Labs Network Sites > Built Environment Technology Application (BETA) Research Lab > Abrar Ahmad

Abrar Ahmad

PhD Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Office: PACCAR, 3rd Floor, Seat No. 01/ EME 202H
Phone: 5093388793
Email: abrar.ahmad@wsu.edu
PhD Research: Phase Change Materials integration into Buildings

Education

  • PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Washington State University, United States (2024- Now (In Progress))
  • MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan (2023)
  • BS, Civil Engineering, International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan (2019)

Research Interests

  • Phase Change Materials
  • Energy Efficiency of Buildings
  • Thermal Comfort of Building Occupants
  • Fire Retardant Building Materials

Professional Experience

  • Assistant Manager (Technical) & Structural Engineer – AfD Engineering and Management Consultants (Sept. 2019- Aug. 2021)
  • Lab Engineer, Reinforced Concrete Design Lab. – International Islamic University, Pakistan (Feb 2020- June 2020)
  • Field Engineer – Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (International NGO) (May 2020- Oct. 2020)
  • Apartment Coordinator – Kamiak Apartments – WSU Housing, Washington State University (Feb. 2025- Present)

Leadership & Involvement

  • Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) Senator for Civil and Environmental Engineering, WSU for academic year 2025- 2026.
  • Lab Manager for Built Environment Technology Application (BETA) Research Lab, WSU for academic year 2024- 2025.
  • General Secretary, Pakistan Student Association, WSU (2024- 2025).
  • Treasurer, WSU Cricket Club (2025- Present)
  • Graduate Student Representative at Nazarbayev University (NU) for the academic year 2022-2023.
  • Head coach, NU Cricket Club (NUCC) (2022- 2023).
  • Member, NU TEDx Club; Member, NU Psychology Club (2022- 2023).
  • Quality Controller, University Hostel Mess, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan (IIUI) (2017-2019).
  • Class Representative throughout the bachelor’s degree at the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Distinctions & Awards

  • Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year Award for the academic year 2024- 2025.
  • GPSA Excellence Award, Washington State University (2025) – Recognized for exceptional TA performance in CSTM 254. [Link]
  • Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme Award (Phase III), Higher Education Commission, Government of Pakistan (2017)
  • Awarded a laptop for maintaining a top CGPA throughout my degree.

Publications

  1. Ahmad A, S.A. Memon, A novel method to evaluate phase change materials’ impact on buildings’ energy, economic, and environmental performance via controlled natural ventilation, Applied Energy, 353 (2024) 122033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.122033. (Impact factor: 10.1 #1 ranked journal, 99th Percentile, 1/223 in Building and Construction as per Scopus)
  2. K. Nazir, S.A. Memon, A. Saurbayeva, Ahmad A, Energy consumption predictions by genetic programming methods for PCM-integrated buildings in the tropical savanna climate zone, Journal of Building Engineering. 68 (2023) 106115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2023.106115. (Impact factor: 6.7 #1 ranked journal in Architecture, 99th Percentile, 1/189 in Architecture as per Scopus)
  3. Z. Abilkhassenova, S.A. Memon, Ahmad A, A. Saurbayeva, J. Kim, Energy & Buildings Utilizing the Fanger thermal comfort model to evaluate the thermal, energy, economic, and environmental performance of PCM- integrated buildings in various climate zones worldwide, Energy and Buildings. 297 (2023) 113479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.113479. (Impact factor: 6.6 Top 5%, 95 Percentile 29/672 in Mechanical Engineering as per Scopus)
  4. Breaking New Ground: A First-of-Its-Kind Critical Review of Review Articles on Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage. Applied Energy 2025;392:125984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125984. (Impact factor: 10.1 #1 ranked journal, 99th Percentile, 1/223 in Building and Construction as per Scopus)
  5. Ahmad A, Memon SA. Optimizing Energy Performance of Phase-Change Material-Enhanced Building Envelopes Through Novel Performance Indicators. Buildings 2025; 15:2678. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15152678. (Impact factor: 3.1, Cite Score: 4.4)
  6. Ahmad A, M. Riaz, T. Zafar, K. K. Zulfiqar, and S. A. Khawaja, “Comparative study on seismic analysis and design of high-rise buildings using static and dynamic analysis by ETABS,” International Civil Engineering Conference ICEC, vol. 1, pp. 107–114, 2020 https://icec.neduet.edu.pk/sites/default/files/Proceedings_of_the_11th_ICEC_2020.pdf.
  7. Ahmad A, Dang H. Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Economic Sustainability of Buildings through Phase Change Material Integration—A Systematic Literature Review. CIB Conferences 2025;1. https://doi.org/10.7771/3067-4883.1849.
  8. Examining R-Value and Natural Ventilation Impacts on PCM-Integrated Building Envelope Performance in Kazakhstan’s Climate Zones [A. Nurkhulan, S.A., Memon, Ahmad A.] (Write-up stage, Target Journal is Journal of Building Engineering, Impact factor: 6.7 #1 ranked journal in Architecture, 99th Percentile, 1/189 in Architecture as per Scopus)