2nd Olympiad in Engineering Science – OES 2025

John E. Bolander is a professor within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Davis. He received his Ph.D. degree in civil engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1989. He belonged to the faculty of engineering at Kyushu University, Japan, for five years prior to arriving at UC Davis in 1994. He received the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award from the College of Engineering in 2006. Bolander has served as the chief editor of the international journal Cement and Concrete Composites for the period of 2006-2012. He received fellowship awards for computational mechanics research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science in 1997 and 2008. He is a Fellow of the International Association for Fracture Mechanics of Concrete and Concrete Structures. Bolander’s research and teaching interests involve the effective use of high-performance materials within the civil infrastructure, with emphasis on the life-cycle performance of concrete materials and structures. Over the past two decades, he has been a pioneering developer of discrete methods for the modeling concrete materials, including fiber reinforced cement composites.

Pang-jo Chun received his Bachelor’s degree in 2003 and Master’s degree in 2005 from the Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. In 2010, he earned his Ph.D. from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He served as a Research Associate at Yonsei University from June to November 2010, after which he moved to Ehime University, where he worked until March 2018. Since April 2018, he has been an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. His research interests focus on the application of ICT technologies for the maintenance and management of bridges and tunnels, as well as the development of 3D infrastructure data platforms. In 2020, Pang-jo Chun received the Telford Premium Award from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and has been recognized with several other honors. He has also secured research funding from both domestic and international projects, including those led by Japan’s Cabinet Office and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. He is a member of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) and the Japan Concrete Institute (JCI).

José A.F.O. Correia was born in 1984 in Peso da Régua, Portugal, and is currently a Professor at Department of Mechanical Engineering and a Researcher at the CONSTRUCT institute, Faculty Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP, Portugal). Since March 2018, He is a Guest Professor at the Delft University of Technology (Netherlands). Also, He was an Invited Professor at the University of Porto (2018-2019) and at the University of Coimbra (2016/09-2021/08), and He was an Associate Professor by invitation at UTAD (2022/03-2023/02).

In 2007, José A.F.O. Correia obtained a Graduation in Civil Engineering (5 academic years) from UTAD. In 2009, He obtained the MSc. in Civil Engineering (Structural Mechanics) from UTAD. He has a Specialization in Steel and Composite Construction from the University of Coimbra (2010). In 2015, He got a Ph.D. Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Porto. Recently, July 2024, he obtained the Habilitation in Civil Engineering – Fatigue and Structural Integrity from the University of Porto (Portugal).

Since 2019, Doctor José A.F.O. Correia is included in the world’s top 2% scientists list of the Stanford University ranking – Engineering area (48th place in Portugal, 9th place at FEUP, 2023), Materials area (21st place in Portugal, 4th place at FEUP, 2023). José A.F.O. Correia is co-author of journal papers in the most relevant scientific journals, proceedings in conferences, book chapters, and also co-author of books. He also edited special issues of scientific journals as a Guest Editor.

Since 2015, He is editorial board member, editor-in-chief, and section editor of various scientific journals and book series.

He was/is a supervisor of doctoral and master’s students in the areas of Civil and Mechanical Engineering.

He was/is the (co)coordinator at FEUP of 8 R&D projects (e.g. FADEST, FiberBridge, SOS-WindEnergy, Hyperloop-Verne, PT-Chinese Project, NEXUS, SuRe3-OW-GH2) and consulting services (university extension) budgeted at more than 1000k€ and 190k€, respectively. In business activities, He was involved in approved investment projects budgeted more than 720k€.

Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake served as a Senior Professor in Civil Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He is a Fulbright Scholar in the USA, an Endeavour Fellow in Australia, and JASSO Research Fellow in Japan. He was awarded the Young Scientist Award in 2007 for Excellence in Scientific Research by the National Science and Technology Commission (NASTEC) of Sri Lanka. He received the Overseas Prize of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in the UK in 2007 and the Australia Alumni Excellence Award in 2012. He has published over 200 papers and chaired more than ten international conferences. Currently, he is the President of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL), the immediate past Chairman of the Green Building Council of Sri Lanka (GBCSL), and a Vice President of the Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI). He is also the former Secretary to the State Ministry of Rural Roads and the State Ministry of Urban Development. He is the founder of gap HQ, the base of operation of several companies, including Lego International (Pvt.) Ltd, ICB (Pvt.) Ltd, Lanka AAC (Pvt) Ltd, GAP (Pvt) Ltd, and Wrangler Solutions (Pvt) Ltd. He is co-chairing the 15^th International Conference on Sustainable Built Environment at Kandy, and the 2^nd International Conference on University-industry Collaborations for Sustainable Development, and the 1^st International Conference on Biomimicry for Sustainability at Colombo. Prof. Dissanayake currently serves attached to the Faculty of Engineering at Curtin University, Colombo.

