PHD AND INNOVATION: THE EDILTECO–UNIVERSITY SYNERGY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FUTURE

EDILTECO Group is proud to share an important milestone achieved by our Eng. Nicolò Lo Presti, Head of Applied Research, Technical Innovation and Certifications, who has obtained a PhD in Structural Engineering.

The doctoral journey, supervised by Prof. Giovanni Castellazzi, concluded with a thesis entitled “Experimental and Numerical Investigations on Traditional and Bio-Based Porous Building Materials: Durability as a Key to Sustainability”, at the end of a three-year programme supported by a PNRR PhD scholarship, co-funded by EDILTECO S.p.A., within a collaboration with the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna.

PNRR scholarships represent a key driver for the development of innovative PhD programmes, designed to effectively address companies’ innovation needs and strengthen the link between academic research and the industrial world. In this context, Nicolò carried out his activity between university and industry, working in the laboratories of the Alma Mater, EDILTECO, and the prestigious École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay. 

The research focused on understanding degradation phenomena in building materials and on developing advanced tools to predict their behaviour over the long term. The objective was to identify strategies and solutions capable of extending the service life of materials, while contributing to the sustainability of the sector.

During his PhD, Nicolò developed finite element models to analyse damage caused by salt crystallisation in traditional porous materials such as concrete, bricks and mortars. At the same time, he carried out experimental activities on sustainable bio-based materials at the Laboratoire de Mécanique Paris-Saclay, and used advanced technologies, such as micro computed tomography at the DMEX of the University of Pau, to analyse in detail the microstructure of materials and their related degradation mechanisms.

Based on these observations, he developed advanced FEM models based on tomographic images of bio-based mortars, capable of providing highly reliable predictions on the durability of these materials.

This achievement represents a concrete example of how the synergy between academia and industry can generate value, fostering the development of highly specialised skills and contributing to technological innovation in the construction sector.

Congratulations Nicolò on this important achievement!