M. Ishaque Noory, P.Eng. is a civil engineer with over 10 years of experience. He obtained his undergraduate degree and will soon (in 2012) obtain his graduate PhD degree in structural engineering from the University of New Brunswick. He is experienced working on a wide variety of structural design projects as a Professional Engineer. His responsibilities include structural and foundation design of industrial, commercial, residential buildings, bridge structures and site construction observation. He has experience in designing structures constructed from structural steel framing, concrete, masonry and timber. He has worked with ADI, currently known as Exp. as a structural engineer for 5 years. Prior to that, he worked with SNC-Lavalin (Brun-way) on a P3 project twinning the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick. His Brun-way background has given him extensive experience in highway/bridge design and construction, PPP Project management and coordination between contractors and designers. He is respected and active within the academic circles of University of New Brunswick leading the Hybrid Construction Research Group. He has more than 8 scholarships from UNB, an NSERC research award and an award from the Association of Professional Engineers of New Brunswick, APEGNB. He published several papers and presented in national and international conferences, in Italy and Japan.

Professor Ian Smith DSc, PhD, C.Eng., P.Eng., F.ASCE, F.IABSE, F.ICE, F.IStructE, F.IMMM, F.IWSc is widely regarded as a world leader on hybrid construction and structural use of timber (and other wood based products). He is professor of structural engineering at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Canada and visiting professor at the University of Trento in Italy. He serves on a range of committees including the Canadian Standing Committee on Structural Design, the Canadian Commission on Construction Materials Evaluation and the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) Working Commission 2 – Steel, timber and composite construction. Currently his research includes leading activities on hybrid construction within the Canadian Strategic Network on Innovative Wood Products and Building Systems. The principle that drives Professor Smith‟s research and consultancy is belief that the behaviour of complete structural systems can only be understood through study across all levels of physical dimension. This has led him, collaborators and students to delve into a broad range of issues related to structural mechanics, structural analysis, structural reliability, building science, materials science, and related topics like human factors. Much of Professor Smith‟s activity is carried out within a multi-institutional and multidisciplinary environment. Amongst other awards he is recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers‟ J. James R. Cross Medal awarded for outstanding Civil Engineering contributions to engineering science. He has authored over 250 papers and reports in open professional literature.