Skip to main content

Staff profile

Overview

Professor Jelena Ninic

Professor in Engineering Management

Affiliations
AffiliationTelephone
Professor in Engineering Management in the Department of Engineering

Biography

Short Bio

Jelena is a Professor at the Department of Engineering, Durham University, UK, since October 2025. She obtained her Ph.D. in 2015 in the field of computational modelling at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. In 2016, she received a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (SATBIM) at the University of Nottingham, where she was later appointed Assistant Professor in Structural Engineering and Informatics in 2018. In 2022 she moved to University of Birmingham as Associate Professor in Digital Engineering 

Jelena is a civil engineer and academic with a background in computational mechanics, digital engineering, and information modelling for underground infrastructure. Her research combines advanced numerical methods, data-driven modelling, and AI to enhance the design, monitoring, and resilience of civil infrastructure systems.

Jelena serves as an associate editor for the Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology (TUST) and ICE Bridge Engineering journals. She is the UK representative and core member of the ISSMGE Technical Committee 222 on Geotechnical BIM and Digital Twins, General Council member of the IACM, and Managing Board member of ECCOMAS. From January 2025, Professor Ninić serves as President of UK Association for Computational Mechanics (UKACM). 

Education

  • PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in Computational Mechanics, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany (2015)Thesis: Real-time steering of tunnel boring machines – summa cum laude
  • Marie Curie Individual Fellowship, University of Nottingham, UK (2016–2018)
  • Dipl.-Ing. (MSc/BSc) in Structural Engineering, University of Belgrade, Serbia (2008)

Teaching

I am actively engaged in curriculum innovation and teaching across engineering. Tohether with my colleagues Kat Lovell and Qian Zhang, I am establishing a new MSc in Engineering Management a future-oriented programme with a strong focus on  digital transformation, strategy & innovation, and sustainability.

My teaching portfolio includes themes such as Data and Modelling, digital technologies, and Multidisciplinary Design Project, integrating computational methods and real-world engineering applications.

I have led and contributed to modules in structural, geotechnical, and digital engineering across three universities, including:Engineering Materials 1 & 2, Integrated Group Design Project  and Building Information Modelling, Finat Element Methods, Numerical Simulations, and Final Research Projects.

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) since  2020.

Selected funded projects

  • M-Twin4US – Principal Investigator (PI); Marie Curie Fellowship, 2025–2027 · ID: 101205667
  • META-NOVIB – PI; Marie Curie Fellowship, 2024–2026 · ID: EP/Z001129/1
  • TwinSSI – PI; Marie Curie Fellowship, 2025–2026 · ID: EP/Z001072/1
  • ReCharged – Co-Investigator (Co-I); MSCA Staff Exchanges 2021, 2023–2026 · ID: 101086056
  • BuildAir – Co-I; UKRI Project, 2024–2025 · ID: MR/Z505912/1
  • NO2NOISE – Coordinator & PI; H2020 EID/ITN, 2019–2021 · ID: 765472
  • OptiMACS – Coordinator & PI; H2020 EID/ITN, 2020–2022 · ID: 764650
  • SATBIM – Marie Curie Individual Fellowship, 2016–2018 · ID: 702874
  • Automated Defect Recognition of ATE/DIFCAM Data by SAM – PI; Industry-funded project with Network Rail, 2025 
  • Data-driven Mechanistic Modelling for Science, Environment and Health – Co-I; Interdisciplinary Research Network+, 2025–2026 ·
  • Transforming Bridge Inspections through Digital Technologies – PI; PhD studentship with Highways England & WSP Ltd, 2020–2022
  • Ruhr University Research School Grant – PhD Studentship; DFG GSC 98/1, 2010–2012
  • MIT Visiting Research Fellowship – PI; Go International Scholarship, 2012 
  • DAAD Scientific Internship – PI; Ruhr University Bochum, 2009 

Awards

  • IStructE Midland Counties Research Award (2023)
  • Four Best Paper Awards (2021–2023) for supervised PhD students at UKACM, ICCCBE, and ICSCE
  • Eg-ICE 2019 Best Paper Award
  • Zerna Award (2015) for best PhD, Ruhr University Bochum
  • IACM Scholarship (2014); DAAD and Go International Fellowships (2009–2012)
  • Professor Korolija Foundation Award (2008) for best civil engineering graduate

Professional service and leadership

  • President, UK Association for Computational Mechanics - UKACM (from 2025)
  • Vice-President, UKACM (2024)
  • Executive Board Member, UKACM (since 2022)
  • Associate Editor, Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology-  TUST (Elsevier) and Bridge Engineering - BREN (ICE)
  • General Council Member, International Association for Computational Mechanics (IACM)
  • Core Member, ISSMGE TC222 – Geotechnical BIM & Digital Twins
  • Member, ITA Working Group 22 – Information Modelling in Tunnelling

Conferences and editorial work

Associate Editor of Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology (Elsevier, since 2020) and Bridge Engineering (ICE, since 2024).

Reviewer for over 15 major international journals and funding councils, including Horizon 2020 (2019), the Austrian Science Fund (FWF, 2023), and the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR, 2024).

Co-organiser of CTTU 2020 and TBM DiGs & CTTU 2026 (Melbourne, Australia) and EG-ICE 2017 (Nottingham, UK).

Publications

 

Publications

Journal Article