📢 Keynote Speaker Announcement

We are pleased to announce Prof. Luis Simões da Silva from University of Coimbra (Portugal) as a keynote speaker at the 17th ASES Congress.

👤 About the speaker:

Luis Simões da Silva graduated in Civil Engineering at the University of Coimbra in 1984, received an MSc in "Structural Steel Design" with Distinction at Imperial College London in 1986 and a PhD in “Structural Mechanics” also at Imperial College London in 1989. He received the title of Docteur Honoris Causa from the University of Liege, Belgium, in 2018. He is Professor of Steel Construction at the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Coimbra. President of cmm (Portuguese Steelwork Association). President of SEAPOWER (Association for the Development of the Sea Economy). Member of the Portuguese Academy of Engineering. Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Constructional Steel Research. He is former Vice-Rector of the University of Coimbra (2019-2023), Head of Department of Civil Engineering (2001-2003; 2005-2007; 2013-2015). Director/Co-Director of ISISE – Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (2008-2023). Chair of the Technical Management Board of ECCS (2007-2013) and President of ECCS (2011-2013). Involved in large number of Technical and Scientific Committees in the field of Steel Construction. Author of 800+ scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. Large involvement in internationally-funded R&D projects. 

🎤 Keynote lecture:  “Steel Construction: Research and Innovation for a Sustainable Future”

Steel structures play a key role in sustainable construction due to their efficiency, adaptability, and recyclability. Current research and innovation focus on improving structural performance under extreme loading conditions, advancing design methodologies, and integrating digital technologies. This lecture will present current research directions in steel structures, with particular emphasis on sustainability, life-cycle assessment, material optimization, and innovative structural solutions. Special attention will be given to the role of research and innovation in shaping a sustainable future for the construction inudstry.

📢 Keynote Speaker Announcement

We are pleased to announce Gian Paolo Cimellaro, PhD, from Politecnico di Torino (Italy) as a keynote speaker at the 17th ASES Congress.

👤 About the speaker:

Prof. Gian Paolo Cimellaro is a Professor at Politecnico di Torino and Director of the Disaster Resilience Simulation Lab. He has served as a Visiting Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on community disaster resilience and infrastructure sustainability in the face of natural hazards, particularly earthquakes. He is the Chair of the SHMII Committee on Resilient Structures and Infrastructure (CORSI) and a Council Member of the Governing Body of the International Society for Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructures (SHMII). He also serves on the Executive Board of ASSISI – Anti-Seismic Systems International Society. Prof. Cimellaro is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Resilient Cities and Structures, published by Elsevier. 

🎤 Keynote lecture:  “From Catastrophe to Resilience: Forensic Insights and Predictive Strategies for Sustainable Infrastructure Maintenance”

Major infrastructure failures, whether bridges, dams, or transportation networks, are rarely caused by a single flaw. They typically arise from complex interactions between design assumptions, aging materials, operational stresses, and changing environmental conditions. This lecture will present key lessons learned from major infrastructure failures worldwide and highlight modern approaches in forensic engineering, life-cycle assessment, and predictive infrastructure maintenance. 

📢 Keynote Speaker Announcement

We are pleased to announce Alfred Strauss, PhD, Professor of Systems Engineering at BOKU University, Vienna, and Head of the Institute of Structural Engineering, as a keynote speaker at the 17th ASES Congress .

👤 About the speaker:

Alfred Strauss is Professor for Systems Engineering at BOKU University, Vienna, and Head of the Institute of Structural Engineering. His research focuses on structural reliability, durability and service-life assessment of concrete structures, performance-based quality management, and data-informed infrastructure management including. He serves on the fib Presidium, is a member of the fib Technical Council, and chairs the Austrian Group of IABSE. He has held visiting positions at Lehigh University (ATLSS Center, USA), Ghent University, and Brno University of Technology. 

🎤 Keynote lecture:  “Monitoring and Decision Models for Climate-Resilient Infrastructures”

The lecture will focus on structural reliability, durability and service-life assessment of concrete structures, as well as performance-based quality management and data-informed infrastructure management, including digital twins and monitoring-supported decision-making. Through case studies and contemporary approaches, participants will gain insights into innovative methods for enhancing the quality and longevity of structures. 

📢 Keynote Speaker Announcement

We are pleased to announce Gregor Schacht, PhD, Managing Director of MKP GmbH (Dresden, Germany), as a keynote speaker at the 17th Congress of the Association of Structural Engineers of Serbia.

👤 About the speaker:

Gregor Schacht studied Civil engineering at TU Dresden, where he also completed his PhD in concrete structures. Since 2014, he has been with Marx Krontal Partner, serving as Head of Bridge Engineering since 2018 and Managing Director since 2024. He has extensive experience in bridge engineering and has lectured on existing concrete structures at Leibniz University Hannover.

🎤 Keynote lecture:  “The Collapse of the Carolabridge – a tragic individual case?”

The collapse of the Carolabridge raised fundamental questions that go far beyond a single failure. Through an in-depth forensic analysis, this lecture will address structural safety, assessment of existing structures, and the broader lessons for modern structural engineering practice.