Congrats to our new Senior Lecturers!
Published on the 01 July 2026
The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering is delighted to announce the promotion of leading academic staff Dr Khalegh Barati and Dr Daniel O’Shea to Senior Lecturers at UNSW.
“This is a fantastic outcome for the School and a well-deserved recognition of their contributions to research, teaching, and service to the School, the Faculty, and the profession”, mentioned Professor Nasser Khalili, CVEN’s Head of School.
About Khalegh
Dr Khalegh Barati is an EF Senior Lecturer and a Nexus Fellow in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CVEN) at UNSW Sydney. He is recognised for his leadership in engineering education and his contributions to construction engineering (EE) research, with expertise spanning sustainable construction, digital transformation, automation, artificial intelligence, and BIM. As the School's Nexus Fellow, he plays a leading role in advancing educational excellence by translating university-wide teaching initiatives into innovative disciplinary practice and fostering collaboration across the Faculty and the broader UNSW education community.
Khalegh is passionate about creating engaging, future-focused learning experiences that prepare engineering graduates for an evolving profession. He has led the development of AI-enabled assessment and feedback, virtual reality learning environments, and authentic industry-integrated teaching practices that strengthen students' technical, professional, and digital capabilities. He also established the CVEN Teaching and Learning Discussion Series, creating a collaborative forum for academics to share evidence-based teaching practices, emerging technologies, and innovative approaches to curriculum and assessment. His educational leadership extends to curriculum renewal, comprehensive course review, and mentoring colleagues in teaching innovation.
As a member of the Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety (CIES), Khalegh leads an active research program in Construction Engineering and Management, focusing on sustainable infrastructure, intelligent construction systems, robotics, digital twins, and automation technologies. Working closely with industry and interdisciplinary collaborators, his research develops practical solutions to improve the sustainability, productivity, and resilience of the built environment.
He is a CI on two ARC Hubs, the Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Net-Zero Building Ecosystem Lifecycle (NOBEL) and the ARC Research Hub for Human–Robot Teaming for Sustainable and Resilient Construction, supporting an integrated program of research, innovation, and higher degree research supervision.
Beyond UNSW, Khalegh contributes to the engineering profession through international collaborations, conference leadership, peer review, industry partnerships, and professional service. He is committed to strengthening the connection between education, research, and industry while fostering the next generation of engineers, researchers, and educators.
About Daniel
Dr Daniel O'Shea is member of the Structural Engineering group and Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety (CIES) within the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNSW Sydney. He completed both his Bachelor of Civil Engineering and PhD at UNSW Sydney, before joining the School as an academic full-time in 2019. He specialises in computational mechanics, nonlinear elasticity and structural dynamics. His research develops new mathematical and computational methods for accurately modelling the behaviour of complex engineering and biological materials, with the aim of improving the simulation of structures subjected to large deformations, vibration and dynamic loading. He has published extensively in leading international journals and serves on the Early Career Editorial Board of Structures.
Daniel combines his research with a strong commitment to engineering education. He has led curriculum renewal, developed innovative digital learning resources used across the School, and co-created new courses aligned with emerging industry needs. He is passionate about mentoring students and early-career academics, supporting engineering education, and helping inspire the next generation of engineers through outreach to schools and the broader community.