Dr Hamish Dow
Lecturer In Nuclear Infrastructure
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Personal statement
I am a Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. My research focuses on automated inspection, structural health monitoring, and design optimisation across civil / nuclear infrastructure and novel construction systems, combining hardware and software development in a unique joined-up approach.
My research skills are highly multidisciplinary, and I am experienced in taking fundamental research from TRL1–3 through to industry impact. I have developed and delivered multiple novel structural health monitoring systems, deployed on national and international infrastructure.
The impact of my work has been recognised through multiple prestigious awards, including Scotland's Emerging Engineer 2024 (Institution of Civil Engineers, ICE) and the University of Strathclyde's Rising Star 2025 award.
Prize And Awards
- Strathclyde Strategic Themes - Rising Star (ECR) of the Year 2025
- Recipient
- 27/8/2025
- Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) National Young Persons' Lecture Competition - 1st Place
- Recipient
- 8/5/2025
- Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) Scotland Lecture Competition - 1st Place
- Recipient
- 26/2/2025
- Nuclear Institute YGN Speaking Competition National Final - 2nd Place
- Recipient
- 12/9/2024
- Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Scotland's Emerging Engineer 2024
- Recipient
- 18/6/2024
- Nuclear Institute Scotland Branch YGN Speaking Competition - 1st Place
- Recipient
- 8/6/2024
Qualifications
I hold a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Strathclyde. I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
Publications
- Directional lighting-based deep learning models for crack and spalling classification
- Pennada Sanjeetha, McAlorum Jack, Perry Marcus, Dow Hamish, Dobie Gordon
- Journal of Imaging Vol 11 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging11090288
- Automated concrete exposed reinforcement and corrosion detection and measurement using coloured illumination
- Dow Hamish, Darby Andrew, Perry Marcus, Zhang Feng
- MATEC Web of Conferences Vol 409 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202540903006
- Robotic deployment of embedded strain sensors in precast tunnel segments
- Tshimbombo Tresor, Perry Marcus, Dow Hamish, McAlorum Jack, Hoy Chris, Litina Chrysoula
- IEEE Sensors Journal Vol 25, pp. 18891-18900 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2025.3559405
- Comparison of directional and diffused lighting for pixel-level segmentation of concrete cracks
- Dow Hamish, Perry Marcus, McAlorum Jack, Pennada Sanjeetha
- Infrastructures Vol 10 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10060129
- Lights, camera, action : automated visual inspections of nuclear site concrete structures
- Dow Hamish, Lunn Rebecca
- Postdocs in Nuclear Energy (PiNE) 2025 (2025)
- 3D reconstruction and measurement of concrete spalling using near-field photometric stereo and YOLOv8
- Dow Hamish, Perry Marcus, Pennada Sanjeetha, Lunn Rebecca, Pytharouli Stella
- Automation in Construction Vol 166 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2024.105633
Teaching
I teach structural engineering across undergraduate levels. I also deliver Strathclyde modules in person in China, through Strathclyde's International Joint Education Programme (IJEP) with Yunnan University.
I supervise multiple undergraduate and Master's research projects each year, many of which are developed in collaboration with industry partners.
Professional Activities
- Postdocs in Nuclear Energy 2026
- Chair
- 2026
- ALICS National Highways Structures Moonshot Insights
- Keynote speaker
- 24/10/2025
- Lighting-Enhanced Concrete Structure Inspections
- Invited speaker
- 23/10/2025
- Adaptive Lighting for the Inspection of Concrete Structures, Post-Tensioned Concrete Viaduct Crack Mapping
- Speaker
- 16/10/2025
- Lighting-Enhanced Concrete Structure Inspections
- Invited speaker
- 17/9/2025
- Materials World Feature Article: Illuminate to Eliminate
- Presenter
- 15/9/2025
Projects
- ALICS Stage Gate Programme Gate 3 Market Research
- Dow, Hamish (Principal Investigator)
- Funding provided by Strathclyde Innovation & Industry Engagement to cover fees for market research for the ALICS system.
Award value: £30,000 - 31-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2027
- ALICS (Adaptive Lighting for the Inspectionof Concrete Structures) - Spinout (High Growth Spin Out)
- Dow, Hamish (Principal Investigator) Lunn, Rebecca (Co-investigator)
- This project will commercialise the Adaptive Lighting for the Inspection of Concrete Structures (ALICS) system. The project is funded by Scottish Enterprise as part of the High-Growth Spinout Programme (HGSP) "Company Creation" phase.
Award value: £199,90 - 01-Jan-2025 - 30-Jan-2027
- WikiHouse Timber Beam Failure Testing for CNC Modular Design
- Dow, Hamish (Principal Investigator)
- Funder contribution (in-kind materials supply): £239.76
- 01-Jan-2025 - 30-Jan-2026
- ALICS NII Trials final costed for Bruce Power
- Dow, Hamish (Principal Investigator) Lunn, Rebecca (Co-investigator)
- This project will deploy the Adaptive Lighting for the Inspection of Concrete Structures (ALICS) system at various sites in Bruce County, Canada. The results will then be showcased at a technical demonstration. The project is funded by the Canadian Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII)
Project FEC: £45,638
Funder Contribution: £31,463 - 02-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2026
- ALICS Trials on PT Bridge - Structures Moonshot
- Dow, Hamish (Principal Investigator) Lunn, Rebecca (Co-investigator)
- This project deployed the Adaptive Lighting for the Inspection of Concrete Structures (ALICS) system at a National Highways site as part of the "Structures Moonshot ". The work was carried out in partnership with inspectors from Henderson Thomas Associates (HTA).
Award value (VAT inclusive): £6,848.10 - 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2025
- ALICS Scottish Enterprise High Growth Spin-out Programme
- Dow, Hamish (Principal Investigator)
- This project will conduct market research for the Adaptive Lighting for the Inspection of Concrete Structures (ALICS) system. The project is funded by Scottish Enterprise as part of the High-Growth Spinout Programme (HGSP) "Opportunity Qualification" phase.
Award value: £75,000 - 01-Jan-2024 - 30-Jan-2025
Contact
Dr
Hamish
Dow
Lecturer In Nuclear Infrastructure
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Email: hamish.dow@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted