Dr Ricky Chan

Dr. Ricky Chan obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Queensland in 2008 in the area of passive energy dissipation of civil structures to mitigate seismic risks. He innovated a number of disposable earthquake dampers that act as "structural fuses" which can be replaced after cyclic motions. One of the damper design described in his thesis, the "Steel Slit Damper", has been adopted by a Korean company and put into application in building structures. Another damper design, the "Yielding Shear Panel Device", was selected as one of the highly cited articles by Journal of Constructional Steel Research (Q1 Journal). More recently his research direction moved to semi-active and active vibration control. His collaborations with a few Japanese Universities have led to the application of Earthquake-Early-Warning system and IoT-enabled earthquake resistance systems.  He was a visiting researcher at the Earthquake Research Institute of the University of Tokyo in 2018. His publication records can be viewed on his Google Scholar page.

He has vast experience in curriculum design and accreditation exercises by professional bodies. He was the Program Manager of Bachelor of Engineering (Civil & Infrastructure) offered offshore in Hong Kong from 2011-2019.  This program was accredited by (1) Engineers Australia, (2) Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and (3) the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. In all these accreditation exercises, Ricky was a key member of the RMIT team leading to successful outcomes. The program in Hong Kong is one of the most successful offshore programs of RMIT University, attractive more than 100 full-time and part-time students each year.

He is also a 5-times winner of the Student Choice Teaching Award in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018.

Teaching activities

• CIVE1265 Introduction to Civil Engineering (undergraduate)
• CIVE1210 Steel Structures 2 (undergraduate)
• CIVE1211 Steel Structures 2 (undergraduate, offshore)
• OENG 1167 and 1168 Capstone Project supervisor (undergraduate)
• CIVE1225 Vibration and dynamic response of structures (postgraduate)

• Grad. Cert. in Tertiary Teaching and Learning, RMIT University, Australia, 2010
• PhD in Civil Engineering, University of Queensland, Australia, 2008
• MSc in Structural Engineering (with distinction), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2001
• BSc in Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, Canada, 1998

Prior to Dr. Ricky Chan's academic career, he was a chartered structural engineer in Hong Kong, engaged in the design and construction supervision of many high-rise buildings and civil projects. Notable projects include The Hong Kong Police Headquarter in Wan Chai, large scale private residential development Parc Palais in Kowloon, etc. He obtained the following professional qualifications:

• Member, Institution of Structural Engineers, UK 
• Member, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, Hong Kong
• Registered Professional Engineer, Hong Kong