Speakers

Chris Bassindale holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Carleton University where his
research focused on improving the prediction of ductile fracture arrest in natural gas pipelines.
At BMT, Chris provides technical expertise in the fields of materials testing, data acquisition
and instrumentation, ductile fracture propagation arrest in gas pipelines, finite element modelling,
and engineering critical assessments of pipelines and pressure vessels. Throughout his career,
Chris has completed several materials related projects for the oil and gas and aviation industry,
and prepared numerous proposals, technical reports, and peer-reviewed journal and conference publications.

Dr. Nour joined Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal as a Post-Doctoral fellow and research associate from 2004 to 2007.  He joined Hydro-Quebec in 2007, and now is a senior engineer at this company and a team leader of the structural analysis team. Dr. Nour was involved in the design and the assessment of several strategic facilities, including the Gentilly 2 Nuclear Power Plant, several dams, and Power Houses.  Dr. Nour has been a user of Abaqus since 2004.

Mohammad Reza Pouya holds a master’s degree in civil engineering with a specialization in Hydraulic Structures from Iran. He has over 12 years of experience working as a civil engineer in Iran, where he was involved in the design and construction of several dam projects.
Since 2023, Mohammad Reza has been working in structural engineering at AtkinsRéalis in Montréal. He is officially recognized as a candidate à la profession d’ingénieur in Quebec.
His interest in structural behavior and dam engineering led to the publication of two peer-reviewed articles on the seismic and thermal analysis of dams:

"Thermal analysis of RCC dams during construction considering different ambient boundary conditions at the upstream and downstream faces" (Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring)

"The effect of non-uniformity in ground motions on the seismic response of arch dams" (SN Applied Sciences)

Biography:

• Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering, from IPSA, France, in 2013
• Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, from Laval University, Quebec, in 2016
• Research thesis about FEA of delamination on aerospace composite material for CRIAQ projects
• 10 years experience in FEA and CFD analyses

Hanitra Jonarivelo is a CAE specialist with 20+ years in structural and fluid dynamics across Consumer Products, Mining, Medical, Energy, HVAC, and High Tech, partnering closely with enterprise clients. Proficient with SIMULIA/Abaqus and SOLIDWORKS Simulation, he has led as a3DEXPERIENCE technical leader and Senior Simulation specialist at GoEngineer/PBI, shaping product strategy and go-to-market efforts that supported sustained growth. He holds a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering (Polytechnique Montréal) and an MBA (Université Laval).​

Gavin is an Industry Process Consultant at Dassault Systèmes, where he has been for two years, specializing in function-driven generative design and MODSIM workflows within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. He focuses on connecting topology optimization and simulation-driven design with practical CAD workflows. Before joining Dassault Systèmes, he spent nine years in the aerospace and defense industry working in mechanical and tool engineering. Gavin holds a Master’s degree in Additive Manufacturing and Design from Penn State University.

Will has been with SIMULIA for nearly 25 years, in a variety of technical and sales roles. He has trained, supported, mentored and consulted with customers across many industries in Canada, the US and UK to help them address their simulation challenges and leverage the power of SIMULIA technology. Will holds Batchelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Hicham Farid has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Quebec, Canada, where his research focused on Fracture Mechanics. His primary interests are Material Modeling and Calibration, Fracture Mechanics, and Fatigue. Before joining Dassault Systèmes, Hicham spent 12 years working as R&D Engineer/Scientist at leading organizations in the aerospace, nuclear, and renewable energy industries.