Rate My Professor Robert Petersen

Dr Robert Petersen is a Lecturer in the School of Engineering (Civil Engineering) at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) with Honours and a PhD in Civil Surveying and Environmental Engineering from the University of Newcastle. Following his undergraduate studies, he worked as a Consulting Engineer at Sinclair Knight Merz from June 2004 to February 2005. He commenced postgraduate research at the University of Newcastle in March 2005, completing his PhD in September 2009, and has been employed as a full-time research academic since October 2008, progressing to his current lecturing role without interruption.

Petersen's research specializations include civil engineering, corrosion, fibre reinforced polymer strengthening, masonry structures, and structural engineering. He contributes to the Critical Infrastructure Performance and Reliability (CIPAR) research group in the College of Engineering, Science and Environment, focusing on infrastructure resilience, corrosion science and engineering, structural assessment of masonry construction, and advanced materials for retrofitting. His notable awards include the Guy Bengough Award from the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining in 2019 and the M.A. Hatzinikolas Best Paper Award by a Graduate Student Related to Innovation and Construction at the 11th Canadian Masonry Symposium in 2009. Key publications encompass 'Development of Pitting Corrosion for Mild Steel Exposed to Particulate Media and Natural and Nutrient-Dosed Seawaters' (CORROSION, 79, 121-131, 2023), 'Pitting Corrosion of Mild Steel in Long-Term Contact with Particulate Media in Seawater' (CORROSION, 79, 1040-1051, 2023), 'Bi-modal trending for corrosion loss of steels buried in soils' (Corrosion Science, 137, 194-203, 2018), 'Effect of moisture content and compaction on the corrosion of mild steel buried in clay soils' (Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology, 54, 587-600, 2019), and 'Experimental Evaluation of Static Cyclic In-Plane Shear Behavior of Unreinforced Masonry Walls Strengthened with NSM FRP Strips' (Journal of Composites for Construction, 19, 2015). These works provide empirical models for long-term corrosion of buried cast iron and mild steel pipes and experimental data on the shear performance of FRP-strengthened masonry panels, impacting infrastructure asset management and seismic retrofitting practices.