Faculty Directory

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Columbia University, 2014
• M.S. in Civil Engineering (Materials), Dalian University of Technology, 2011
• B.S. in Civil Engineering Materials, Shandong Jianzhu University, 2008

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 2025
• Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 2018-2024
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Southern California, 2016-2018
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Purdue University, 2014-2016 

HONORS and AWARDS

• NSF CAREER Award, 2025
• Early Career Researcher Award, UMass Lowell-College of Engineering, 2025
• World’s Top 2% Scientists in Building & Construction, Stanford University & Mendeley, 2021-2025
• Teaching Excellence Awards, UMass-CEE, 2021 & 2023
• Most Publications Faculty Member Award, UMass Lowell, 2018

• Novel structural materials
• Sustainable cementitious composites
• Cement chemistry
• Cement-free concrete
• Self-healing concrete
• Concrete durability
• Additive manufacturing
• Solid waste-derived structural materials
• Characterizations of pavement materials
• Thermodynamic simulation

ACTIVE PROJECTS: 

• NSF CAREER: Harnessing Molecular Interactions and Multi-Bioinspired Toughening in Inorganic Minerals for Next-Generation Binders (PI)
• MassDOT: Cracks of Low-P Rapid Set Concrete in Deck Repairs: Analysis, Prevention, and Alternatives (PI)

COMPLETED PROJECTS:

• NSF: NanoEngineered Concrete Internal Conditioning for Targeted Suppression of Alkali-Silica Reaction (PI) 
• MassDOT: Ultra-High Performance Concrete Reinforced with Multi-Scale Hybrid Fibers and Its Durability-Related Properties (PI)
• U.S.DOT-UTC: Detection and Monitoring of Material Aging and Structural Deterioration using Electromagnetic and Mechanical Sensors with Virtual Reality & Machine Learning Modeling (Co-PI)
• UMass: Decarbonization of Cement Manufacturing via Flow-Assisted Electrochemistry (Co-PI)
• MassDOT: Recycled Ground-Glass Pozzolan (RGGP) for Use in Cement Concrete (PI)

1. Shabdiki Chaurasia, Sundar Rajan Aravamuthan, Dayou Luo, Bilen Akuzum, Jianqiang Wei, Ertan Agar, Leveraging Flow-Assisted Electrochemistry to Decarbonize Calcium Hydroxide Production in Cement Manufacturing, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 2025, 172: 073506.
2. Akabrata Sinha, Jianqiang Wei*, Phase, structure, and hygroscopic property evolutions of alkali-silica reaction gels under freeze drying, Cement and Concrete Research, 2024, 186: 107692. 
3. Dayou Luo, Arkabrata Sinha, Richard Mulcahy, Jianqiang Wei*, Influence of enforced carbonation on alkali-silica reaction: Performance and multi-scale mechanisms, Cement and Concrete Composites, 2024, 153: 105721. 
4. Arkabrata Sinha, Jianqiang Wei*, Influences of composition and reaction conditions on molecular structure, hygroscopicity, and swelling behavior of alkali-silica reaction gels, Cement and Concrete Composites, 2024, 150: 105537. 
5. Fang Sun, Xueyu Pang*, Jianqiang Wei, Lijun Sun, Haige Wang, Jinsheng Sun, Stability of calcium silicate hydrates produced by alite hydration at high and ultrahigh temperatures, Cement and Concrete Research, 2024, 179: 107469. 
6. Dayou Luo, Jianqiang Wei*, Elucidating the role of magnesium in alkali-silica reaction: Performance and mechanisms, Construction and Building Materials, 2024, 437: 136935. 
7. Dayou Luo, Jianqiang Wei*, Early-age shrinkage behavior of cement mixtures regulated with metakaolin-based internal conditioning, Applied Clay Science, 2024, 261: 107583. 
8. Zhengyang Yang, Cuilei Li, Dayou Luo, Jianqiang Wei, Fanglin Che, Zhiyong Gu*, Electrodeposition of Cu-based nanoarrays with tailored hierarchical nanostructure and their application for electrochemical nitrate sensing, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 2024, 974: 118744. 
9. Arkabrata Sinha, Jianqiang Wei*, Phase evolution and mechanical-hydroscopic properties of alkali-silica reaction gels modified by magnesium nitrate, Cement and Concrete Composites, 2023, 144: 105283. 
10. Dayou Luo, Jianqiang Wei*, Hydration and phase evolution of blended cement composites containing lithium and saturated metakaolin, Cement and Concrete Composites, 2023, 144: 105268. 
11. Dayou Luo, Jianqiang Wei*, Understanding the role of a novel internal conditioning technique with functionalized montmorillonite in cement hydration kinetics, Construction and Building Materials, 2023, 385: 131223. 
12. Dayou Luo, Jianqiang Wei*, Efficacy of functionalized sodium-montmorillonite in mitigating alkali-silica reaction, Applied Clay Science, 2023, 245: 107-139. 
13. Fang Sun, Xueyu Pang*, Jianqiang Wei, Jing Zeng, Jiacheng Niu, Synthesis of alite, belite and ferrite in both monophase and polyphase states and their hydration behavior, Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 2023, 25: 3901-3916.
14. Dayou Luo, Arkabrata Sinha, Madhab Adhikari, Jianqiang Wei*, Mitigating alkali-silica reaction through metakaolin-based internal conditioning: New insights into property evolution and mitigation mechanism, Cement and Concrete Research, 2022, 159: 106888. 
15. Arkabrata Sinha, Darren Lim, Jianqiang Wei*, A lignin-based capsule system with tunable properties tailored for robust self-healing concrete, Cement and Concrete Composites, 2022, 132: 104643. 
16. Dayou Luo, Jianqiang Wei*, Upgrading sodium montmorillonite into a reactive internal curing agent for sustainable cement composites through non-ionic functionalization, Composites Part B: Engineering, 2022, 242: 110076. 
17. Dayou Luo, Jianqiang Wei*, Hydration kinetics and phase evolution of portland cement composites containing sodium-montmorillonite functionalized with a Non-Ionic surfactant, Construction and Building Materials, 2022, 333: 127386. 
18. Amirhossein Madadi, Jianqiang Wei*, Characterization of calcium silicate hydrate gels with different calcium to silica ratios and polymer modifications, Gels, 2022, 8: 75. 
19. Bora Gencturk, Hadi Aryan, Mohammad Hanifehzadeh, Clotilde Chambreuil, Jianqiang Wei, A computational study of the shear behavior of reinforced concrete beams affected from alkali–silica reactivity damage, Materials, 2021, 14(12): 3346. 
20. Arkabrata Sinha, Qi Wang, Jianqiang Wei*, Feasibility and compatibility of a biomass capsule system in self-healing concrete, Materials, 2021, 14(4): 958. 
21. Arezou Attar, Bora Gencturk*, Hadi Aryan, Jianqiang Wei, Impact of laboratory-accelerated aging methods to study alkali–silica reaction and reinforcement corrosion on the properties of concrete, Materials, 2020, 13(15): 3273. 
22. Hadi Aryan, Bora Gencturk*, Mohammad Hanifehzadeh, Jianqiang Wei, ASR Degradation and Expansion of Plain and Reinforced Concrete, Structures Congress 2020, 303-315. 
23. Jianqiang Wei*, Bora Gencturk, Hydration of ternary portland cement blends containing a combination of metakaolin and sodium bentonite. Cement and Concrete Research, 2019, 123: 105772. 
24. Jianqiang Wei*, Bora Gencturk, Degradation of natural fiber in portland cement composites in the presence of diatomaceous earth. ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 2018, 30(11): 1943-5533.0002486. 
25. Jianqiang Wei, Bora Gencturk*, Amit Jain, Mohammad Hanifehzadeh, Mitigating alkali-silica reaction induced concrete degradation through cement substitution by metakaolin and bentonite. Applied Clay Science, 2019, 182, 105257. 
26. Jianqiang Wei*, Degradation behavior and kinetics of sisal fiber in pore solutions of sustainable cementitious composites containing metakaolin, Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2018, 150: 1-12. 
27. Jianqiang Wei*, Impact of cement hydration on durability of cellulosic fiber-reinforced cementitious Composites in the presence of metakaolin. Advanced Engineering Materials, 2018, 20, 1700642. 
28. Jianqiang Wei*, Christian Meyer, Degradation of natural fiber in ternary blended cement composites containing metakaolin and montmorillonite. Corrosion Science, 2017, 120: 42-60. 
29. Jianqiang Wei*, Bernard Tao, W. Jason Weiss, Water absorption in cementitious materials at different temperatures. Advances in Civil Engineering Materials, 2017, 06 (01): 1-16. 
30. Muhammad Tufail, Khan Shahzada, Bora Gencturk*, Jianqiang Wei, Effect of elevated temperature on mechanical properties of limestone, quartzite and granite concrete. International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials, 2017, 11(1): 17-28. 
31. Jianqiang Wei*, Christian Meyer, Utilization of rice husk ash in green natural fiber-reinforced cement composites: mitigating degradation of sisal fiber. Cement and Concrete Research, 2016, 81: 94-111. 
32. Jianqiang Wei*, Siwei Ma, D’Shown Thomas, Correlation between hydration of cement and the durability of natural fiber-reinforced cement composites. Corrosion Science, 2016, 106: 1-15. 
33. Jianqiang Wei, Bernard Tao, W. Jason Weiss*, Effect of temperature on the chloride binding of Portland cement exposed to CaCl2. ACI Special Publication, 2016, 308: 1-12. 
34. Jianqiang Wei*, Christian Meyer, Degradation mechanisms of natural fiber in the matrix of cement composites. Cement and Concrete Research, 2015, 73: 1-16. 
35. Mingli Cao*, Cong Zhang, Yong Li, Jianqiang Wei, Using calcium carbonate whisker in hybrid fiber-reinforced cementitious composites. ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 2015, 27(4): 04014139. 
36. Jianqiang Wei*, Christian Meyer, Degradation rate of natural fiber in cement composites exposed to various accelerated aging environment conditions. Corrosion Science, 2014, 88: 118–132. 
37. Jianqiang Wei*, Christian Meyer, Sisal fiber-reinforced cement composites with portland cement substitution by a combination of metakaolin and nanoclay. Journal of Materials Science, 2014, 49 (21): 7604-7619. 
38. Jianqiang Wei*, Christian Meyer, Improving degradation resistance of sisal fiber in concrete through fiber surface treatment. Applied Surface Science, 2014, 289: 511-523. 
39. Mingli Cao*, Cong Zhang, Jianqiang Wei, Microscopic reinforcement for cement-based composite materials. Construction and Building Materials, 2013, 40: 14-25.