Ishfaq Aziz, a Ph.D. candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been awarded the 2025 ASNT Foundation Fellowship by the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT). The $20,000 fellowship supports early-career researchers advancing the science and practice of nondestructive testing (NDT).
Aziz was selected for his research project Quantitative Corrosion Evaluation in Concrete Structures via Radar Sensing and Physics-Informed Neural Networks aimed at developing an automated framework for identifying moisture and corrosive conditions in concrete infrastructure. His approach combines a custom-built radar sensing system with physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) to interpret radar data and infer internal material states. The methodology is designed for broad applicability, including use cases in soil moisture monitoring, pavement analysis, and permafrost studies.
The research is conducted under the guidance of CEE Research Assistant Professor Mohamad Alipour, whose work focuses on integrating sensing technologies, artificial intelligence, and data analytics to automate structural inspections. Alipour’s contributions span bridge engineering, structural health monitoring, and remote sensing applications.
Aziz’s recent work includes the development of numerical, probabilistic, and AI-based models for dielectric characterization of subsurface materials. His findings have been published in journals and presented at conferences covering topics such as remote sensing, materials science, mechanics, and machine learning.
The ASNT Foundation Fellowship is supported by donor contributions and is designed to cultivate future leaders in NDT by funding high-impact research and innovation.