Dr. Alireza Entezami is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Additionally, he serves as a European Horizon NGI Visiting Professor at MITACS, Canada. He earned his Ph.D. in Structural, Seismic and Geotechnical Engineering, graduating Cum Laude from Politecnico di Milano, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering - Structure, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.

His research interests span from Structural Mechanics to Structural Health Monitoring, with the special focus on large-scale civil structures. Most of his research activities focus on data-driven techniques, artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistical pattern recognition, reinforcement learning, finite element-based methods, digital signal and image processing, big data analytics, information fusion, time series analysis.

He leads initiatives funded by the European Space Agency and the European Commission, focusing on the health monitoring of large-scale structures using satellite imagery and robust AI algorithms, as well as hybrid damage detection methods using smartphone sensors, which utilize crowdsourced data and advanced machine learning techniques. His research has contributed to advancements in the field, documented by publications in high-impact journals and proceedings at international conferences.

He has been involved in multiple international collaborations and has contributed to peer-reviewed literature, demonstrating his commitment to the field of structural health monitoring and damage detection. Within the scientific community, he participates on editorial boards, serves as an associate editor, and has completed over 360 peer reviews for high-impact journals. Dedicated to education and mentorship, he works with postdoctoral fellows, Ph.D., and M.Sc. students on research projects at Politecnico di Milano and other international institutions. He has authored 48 international peer-reviewed journal papers, 2 monographs, 7 book chapters, and has presented at over 25 international conferences.

Nicholas Fantuzzi is Associate Professor at University of Bologna since 2021 where he teaches Modeling of Offshore Structures, Laboratory of Offshore Operations and Numerical Methods. His research interests are mechanics of solids and structures, fracture mechanics, composite materials and composite structures, computational mechanics and numerical methods. He received 3 international awards and he has been listed since 2022 as Best Rising Stars of Science 2024 according to Research.com.

He participated in the organization or co-chaired 20 International Conferences on composite structures and mechanics of solids and structures. He has been invited as Keynote speakers at 11 international conferences.
He is Co-Editor in Chief of “Composite Structures” journal by Elsevier.

He is Coordinating three projects about novel and green composite materials and structures funded by Italian Ministry of Research and co-founded by EU.

He has been Supervisor/Co-supervisor of 12 PhD students, 54 MSc students and Member of the Advisory board of the PhD Programme “Engineering and information technology for structural and environmental monitoring and risk management - EIT4SEMM” at University of Bologna. He is author of 200 international peer reviewed journal papers, 10 books (in Italian and English), 6 book chapters and more than 150 abstracts in national and international conferences.

Dr. Tiago Fazeres Ferradosa is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (Dept. of Civil Eng.) and researcher of the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR). Tiago is currently responsible for the R&D unit Offshore Structures & Foundations at the Research Group of Hydraulic Structures and Marine Energy. His research portfolio includes many R&D projects related to offshore engineering and marine renewable energy research, such as MARINET proposal 61; HYDRALAB+ (Proteus proposal); ORACLE; POSEIDON and i.nano.WEC, AquaBreak EEA Grants, among many others. He has been organiser or co-organizer of more than 45 conferences, courses, symposia and other scientific and professional events. He is the editor of the IAHR Newsflash Europe and co-Editor-in-Chief of Maritime Engineering (ICE). He acts as member of the editorial panel in 16 international peer-reviewed journals and was Guest Editor of SI in Renewable Energy (Elsevier) and reviewer in other 29 international peer-reviewed journals. Tiago is the author of more than 45 scientific journal peer-reviewed publications (indexed in Scopus and WoS) and founder and co-organiser of the International Offshore Structures Design course series. He was President of the IAHR Portugal Young Professionals Network, the Coordinator of the Young Professionals of the Portuguese Association of Water Resources and elected member of the Monitoring Committee of the Civil Engineering Doctoral Program between 2016 and 2018. He is also Marine Ambassador Portugal at HAEDES B.V. and he is currently the Secretary for International Cooperation of Hydraulics and Water Resources Institute (IHRH). He is the Portuguese appointed member of the Technical Committee 213 - Scour and Erosion of the ISSMGE. Dr. Tiago is also the awarded researcher of the APRH best PhD thesis of 2018/2019 and the Best Young Researcher of 2021 by the JMSE and co-winner of the Halcrow Prize of the Institution of Civil Engineering in 2022. He acts as an external sensor at Stavanger University (Norway). Along with this track-record he has acted as consultant in several private projects, in Belgium, France, UK, Denmark and many other countries. He is also the President of the Specialized Commission Water and Energy of APRH and member at the Leadership Team of IAHR's Europe Division.

