Professor Kitipornchai is a scientist of world-renown, conducting research in structural engineering and mechanics. In particular, his work on steel structures, transmission structures and the modelling of structures made of smart materials is acknowledged at the forefront of the discipline internationally. He is one of the most prolific Australian publishers of structural engineering research in archival journals, and author of several books appearing in numerous editions. These research outcomes have found widespread application to industry and the profession in code development, innovative applications such as non-destructive testing procedures, transmission tower analysis and active control of composite structures using piezoelectric films or shape memory alloys.