Professor Bhushan Karihaloo
Former Laing O’Rourke Professor of Hybrid Concrete Innovation, Institute of Mechanics and Advanced Materials, Cardiff School of Engineering, Cardiff University
It is with profound sadness that the Learned Society of Wales announces the passing of Bhushan Karihaloo on 22 August 2025. An internationally distinguished leader in the field of fracture mechanics and structural materials, Professor Karihaloo’s eminent career embodied scholarly rigour, international collaboration, and an unwavering dedication to education and research.
Professor Karihaloo earned his BE from the University of Ranchi, India, MTech in Structural Engineering from IIT Bombay, PhD from Moscow Civil Engineering University, and DEng from the University of Sydney. He held prominent professorial posts at the universities of: Newcastle (NSW), Sydney, Aalborg (Denmark) and Cardiff, in addition to distinguished visiting appointments at the universities of: Northwestern, Oxford, TU Denmark, Peking etc.
In 2006, Professor Karihaloo was awarded the prestigious Griffith Medal by the European Structural Integrity Society for his “outstanding research in the field of theoretical fracture mechanics and fracture of quasi-brittle materials”. In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, recognizing his significant contributions to engineering and academia in Wales. He also received the Research.com Engineering and Technology Leader Award in the UK in 2024 and 2025 – highlighting his sustained leadership and impact in engineering research.
Professor Karihaloo’s scholarly output was both prolific and influential. He authored over 400 refereed technical papers, two authoritative books on fracture mechanics of concrete and ceramics, and co-edited eleven books on structural optimisation and integrity. He was co-editor-in-chief of the ten-volume classic series on Comprehensive Structural Integrity, which received the Best Engineering Reference award from the American Society for Engineering Education in 2004.
His editorial service was equally distinguished: he served as Associate Editor for Mechanics of Materials, The International Journal of Fracture, along with being a respected member of the editorial boards for many international journals.
He was awarded: Hon. Member of the Czech Society of Mechanics (1989), Hon. Fellow of the International Congress on Fracture (2001), and DSc (Hon. Ca.) from the University of St Petersburg (2007). Professor Karihaloo’s contributions transcended regional boundaries, reinforcing his status as a global authority in mechanics.
At Cardiff University, Professor Karihaloo was the Founding Director of the Institute of Theoretical, Applied and Computational Mechanics Research Centre, which shaped the future of civil and computational engineering through innovation, mentorship, and leadership.
Across the University, and particularly in the School of Engineering, he was much admired and respected not only for his scholarly achievements but also for his collegiality, generosity, and unshakeable commitment to nurturing the next generation of engineers. As well as being greatly missed by those who knew Bhushan, his legacy remains in the knowledge he advanced, the students he inspired, and the high standards of research and teaching he exemplified.
Outside of academia, Bhushan’s warmth and humanity shone through just as passionately. He was a devoted family man, whose greatest joy came from time spent with his loved ones and friends. His friends will remember him for his incredible general knowledge (including being fluent in 6 languages), his intellectual conversations, his passion for literature, and cricket, and his ability to find humour even in difficult times.
He is survived by his beloved wife Alla, sons Constantine and Andre, stepson Nikolai and stepdaughter Lala, and five grandchildren.
Prepared by Professor Roger Falconer (Emeritus Professor Cardiff University)