Kristin Fjellheim is a research manager at SINTEF Community, where she leads a specialized team within the Department of Architectural Engineering. Her research portfolio is centered on advancing environmental sustainability in the construction sector, with a particular emphasis on circular economy principles, comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions assessments (Life Cycle Assessment, LCA), and strategies for minimizing waste throughout construction processes. Her work also addresses emissions from construction site operations, promoting zero-emission construction sites, and the reuse of materials within a value chain framework. Kristin’s experience includes her tenure as a researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), where she was responsible for the environmental accounting of the defense sector. Additionally, she served as the energy management specialist at Avinor, overseeing energy efficiency initiatives across Norwegian airports. These roles have endowed her with expertise in environmental reporting, the execution of public procurement processes, energy efficiency optimization, energy monitoring, and the implementation of both energy and environmental management systems. She holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Ecology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), conferred in 2011. Her academic and professional background equips her with proficiency in sustainability assessment methodologies, including material flow analysis (MFA), life cycle assessment (LCA), and input-output (IO) analysis.

Keywords: Life cycle assessments, zero-emission construction sites, energy efficiency, key performance indicators, guidelines, circular economy, material reuse, zero-emission areas, systematization, project management.

Georgios Georgiou is a Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and Director of the Oceanography Center, University of Cyprus. He has been a research associate at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, and the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) and has taught at various Universities in Greece (Patras, Aegean, Crete), Cyprus (Cyprus University of Technology), Brazil (Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Egypt, and Morocco. His expertise lies in computational rheology, numerical simulations of viscoelastic flows, numerical solution of PDEs, finite element methods, and computational oceanography. Prof. Georgiou has published more than 160 peer-review journal papers and more than 100 papers in conference proceedings. He co-authored two books (Viscous Fluid Flow, CRC Press, 2000; Fluid Mechanics of Viscoplasticity, Springer, 2022). He served as the guest editor of three international rheological journals and as a reviewer in many international scientific journals. In the past 25 years he has been involved as a coordinator or partner in more than 40 national and European research projects. His funded projects range from polymer processing and hemodynamic numerical simulations to oceanographic predictions and tsunami and oil spill modelling.

Dr. Klodian Gradeci is a senior business developer at SINTEF, Department of Architectural Engineering, focusing on sustainable and circular construction. He completed his Ph.D. in Structural Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 2018. He also holds advanced degrees in civil and structural engineering from Delft University of Technology and the Polytechnic University of Tirana. He has coordinated and led several research and innovation (inter)national projects, and his scientific work includes publications in the fields of structural optimization, probabilistic methods, circular construction, maintenance of assets, and digitalization.

Prof. Dr. Viktor Gribniak is a Chief Researcher, the Head of the Laboratory of Innovative Building Structures, Professor of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, and the Chairman of the Materials Engineering Doctoral Committee at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH), Lithuania. He received his Ph.D. in Technology Science at VILNIUS TECH in 2009 and received the “Best Dissertation of the Year” award for this work. In 2011-2012, he expanded his core scientific competency during the postdoctoral internship in the civil engineering centers in Austria, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.

Prof. V. Gribniak’s research interests are related to additive manufacturing, materials characterization, constitutive modeling, and mechanics of composites. In 2013, he, as co-author, obtained the Moisseiff Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE, USA). He was awarded the III Degree Badge of Honor from VILNIUS TECH in 2016. In 2022, he received the S. Ramanujan Diamond Jubilee Scientist Award (International Conclave on Materials, Energy & Climate, Delhi, India) and the IAAM Scientist Award (International Association of Advanced Materials, Sweden) in recognition of his contribution to innovative solutions in structural design and construction. In 2023, Prof. V. Gribniak received the Olympiad Medal Award at the First Olympiad in Engineering Science (Olympia, Greece) for the paper “Developing an adaptive design concept for structural composites,” co-authored with his Ph.D. student. Prof. V. Gribniak is a co-author of several patents, 220 scientific publications, and more than 90 journal articles in the Web of Science (WoS) database by Clarivate Analytics. Since 2010, he has delivered several key-note lectures and over 70 presentations at conferences in the USA, Argentina, Australia, Austria, South Africa, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, India, Greece, Croatia, Poland, and Latvia. He is a Top Peer Reviewer with over 600 reviews and over 100 editor records verified in the WoS database. He is an Associate Editor of the European Journal of Environmental and Civil Engineering (WoS IF = 2.2) and Frontiers in Materials (WoS IF = 2.6) and a Member of the Editorial/Advisory Boards of Nanotechnology Reviews, Construction Materials, Mechanics of Composite Materials, and Építőanyag – Journal of Silicate Based and Composite Materials.

