The Engineer's Impact - Wenxing Zhou

Your inside look at faculty’s research and its effect on society

In this new Q&A series, we’ll feature Western Engineering faculty members to gain a succinct overview of their research, understand its impact on society, and discover intriguing little-known facts.

Meet Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Wenxing Zhou.

Can you describe your research?

My research group and I are developing methodologies and tools to ensure the structural integrity of oil and gas pipelines under different threats such as corrosion, landslide and external interference.  

How does your research impact society in everyday life?

Pipelines are critical infrastructure systems in a modern society. Failures of oil and gas pipelines can have serious safety, environmental and economic consequences. Our research will lead to safer, more reliable pipelines in Canada and around the world.   

What’s an interesting, little-known fact related to your research?

There are more than 840,000 km of oil and gas pipelines in Canada. Canada is a world leader in winter pipeline construction, having developed unique trenching machines for permafrost and muskeg.