Biography

Professor QUEK SER TONG graduated from Monash University with BEng in 1979, from National University of Singapore with MEng in 1984 and from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with MSc and PhD in 1986. His MEng thesis research topic is in core-frame interaction of tall buildings whereas his PhD dissertation is in structural systems reliability.

He has been a staff member of the Department of Civil Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) since April 1982. Professor Quek is the Head of the Structural Engineering Group. Prior to joining NUS, he worked at the Ministry of Defence as a systems engineer in Defence Science Organisation in 1980-81 and as a civil engineer in Lands and Estates Division in 1981-82.

Professor Quek has taught courses in mechanics, concrete structures, finite element analysis, probability and statistics applied to civil engineering problems, and decision, risk and reliability analysis. He has published over 100 technical papers covering topics such as smart materials, structural health monitoring, systems identification, reliability analysis applied to structural and geotechnical problems, stochastic finite element analysis and structural dynamics.

He is a registered professional engineer and has been involved in consulting jobs on in-situ concrete strength assessment, performance tests on architectural concrete surfaces, dynamic analysis of tall buildings and assessment of forces on crane structures.

Qualifications

• BEng (1st Class), Monash University, Australia, 1979
• MEng, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 1984
• MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, 1984
• PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, 1986
• PEng, Professional Engineers Board, Singapore, 1994

Honours & Awards

• IES KYD Gin award for prestigious publication, 1990
• Visiting Scientist, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 1988
• NUS-Overseas Graduate Scholarship, 1983
• Colombo Plan Scholarship, 1976
• Tan Jiak Kim Scholarship, Ministry of Education, 1973

Professional Activities

• Member of Institution of Engineers Singapore
• Member of International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability

Teaching Areas

• Engineering Mechanics
• Reinforced Concrete Design
• Basic Engineering Probability and Statistics
• Reliability and Decision Analysis
• Finite Element Method
• Final Year Integrated Design Project

Research Interests

• Structural Reliability
• System Identification and Control
• Stochastic Finite Element Method
• Stochastic Simulation
• Structural Dynamics
• Smart Materials

Selected Publications

1. Tang, W and S T Quek, Statistical model of boulder size and fraction. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 112, no. 1 (January 1986): 79-90.
2. Quek, S T, Y P Teo and T Balendra, Non-stationary structural response with evolutionary spectra using seismological input model. Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, 19, no. 2 (1990): 275-288.
3. Quek, S T and A H S Ang, Reliability analysis of structural systems by stable configuration. Journal of Structural Engineering, 116, no. 10 (1990): 2656-2670.
4. Balendra, T, S T Quek and Y P Teo, Time-variant reliability of linear oscillator accounting for uncertainty in structural and input model parameters. Probabilistic Engineeering Mechanics, 6, no. 1 (March 1991): 10-17.
5. Quek, S T and H F Cheong, Prediction of extreme 3-sec gusts accounting for seasonal effects. Structural Safety, 11 (1992): 121-129.
6. Quek, S T, Y K Chow and K K Phoon, Further contributions to reliability-based pile settlement analysis. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 118, no. 5 (May 1992): 726-742.
7. Li, X M, S T Quek and C G Koh, Stochastic response of offshore platforms by statistical cubicization. Journal of Engineering Mechanics, 121, no. 10 (1995): 1056-1068.
8. Huang, S P, S T Quek and K K Phoon, Convergence study of the truncated Karhunen-Loeve expansion for simulation of stochastic processes. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 52, no. 9 (November 2001): 812-814.
9. Lee, L H, S T Quek and K K Ang, Moment redistribution in continuous profiled steel-concrete composite slabs. Magazine of Concrete Research, 53, no. 5 (October 2001): 301-309.
10. Quek, S T, Q Wang, L Zhang and K H Ong, Practical issues in detection of damage in beams using wavelets. Smart materials & structures, 10, no. 6 (2001): 1009-1017.