Dr. Yue Hou is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering of Faculty of Science and Engineering at Swansea University, UK. Yue is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE), a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP), a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET), IEEE Senior Member, and a Chartered Engineer (CEng). Yue’s research interests are focused on the resilient and intelligent transportation infrastructure and materials (highway and high-speed railway), physics-informed machine learning in transportation infrastructure engineering, design of sustainable infrastructure and materials using digital twins, and energy harvesting on transportation infrastructures.

Evangelos V. Hristoforou, D.Eng, Ph.D, C.Eng, is Professor of Electronic Materials at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and director of the Laboratory of Electronic Sensors. His lab at the NTUA is performing research in materials and applications for sensors and transducers. Among other activities, he is active in energy & environment, like hydrogen production, optimized photovoltaic cells, smart wind generators, supercapacitor development, battery recycling; in bio-engineering, like multi-viral load sensors, implantable biosensors, point of care devices, theragnostics, electromagnetic stimulation; in advanced manufacturing, like steel health monitoring and rehabilitation, smart magnetometers & hydrophones, smart sensing systems. He is actively related to several industries in the field of sensors, energy and health, running industrial and research projects. He has published more than 150 papers in ISI journals (h-index=30 in Scopus) and has given more than 50 invited talks in international conferences. He is the President of the Hellenic NDT Association and the Chair of the European Magnetic Sensor and Actuator (EMSA) Conference.

Dr. Houtan Jebelli is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining UIUC, he held positions as an Assistant Professor of Construction Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Jebelli earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan. He also holds a bachelor's degree from Tehran Polytechnic University, a Master's degree in Structural Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, a Master's degree in Construction Engineering and Management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a third Master's in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, with a focus on Machine Learning and Robotics, also from the University of Michigan.

As the director of the Robotic, Automation, and Intelligent Sensing (RAISE) Lab at UIUC, Dr. Jebelli's research centers around construction automation and robotics, particularly the integration of human physiology into robotic control and motion planning systems. This work enhances interactions and adaptations between workers and robots on construction sites. The RAISE lab aims to develop human-centric robotic perception and adaptation mechanisms, promote worker-robot collaborations, and emphasize safety and efficiency. Their work also incorporates physiological computing to automate construction processes and implement health monitoring systems for workers, using real-time physiological data.

Dr. Jebelli has made substantial contributions to the field, including authoring five book chapters, 45 peer-reviewed conference papers, 40 peer-reviewed journal papers, and four books. His expertise in securing funding has led to over $4.5 million in grants from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In recognition of his dedication and excellence, Dr. Jebelli has received several awards, including the Charles M. Eastman Top Ph.D. Paper Award, two Outstanding Thesis Awards, the Rackham Research Grant, the John L. Tishman Fellowship, and the Calvin C. Solem Foundation Fellowship.

Beyond his research, Dr. Jebelli is deeply committed to education and mentorship, nurturing the intellectual growth of both undergraduate and graduate students. He actively contributes to the broader academic community, serving as the Chair for the ASCE Global Computing committee and participating in the ASCE Data Sensing and Analysis (DSA) and ASCE Visualization, Information Modelling, and Simulation (VIMS) committees.

Joo-Hyung Kim received the B.S. and M.E. degrees from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University, Incheon, Korea, in 1993 and 1995, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from the Department of Microelectronics and Information Technology, KTH (Royal Institute of Technology), Stockholm, Sweden, in 2005. From 1995 to 2002, he was a Senior Research Engineer with Daewoo and Samsung SDI central research centers, Korea. From 2006 to 2008, he was a Senior Scientist in the Fraunhofer Institute, Germany, for novel material research in microelectronics. Currently, he is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering in Inha University and Director of the INHA IST and 3D Printing Center. He is also Secretary General of Korea Certification Institute for Machine Diagnostics. His research interests are renewable energy systems, intelligent sensor fabrication, advanced 3D printing, and advanced smart mechanical systems.

