods such as Fuzzy Sets Theory, Artificial Neural Networks, Bayesian Networks, Analytical Hierarchy Process, Discrete Event Simulation, and Structural Equation Modelling.

Dr. Al-Mhdawi is a member of the Association for Project Management, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the American Society of Safety Professionals.

In addition to his academic appointment, Dr. Al-Mhdawi holds the position of President-elect of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) UK International Group.

External Research Collaborations

Dr. Al-Mhdawi is open to and welcomes collaborations with national and international industry experts and researchers. He is currently collaborating with Plastron UK Ltd on developing an agile compliance framework for the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) and assessing the risk associated with non-compliance with ECSS. Furthermore, he is actively involved in collaborative projects with Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Southampton Centre for Advanced Project Management, the University of Southampton, and Southampton Centre for Risk Research, the University of Southampton, related to critical infrastructure risk management and risk behaviour modelling.

Funded Research Projects

I have secured multiple funded projects as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator, with total funding exceeding £300,000. These include a £164,000 project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a CubeSat safety risk management platform; a £50,000 grant from the Association for Project Management (APM) investigating AI-driven digital transformation in project environments; and a set of projects funded by the American University of Sharjah focused on sustainable risk management in oil and gas construction. 

Current PhD Students

• Abdul Hadi  Al Samawi

  First/primary/lead supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: Performance-Based Fire Risk Design of Multi-Functional Buildings

  Programme year 2

  01/12/23 → …
  
  

• Mohamed Hamdy Hassouna Elseknidy

  First/primary/lead supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: Assessing the implementation of artificial intelligence in construction risk management in the United Kingdom: Key challenges, benefits, success factors, and best practices.

  Programme year 2

  01/10/23 → …

• Mohamed Abdelwahab Mohamed

  First/primary/lead supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: AI Performance in Construction Risk Management: Challenges, Opportunities & Risks

  Programme year 2

  01/12/23 → …

• Wadhah Al Dhaheri

  First/primary/lead supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: Impact of Artificial Intelligence Marketing (AIM) on Business Strategy and Customer Satisfaction in Online SMEs' Businesses

  Programme year 2

  01/12/23 → …

• Mohamed Abdelwahab Mohamed

  First/primary/lead supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: AI Performance in Construction Risk Management: Challenges, Opportunities & Risks

  Programme year 2

  01/12/23 → …

• Farag Saad

  Second supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: Flight Safety Concerns and Occupational Health in the Aviation Industry: A Case Study of Gulf Oil Company

  Programme year 1

  01/10/24 → …

• Mohamed Abourida

  Second supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: Developing a Digital Technologies-Driven Best Practices Framework for Managing Safety Risks in the Biogas Industry

  Programme year 2

  01/12/24 → …

• Ghazal Shadlooye Chianeh

  First/primary/lead supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: Strategic Optimizing Responses to Construction Risks in the UK’s Oil and Gas Sector: A Multi-criterion Decision-Making Framework Using AHP and Fuzzy Logic

  Programme year 1

  2/12/24 → …

• Suman Saeed

  Second supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: Generalized Ground Motion and Structural Modelling using Bayesian Neural Networks

  Programme year 1

  01/12/24 → …

• Arismawan Arismawan

  Second supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: Logistic and Supply Chain Management for Disaster Preparedness and Post-disaster Emergency and Recovery

  Programme year 3

  01/12/24 → …

• Louise Thurzza Ellis

  Third supervisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: BIM enabled Lean Construction applied to timber construction for social housing

  Programme year 4

  04/10/21 → …

• Jingyang Yan

  Technical advisor

  Doctor of Philosophy

  Project title: Sustainable Supply Chain Adoption: Social, Economic, and Environmental factors Under Industry 4.0 (University of Southampton).

  Programme year 3

  01/01/22 → …

Teaching 

ENG4005 Enterprising Leadership and Project Management

CEN4017 Risk Management in Projects

ENG4011 Engineering Research Project (MSc and MEng Dissertations Supervision)