Fellow is the highest grade of membership of the ICE and is awarded to members who are or have been engaged in a role of significant responsibility in the promotion, planning, design, construction, maintenance or management of important engineering work.

Dr Al-Tabbaa's main research interests are in sustainable construction materials, ground improvement, land remediation and carbon capture and storage. She is involved in the Department of Engineering's large multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary EPSRC funded project Materials for Life, developing self-healing cement-based construction materials. She is also Deputy Director of the Department's newly established Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment.

Dr Al-Tabbaa has undertaken fundamental and applied research that has advanced the body of engineering knowledge in her areas of research expertise and has had a significant role in the development and delivery of civil engineering education and training.