Dr. Yizhi Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University, where his research focuses on addressing critical challenges in the civil and construction industry, such as labor shortages, stagnant productivity, and safety issues, through the innovation of advanced technologies like robotics, wearable sensing, and immersive systems. Dr. Liu holds a Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from Penn State University (2023) and multiple master’s degrees, including a Master’s in Robotics and Computer Science from Columbia University (2024), a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University (2020), and a Master's in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan (2019). In addition, he earned his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and Management from Tianjin University (2017). Dr. Liu has published over 30 research papers in top-tier journals and conferences related to automation and robotics in civil engineering, with his work gaining recognition in prominent national magazines such as Inverse and being featured as a cover image in the journal Computer-aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering. He serves as a Guest Editor for Frontiers in Robotics and AI and actively contributes to the academic community as a reviewer for leading journals and conferences. Dr. Liu has also served as a session chair for several prestigious conferences, including the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering (i3CE) and the Construction Research Congress (CRC). Additionally, Dr. Liu is a committee member of the ASCE Global Center for Excellence in Computing and ASCE Data Sensing and Analysis.

Eugenio Ruocco is Professor of Structural Mechanics at University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli,”, Italy. He has been a member of the organizing committee for several conferences and has participated in the research team of many research projects. Prof. Ruocco has been  Visiting Researcher, at the National University of Singapore, University of Newcastle, Australia, University of Queensland, Australia, Government College of Engineering, Karad, India, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain, Texas A&M College Station, USA, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway, and Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil.

He is the author of more than 100 scientific papers and has over 700 citations, a 17 h-index, and 43 co-authors. He is author of the book: “Scienza delle Costruzioni, Il solido di Saint Venant”, McGraw-Hill Education (in Italian), 2011.

In his Ph.D. dissertation, he extends the Koiter-type initial post-buckling analysis for prismatic plates by introducing a Von Karman enriched model to evaluate the behaviour of modes involving in-plane displacements, which cannot be neglected compared to out-of-plane ones. A FEM-type numerical procedure was adopted to define the critical and post-critical behaviour of stiffened plates. Since a closed-form solution of equilibrium equations was adopted as the shape function, the resulting model is insensitive to numerical instabilities that occur in the evaluation of post-buckling behaviour, allowing the use of very fine, low-cost discretization meshes. The results have been published in international journals for isotropic and orthotropic plates. In these papers, the consistency of the model is discussed, and several numerical tests are reported. Significant reductions in critical load compared to the classical Von Karman model is observed when substantial in-plane displacements occur.

He has adopted a semi-analytical approach to define the optimal design for the maximum buckling load of isotropic/orthotropic stiffened plates subject to weight limitations and characterized by an arbitrary cross-section layout with both topological and geometric design variables. The optimization procedure was based on a specific bit-masking oriented genetic algorithm, capable of handling in parallel dedicated genetic operators for discrete and integer design variables. Compared to numerical approaches based on the finite element method, the proposed procedure does not suffer from numerical instability typical of non-linear buckling analysis and minimizes the often-prohibitive computational cost associated with optimization tasks based on genetic algorithms.

He derived a symmetrical formulation of the Boundary Element Method in elasticity, using the Boussinesq-Cerutti fundamental solution, leading to traction-free numerical equations. This approach has been applied to model soil-structure interaction in both 2D and 3D cases.

The problem of the junction between 1D, 2D, and 3D elastic models has been addressed, as different dimensionality of structural models can result in non-conforming mapping, causing malfunctions and erroneous results. He proposed the introduction of transitional elements capable of calculating the transition from one-dimensional models to three-dimensional ones. The condensation of degrees of freedom, on which the transitional element is based, is the starting point for modelling various multi-dimensional situations typical of soil-structure interaction. These modelling strategies have been used to evaluate the interaction between buried pipelines and landslides. The numerical results have been compared with experimental data from methane pipelines owned by one of the leading Italian companies, showing good agreement and he is also exploring the Isogeometric Boundary Element Method, investigating new possibilities for its application in structural mechanics.

RESEARCH AREA

Structural dynamics, engineering seismology, earthquake engineering, near-fault ground motions, vibration measurement, system identification, vibration control, seismic fragility

EDUCATION

Ph.D in Earthquake Engineering, University of Iceland, 2010

MSc in Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology; University of Pavia, Italy and University of Patras, Greece, 2008

BE in Civil Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, 2004

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Research Scientist, University of Iceland, 2010-2011

Research Associate Professor, University of Iceland, 2012-2014

Associate Professor, University of Iceland, 2014-2016

Professor, University of Iceland, 2016-

TAUGHT COURSES

Continuum Mechanics, Computational Mechanics, Finite Element Analysis, Structural Dynamics, Earthquake Engineering, Engineering Seismology

