Civil Engineering Research

Civil engineering research in the School of Built Environment and Engineering focuses on pure and applied research and development work, encompassing both empirical and numerical testing/design programmes.

Recent research includes: work on the development of a novel water purification system using plant extracts for developing countries; the use of novel vegetable fibre geotextiles to reinforce and reinstate contaminated soils; improving the performance of unpaved roads in Africa; the performance of lime mortars in masonry; and the use of thermally desorbed soils in concrete and mortars.

Water research at Leeds Beckett

Water research in the School of the Built Environment and Engineering is led by a team of civil engineers who undertake complementary multidisciplinary research and development work to evaluate, improve and develop the water quality infrastructure and operational reliability of rural community water points, across developing regions of the global south (Malawi, Sierra Leone, Gambia and the Amazon region of Brazil). Initially, this work was directed towards meeting target 7c of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals but is now focused on addressing several of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.