Profile

I received a degree in Civil Engineering in 2006 from the Universidade Estadual de Londrina in Brazil. Then I continued my research career in Spain, focusing on concrete technology and underground infrastructure. In 2009 I was awarded a PhD for my research on technological aspects of tunnels built with tunnelling boring machines (TBM) and precast concrete segments from Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) with a European mention for the work developed at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands. After a year as a research assistant, I became an Assistant Professor (2010-2015) at the School of Environmental and Civil Engineering of UPC. Then, I was promoted to Associate Professor (2015-2017).

Over a period of seven years, research interests were extended from the initial area of advanced special concretes (fibre reinforced concrete, ultra-high performance concrete, sprayed concrete, pervious concrete, conductive concrete, 3D printed concrete) and durability of concrete structure (sulfate attack and reinforced concrete corrosion) to advanced modelling of cementitious materials performance and production processes (FEM, DEM, CFD) and innovative manufacturing. In 2015, I co-founded a spin-out company that develops enhanced cementitious materials and provides advanced design and maintenance solutions for civil and urban infrastructure.

In November 2017, I joined the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering (ABCE) at Loughborough University as a Reader in Infrastructure Systems and member of the Structures and Materials Group. I am a Deputy Director of Doctoral Programmes at ABCE, Programme Director of the MSc in Infrastructure Design and Management and the Deputy Director of the UKCRIC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Infrastructure and Cities

Esteem indicators

Professional affiliations

  • Member, RILEM (International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures)

Awards

  • Awarded the RILEM Gustavo Colonnetti Medal 2018 for outstanding scientific contribution to the fields of construction materials and structures

External activities

  • Visiting Professor at Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil (2018-present)
  • Visiting Professor at Universidade Federal do Parana, Brazil (2019-present)
  • Member of the Technical Activities Committee (TAC) of the RILEM (2018-present)
  • Deputy Chair, RILEM CCF Committee about the creep of FRC (2014-present)
  • Member, of FIB Task Group.2.11: Structures made by digital fabrication (2019-present)
  • Deputy Chair of the sprayed materials commission for the Spanish Structural Code (2015-2016)
  • Member, Standardization Committee SC-05 of AEN/CTN 83 – AENOR (Spain) about FRC (2014-present)
  • Member, Standardization Committee SC-06 of AEN/CTN 83 – AENOR (Spain) sprayed materials (2014-present)
  • Expert reviewer of the British Council Newton Fund (2018-present)
  • Expert reviewer of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (2017-present)
  • Expert reviewer of the Norwegian Research Council (2016-present)
  • External examiner, PhD programme of the Polytechnic School at Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil (2019-present)

Key collaborators

My research and enterprise activities are conducted with a range of academic and stakeholder partners, including:

  • Universities: Currently collaborate with colleagues in 15 Universities in Europe, the Americas and Asia
  • Technology companies: SIKA, BASF, IQE, Autodesk
  • Consultants: Mott MacDonald, Cundall, Foster and Partners