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Chair, Department of Civil Engineering 2018- , University of Iceland

Chair, Science Committee, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, UoI , 2018-2023

Member, Science Committee of University Council, UoI, 2018-2023

Member, Science Committee, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, UoI, 2016-2016

Director, of Research, Earthquake Engineering Research Centre, UoI, 2015-

Member, Strong motion committee, European Strong Motion group, OEFEUS, 2018-

EDUCATION

1990 PhD, Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

1987 MS, Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA

1986 BS, Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

2019-present Professor, Systems Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

2018-2019 Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

1999-2007 Adjunct Professor, Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA

1990-2007 Senior Research Associate, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

2004 Research Associate, Mathematics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

2002 Research Associate, Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

1992-1994 Adjunct Faculty, Computer Information Systems, Regis University, Denver, CO, USA

1988-1990 Research Asst. & Teaching Asst., Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

1986-1987 Research Asst., Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA

1986 Course Design and Instruction, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, USA

OTHER POSITIONS

2011-2018 Fellow, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Fort Collins, CO, USA

2007-2018 Director and Chief Technologist, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Fort Collins, CO, USA

2007-2010 Distinguished Technologist, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Fort Collins, CO, USA

2004-2007 Principal Scientist, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Fort Collins, CO, USA

1999-2004 Senior Research Scientist, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Fort Collins, CO, USA

1994-1999 Research Engineer, Hewlett-Packard Labs, Fort Collins, CO, USA

1990-1991 Postdoctoral Researcher, Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

1991-1993 Postdoctoral Researcher, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

HONORS AND AWARDS

2014, APSIPA Industrial Distinguished Leader Award

2010, IS&T Fellow

2015-2024, Honorary Professor, School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham

2016, Robert F. Reed Technology Medal, Printing Industries of America

2016, Royal Irish Academy and American Chamber of Commerce Innovation Award, Global Product Authentication Service

2017, Distinguished Lecturer at the Hong Kong Baptist University

2020, Visiting Professor, University of Malta Computer Science Department

2021, ICDAR Outstanding Reviewer Award

2021, IEEE Fellow (announced, effective 1 Jan 2022)

2021, Faculty Institute for Inclusive Excellence Fellow, Colorado State University: Title: “No Trigger: Showing the Harmful Effects of Discrimination Without Eliciting a Shutdown or Denial Reaction by the Audience”

2022, National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellow

2022, CSU Alumni Association Best Teacher Award

PUBLISHED WORKS: 227 Refereed Journal Articles and Refereed Proceedings, 10 book chapters, and 4 books.

CONTRACTS & GRANTS: 8 Externally-Funded Projects as PI, 7 Externally-Funded Projects as CoPI.

PATENTS: 241 US Patents awarded as of 4 February 2024.

Yuanjie Tang received his Ph.D. degree in Traffic and Transportation Planning and Management from Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China, in 2015. From 2015 to 2017, he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow with the Construction Engineering & Management Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA. Since 2020, he has been an Associate Professor with the School of Traffic and Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, China. His research interests include construction project scheduling optimization, railway infrastructure management (fault diagnosis, condition prediction, maintenance decision-making, reliability analysis, building information modeling), and vehicle scheduling optimization.

Dr. Tang was reviewer for Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering Journal and member of ASCE, IEEE, IAROR, and ITS China. He served as the Co-Chair of Organizing Committee of the 11th International Conference on Traffic & Transportation Studies (ICTTS 2024), and Member of Organizing Committee of the 9th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis (RailBeijing 2021). He received several awards, including: ASCE Outstanding Reviewer Award in 2022 and 2023, Zhan Tianyou Railway Science and Technology Award, Outstanding Young Talent Award by Beijing Rail Transit Society, High Quality Academic Paper Award by China Railway Society, and Best Paper Award of ICTTS 2024.

José Ramón Villar, Industrial Engineer in Electronics and Control (Universidad de Oviedo, 1992). Ph. D. in Computer Science (University of León, 2002). Currently, he is an Full Professor with the Department of Computer Science, in the knowledge area of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, at University of Oviedo. His main research lines include i) AI applied to Bio-medical Engineering, ii) Metaheuristics and its applications to real world problems.

Main figures in the last 5 years: i) JCR indexed: 22 (14 Q1), ii) in international scientific conferences: 30, iii) in international educational conferences: 6, iv) research projects with public funding: 3, v) I+D+I projects with private funding: 3, vi) innovation in education projects: 7.

