The G.J. Jackson Fellowship is awarded annually in memory of the late Geoffrey Jackson. Mr. Jackson was for many years a leader in the Canadian structural steel fabrication industry and was a founding member of the Steel Structures Education Foundation (SSEF) now oversees by CISC Education & Research Council. This prestigious award is currently valued at $25,000 over a one-year period and is presented annually to an engineering student who, in the following academic year, will be registered in the first to fourth year of full-time graduate studies in structural engineering, with major emphasis on the study of steel structures. The award, presented at the CISC Annual Steel Conference, is commemorated with the G.J. Jackson Memorial Certificate.

2023-2024 G. J. Jackson Fellowship

Benjamin R. W. Newcomb
Benjamin R. W. NewcombDalhousie University
PhD Candidate
Supervisor: Dr. Kyle Tousignant, Ph.D., P.Eng

Benjamin’s research aims to develop an internationally accepted “fit-for-purpose” design approach for welds in circular hollow section (CHS) connections whereby the welds can be designed to resist the actual force(s) in the branch member (rather than to develop the branch yield strength) and often results in reduced material, labour, and detailing demands for steel structures. To that end, he has designed and carried-out over 24 large-scale experiments on CHS members and connections at Dalhousie and is developing finite element simulation techniques to predict weld fracture in these connections. Benjamin’s research has already led to new formulae in CSA W59 and the results obtained from his research are expected to further improve the design process for welds in CHS connections in both Canada and the US.