Research interests
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Thin-Walled Steel Structures: Computational buckling analysis and behaviour of cold-formed steel members.
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Computational Mechanics and Machine Learning: Computational and data-driven methods for structural analysis, form-finding, and optimization.
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Computer Vision in Structural Health Monitoring: Computer vision methods for full-field deformation measurement and crack detection to assess structural condition.
Research projects
For a full list of publications, please visit ORCID, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate.
1. Modal Decomposition of Structural Instabilities and Geometric Imperfections
- Modal Decomposition of Geometric Imperfections Using the Polarization Method
- The Extended Polarization Approach for Modal Decomposition of Buckled Shapes
2. Structural Optimization and Generative Design
- Diffusion-based cGAN Framework for Automated Optimization and Code-Compliant Generative Design of Thin-Walled Structures
- Design-Informed Generative Modelling of Skeletal Structures using Structural Optimization
- Nothing is Better than Something: Perspective of Structural Optimization in Civil Engineering Applications
- Design Optimization of a Steel Bridge Bracket
3. Computer Vision for Structural Health Monitoring
Teaching activity
1. University of Cambridge: Undergraduate Supervisor (2024–Present) - 2P2 Structures.
2. University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka: Visiting Lecturer / Instructor (2021–2023) - Structures I, Mechanics, Mechanics of Materials, Structural Analysis I & II, Computing in Civil Engineering, Computational Mechanics.
3. University of Vocational Technology, Sri Lanka: Visiting Lecturer (2022–2023) - Mechanics of Solids and Structural Analysis.
Biography
Lowhikan is a PhD candidate in the Structures Division of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, supervised by Dr Jurgen Becque and funded by the Cambridge Trust and Trinity College. His research focuses on thin-walled steel structures, developing modal decomposition methods to characterize buckling modes and geometric imperfections.
He holds a BSc in Engineering (First Class Honours) and an MSc in Structural Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Prior to his PhD, he served as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Moratuwa (Department of Architecture) and at the University of Vocational Technology, Sri Lanka.
His research interests include structural optimization, thin-walled steel structures, computational mechanics, machine learning applications, optical-based techniques, and computational form-finding.
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Department role and responsibilities