Dr. Villar is currently a member of the Advisory Committee for the Integrated Computer-Aided Engineering. Furthermore, he has been guest editor in several Special Issues (Special Issue on SOCO 2017, Neural Computing and Applications 32:5 (2020) among others). Finally, Dr. Villar has organised international conferences on Hybrid Artificial Intelligent Systems and special tracks on different international congresses.

Prof. Yuping Wang (Ph.D., M.S., B.S.) received his Ph.D. degree in computational mathematics from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China, in 1993. Since 1997, he has been a full professor with School of Computer Science and Technology, Xidian University, China. He is a senior member of IEEE.

His research interests include evolutionary computation, optimization algorithms and artificial intelligence, data mining and task scheduling. He has published over 260 research papers in journals and conferences. He was a visiting scholar of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Baptist University and the City University of Hong Kong during 1997 to 2010many times as a visiting scholar. He was an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence, the Member of Advisory Board of Integrated Computer Aided Engineering. He was the Co-Chair or Co-PC Chair of several International Conferences.

Dr. Stefanos Zaoutsos is a Professor in Applied Mechanics at the Dept. of Energy Systems of the University of Thessaly. He graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics and completed his Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics in the University of Patras. He also holds an MSc degree in the area of Mechanics and Simulation of Systems in the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Thessaly. During 1993-1994 he was a Research Fellow at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels. In 2006 he was elected Associate Professor at Dept. of Mechanical Engineering of the Technical Institute of Thessaly and he also tenured a Professor position in Applied Mechanics at University of Thessaly. His expertise and research interests are focused on the mechanics of advanced materials (composites, biomaterials, nanomaterials) and the time-dependent response at varying conditions (mechanical/environmental). During 2021-2022, he was awarded from Fulbright Foundation as a Visiting Professor at John A. Paulson School of Engineering, at Harvard University. He is also a Harvard University associate for academic year 2022-2023. He has published over 140 papers in scientific journals and conference proceedings. He is author of three book chapters and reviewer for many scientific journals. He has been invited to lecture in numerous universities and institutes.

Olha Zvirko is a Full Professor of Materials Science and leads the Department of Diagnostics of Materials Corrosion-Hydrogen Degradation at the Karpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. In 2024, she was elected a Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in “Materials Science, Strength of Materials”. Her research interests are mainly focused on Materials Science, Failure Analysis, Fracture Mechanics, Fatigue, Structural Integrity, Corrosion Science and Non-Destructive Evaluation. The main research fields concern, in particular, hydrogen compatibility and degradation of metallic materials intended for hydrogen service. She is a Deputy Head of the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Ukraine TC 85 “Corrosion of metals and alloys”. Prof. Zvirko has been granted several national and international awards, grants and fellowships, including the Prize of the President of Ukraine for Young Scientists (2012), the “Senior Career Award 2024 for outstanding achievements in the corrosion science and failure analysis” of the International Journal of Structural Integrity, and others. She is the author or co-author of more than 230 papers published in international journals and conference proceedings, chapters in books and patents. She is an editorial board member in several international and national journals and editor of several special issues of scientific journals and conference proceedings. She is co-chair and member of numerous scientific and organizing committees of international conferences.

Session Organizer and Chair:

Prof. José R. Villar, University of Oviedo (SPAIN), email: villarjose@uniovi.es

Description:

AI has received the focus of society due to its recent well-known advances. Tools such as intelligent conversational agents or image detection and recognition directly impact everyday life. Biomedical applications have also been empowered by AI, giving place to a wide variety of high-performance tools that assist experts in their tasks. This special session represents a forum to present these applications and to discuss trends and new research lines of applied AI.

Topics:

Welcomed contributions include reports of optimization, modelling, anomaly detection, and any other AI technique applied to biomedical problems: from diagnosing illnesses to caring for the elderly, from nursery issues and optimization to audio processing for mental mood estimation.

Submissions:

Follow the instructions in the OES2025 conference web page.

Important dates:

Abstract submission: 29 Oct. 2024

 Notification of abstract acceptance: 13 Nov. 2024

 Submission of full-length paper: 10 Jan. 2025

 Notification of reviewers’ comments: 25 Jan. 2025

 Submission of revised Paper (if necessary): 20 Febr. 2025

 Notification of Paper acceptance: 28 Febr. 2025

 Registration Deadline: 20 Mar. 2025

Programme Committee:

