Collaborations
Research networks and institutional partnerships
Source alignment: this page mirrors the collaboration areas listed on the University of Bologna profile.
International partners
Delft University of Technology
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences · Netherlands With Jan Rots and Rita Esposito.
A single line of work on the mechanics of masonry, from the modelling strategy down to the material that decays. It covers block-based and full-scale approaches to unreinforced masonry, the damage that seismic vibrations induce between building components, and the long-term side of the same problem: weathering, salt crystallisation and multiphase hygro-thermal modelling of historic materials and masonry quay walls.
Selected joint work:
| Year | |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Salt crystallisation and weathering in masonry retaining walls: a multiphase modelling approach |
| 2025 | Numerical simulation of long-term effects of weathering due to salt crystallisation on masonry quay walls |
| 2020 | Modeling strategies for the computational analysis of unreinforced masonry structures |
| 2019 | A damaging block-based model for the cyclic behaviour of full-scale masonry structures |
| 2019 | A review of numerical models for masonry structures |
ISISE — University of Minho
Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering · Portugal With Paulo B. Lourenço, Daniel V. Oliveira and Miguel Azenha.
Masonry, composite strengthening and BIM. The work spans experimental and numerical techniques for masonry products and earthquake engineering, strengthening methods with composite materials, and BIM-supported data management for historical constructions — including IoT workflows, low-cost LiDAR survey and the transformation of point clouds into models that both the structural analysis and the building information model can use.
Selected joint work:
| Year | |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Streamlining FE and BIM modeling for historic buildings with point cloud transformation |
| 2023 | Investigating the seismic response of URM walls with irregular opening layout through different modelling approaches |
University of California San Diego
Jacobs School of Engineering · United States With Petr Krysl.
The longest-running of these collaborations, begun during two post-doctoral years at UCSD and still active: shell and plate elements, and locking-free displacement formulations with nodal integration. Twelve joint papers to date, the most recent in 2026.
Selected joint work:
| Year | |
|---|---|
| 2026 | A robust quadrilateral Reissner–Mindlin shell element with six degrees of freedom per node |
| 2015 | Linear tetrahedral element for problems of plastic deformation |
| 2014 | Assumed-strain nodally integrated hexahedral element for elastoplastic applications |
| 2009 | Displacement-based finite elements with nodal integration for Reissner–Mindlin plates |
The full list is on the publications page.
Collaboration themes
Heritage structures
Digital-twin workflows, survey-to-model pipelines, masonry diagnostics and decision support for conservation.
Computational mechanics
Finite element and virtual element formulations, nonlinear response and robust open-source implementation.
Sustainable materials
Bio-based and recycled materials, experimental characterization and numerical modelling for building applications.