Keynote Speakers
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Having held previous faculty positions at the University of Sydney and the University of Sheffield, Dr Becque is currently an Associate Professor in Structural Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Within the university he fills various roles, such as Fellow and Director of Studies at Lucy Cavendish College, and Course Director of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Net Zero Infrastructure. His research centers around thin-walled structural elements, with specific application to steel and stainless steel structures. Within this field, he enjoys exploring both individual and coupled instabilities, connections, structural optimisation using metaheuristic algorithms and AI, and structural reliability. Dr Becque is an active member of Eurocode 3 and ECCS committees, the IABSE and the HEA, and served for nine years as editor of the journal Thin-Walled Structures. In his early career he spent four years working for AECOM on the design of steel framed buildings and steel bridges.
Chiara Bisagni is a Full Professor in the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and holds a Guest Professor position at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. She earned her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, where she began her academic career. Then, she was Professor at the University of California San Diego, before moving to Delft University of Technology, where she served as a professor until 2023, when she returned to Italy. She leads a research group focusing on aerospace composite structures, covering topics such as buckling, post-buckling, crashworthiness, fatigue, damage tolerance, and structural optimization for both aeronautical and space applications. Chiara Bisagni has received numerous awards and fellowships, including an Amelia Earhart Fellowship, a Marie Curie Fellowship from the European Commission, a Young Researcher Fellowship from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a Fulbright Grant. She is the recipient of a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant, is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy.
Prof. Hong Hao is a Professor at Guangzhou University’s Earthquake Engineering Research and Test Center and a John Curtin Distinguished Professor at Curtin University, Australia. His research interests include structural dynamics, structural protection against extreme loads (earthquake, blast, and impact), and structural condition monitoring. He has published extensively in these fields, with over 50 highly cited papers, more than 61,000 citations, and an h-index of 127 on Google Scholar. His research outcomes have been incorporated into textbooks, design codes, and applied to construction projects worldwide. Repeatedly named Australia’s research field leader in Civil and Structural Engineering, he ranks among the world’s top researchers in his field. Prof. Hao has served as President of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society (2010–2013) and the International Association of Protective Structures (2018–2023). He is an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering, a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of Engineers Australia, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the International Association of Engineering Asset Management, and a Distinguished Fellow of the International Association of Protective Structures. He has received over 60 awards, including the Nishino Medal (2022) and the Charles Bubb Medal (2019).
Tara Hutchinson is a Professor in the Department of Structural Engineering at the University of California, San Diego with broad research interests in geotechnical, structural and earthquake engineering. Much of her work involves full- or large-scale shake table and fixed reaction-type experimentation. She obtained her Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis and M.S. at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She has been on the faculty at UC San Diego since 2007 and presently serves as the Powell Laboratory Director. In 2024 she was appointed the Jan Talbot Endowed Chair in the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego.
Dr Ou Zhao is a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His principal research interests lie in the areas of high-performance steel and composite structures, 3D metal printing and construction automation. He has published over 240 papers in leading international journals, including Thin-Walled Structures, Engineering Structures, Composite Structures, and Journal of Structural Engineering. As Principal Investigator, he has secured 12 research grants. He serves as an Editor of Thin-Walled Structures and Assistant Editor of Engineering Structures. He is listed among the Top 2% Scientists (Career and Single year) by Stanford University/Elsevier. According to ScholarGPS, he is ranked 5th in Structural Engineering and 2nd in Design based on research impact over the past five years, and 5th in the lifetime ranking for Design. Dr Zhao is actively involved in the development of structural design standards, serving on several technical committees for Eurocode 3, Singapore Standard and Singapore National Annex. As a Built Environment Young Leader recognised by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority, he maintains strong engagement with industry. His research on high-strength steel structures and modular construction has been translated into practice and applied in landmark infrastructure projects, such as Rainforest Wild Adventure and Changi East Depot. He is also passionate about teaching and was awarded the prestigious Nanyang Education Award 2022.