• Álvaro Herrero, University of Burgos (SPAIN) aherrero@ubu.es
• Angel del Río, University of Oviedo (SPAIN) rioAngel@uniovi.es
• Beatriz de la Iglesia, Univerity of East Anglia (UK) b.iglesia@uea.ac.uk
• Camelia Chira, University of Babes-Boliay (ROMANIA) camelia.chira@ubbcluj.ro
• Dominik Olszewsky, Warsaw University of Technology (POLAND) olszewsd@ee.pw.edu.pl
• Enol García, University of Oviedo (SPAIN) garciaenol@uniovi.es
• Enrique de la Cal, University of Oviedo (SPAIN) delacal@uniovi.es
• Fernando Moncada, University of Oviedo (SPAIN) moncadafernando@uniovi.es
• Jaime Andrés Rincón, University of Burgos (SPAIN) jarincon@ubu.es
• Javier Sedano, Instituto Tecnológico de Castilla y León (SPAIN) javier.sedano@itcl.es
• José Luis Calvo-Rolle, University of Coruña (SPAIN) jlcalvo@udc.es
• Madalina Dicu, University of Babes-Boliay (ROMANIA) madalina.dicu@ubbcluj.ro
• Sung-Bae Cho, Yonsei University (KOREA) sbcho@yonsei.ac.kr
• Victor M. González, University of Oviedo (SPAIN) vmsuarez@uniovi.es

Session Organizer and Chair:

Prof. Houtan Jebelli, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, hjebelli@illinois.edu

Call for Papers:

If you're interested in submitting a paper for the Robotics Session, please email me at hjebelli@illinois.edu with the tentative title of your manuscript. You can then proceed with the official submission through the conference website (link to be announced soon). This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the advancement of engineering science and potentially earn an Olympiad Medal in Engineering Science!

Topics Tentative Topics for the Robotics Session:

• Robotics and Automatic Control: Innovations in autonomous systems, control algorithms, and applications in engineering.
• Human-Robot Interaction: Advances in collaborative robotics, safety, and adaptive control mechanisms.
• Construction Robotics: Automation, exoskeletons, and robotic-assisted fabrication in construction.
• AI in Robotics: Machine learning applications and AI-driven robotics for engineering solutions.
• Autonomous Vehicles and Drones: Innovations in unmanned systems and smart mobility.
• Sensors and Actuators: Advanced developments in robotic hardware integration.
• Robotic Simulation and Modeling: Computational techniques and virtual reality integration.
• Robotics in Extreme Environments: Applications in underwater, space, and hazardous conditions.
• Smart Materials and Structures in Robotics: Integration of adaptive materials into robotic systems.
• Robotics in Manufacturing and Assembly: Automation in production processes and industrial applications.

Honorary Chair and Opening Keynote Speaker:

• Professor Hojjat Adeli, Ohio State University, USA

Chairman of the Organizing Committee:

• Professor Dimitrios Pavlou, University of Stavanger, Norway

Get ready to be part of a world-class event that’s shaping the future of engineering science. Stay tuned for more details, and don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your work!

Reusing and Repurposing Materials and Components Across Offshore, Construction, and Infrastructure Industries

Session Organizer and Chair:

Prof. Sudath Siriwardane from UiS, and co-chair Dr. Klodian Gradeci from SINTEF.

Description:

This special session explores the innovative potential of creating a symbiotic relationship between the construction, infrastructure, and offshore industries. The focus is on how materials, components, and systems can be reused or repurposed from one application to another, enhancing sustainability and efficiency within and accross these industries.

Topics:

Welcomed contributions include materials or components reuse and repurposing from decommissioned offshore platforms for use in construction or infrastructure projects, case studies on successful material transfers between industries, designing for disassembly or deconstruction, policies and regulations that support sustainable practices across industries, assessing the impact or environmental benefits of reusing and repurposing materials.

Submissions:

Follow the instructions in the OES2025 conference web page.

Important dates:

• Abstract submission: 30 Nov. 2024
•  Notification of abstract acceptance: 15 Dec. 2024
•  Submission of full-length paper: 10 Jan. 2025
•  Notification of reviewers’ comments: 25 Jan. 2025
•  Submission of revised Paper (if necessary): 20 Febr. 2025
•  Notification of Paper acceptance: 28 Febr. 2025
•  Registration Deadline: 20 Mar. 2025

Special Session Committee:

• Fredrik Bjoerheim
• Idriss El-Thalji
• Gerhard Ersdal
• Kristin Fjellheim
• Klodian Gradeci
• Ove Tobias Gudmestad
• Tor Henning Hemmingsen
• Jayantha Prasanna Liyanage
• Kenneth Alasdair Macdonald
• Mohammad Mansouri
• Mona Wetrhus Minde
• Mudiyan Nirosha
• Dimitrios Pavlou
• Sudath C. Siriwardane
• Wakshum Mekonnen Tucho