Doctor of Sciences (Engineering), Professor, Academician Mikayel G. Melkumyan (born on June 10, 1951) started his scientific and practical activity in 1973, immediately after graduation from the Civil Engineering Department of Yerevan Polytechnic Institute, carrying out both design and experimental-theoretical research works to study the behavior of various reinforced concrete structures under seismic actions. In 1983 he led the Department of Earthquake Resistant Construction at the Armenian Scientific-Research Institute of Construction and Architecture. After the Spitak earthquake of December 7, 1988 in Armenia, he carried out the deep analysis of consequences of this and other earthquakes and reasons for extensive destructions of various buildings and structures. His research at the Institute of Industrial Science the University of Tokyo resulted in the Melkumyan Hysteresis Model, enhancing the understanding of shear behavior in structures. During a short period of time in 1995-1996, devoting him to the challenge of increasing the earthquake resistance of existing buildings, he developed two unique methods of protecting existing buildings from earthquakes through base isolation, as well as by isolated upper floor and upper slab (roof isolation) without interruption of the use of the buildings.His patented technologies have been extensively implemented in seismic isolation designs for various buildings. During several years starting from 2003 he was developing and implementing a new original approach in applying clusters of small size rubber bearings in isolation systems of seismic isolated buildings.These works are unprecedented in the world practice of earthquake resistant construction of the time. He is the president of the Armenian Association for Earthquake Engineering, CEO of the “Melkumyan Seismic Technologies” LLC, and has served on various international committees and editorial boards.His scientific and engineering works are widely recognized among scientists and engineers of many countries. Of the designed by him seismic isolated buildings, the total number of already constructed and retrofitted buildings has reached to 60, making the number of seismically isolated buildings per capita in Armenia one of the highest in the world (second after Japan). The number of already manufactured in Armenia and tested under his leadership seismic isolators exceeds 5500. He authored and co-authored 265 scientific works, including 21 books (6 monographs). His books were published in Armenia, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, UK, India, and USA. 179 of his scientific works have been published in international journals and proceedings of the World, European, and International Conferences in 39 countries. He has designed 109 earthquake resistant residential, civil, and industrial buildings for construction or retrofitting in different regions of Armenia and of Russia, Azerbaijan, Romania, Kazakhstan, Peru and Turkey.

Dr. Habib Abdelhak Mesbah is an Associate Professor (HDR) in Civil Engineering at the University of Rennes, France, and has also served as Associate Professor at the University of Sherbrooke, Canada. He is a member of the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Laboratory (LGCGM).
He has over 30 years of experience in teaching, research, and international collaboration in civil engineering. His research combines experimental investigations and numerical modelling to study the behavior of cementitious materials and reinforced concrete structures.
His research interests include high-performance and sustainable concretes, strengthening and rehabilitation of reinforced concrete structures using fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, particularly Near Surface Mounted techniques, and the thermo-mechanical behavior of concrete at early age and in large-scale structures, including thermo-active systems.
He has been actively involved in international research collaborations with academic and industrial partners in Canada, the United States, Europe, and the Maghreb region, and has authored and co-authored over 50 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. He has supervised several PhD theses and remains actively involved in doctoral training and international research collaborations.
Thank you again for your consideration, and I look forward to contributing to the conference.

My name is Dr. Radouane Soujoud. I was born on October 1, 1990, in Marrakech, Morocco. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, followed by a Master’s degree in Waste Management and Valorization.
In 2025, I obtained my PhD in Biology, specializing in Water and Environmental Engineering, from the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques at Sultan Moulay Slimane University (USMS), Beni Mellal, Morocco. My doctoral research focused on the valorization and sustainable reuse of treated urban wastewater in the city of Beni Mellal, with particular emphasis on assessing its quality and potential for agricultural reuse under water-stressed conditions. This research led to several publications in indexed peer-reviewed journals.
In addition to my academic background, I have been actively involved in applied engineering projects. Since 2023, I have worked as an Expert within an engineering consulting office in Morocco. My professional experience includes the design and implementation of urban sanitation networks, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) projects and environmental impact assessments for a wide range of development initiatives. Beyond my academic and professional activities, I am deeply committed to knowledge sharing and community engagement. In 2025, I had the honor of becoming the Co-Founder and President of the Manarat Al-Atlas Association for Sustainable Development, based in Beni Mellal, Morocco, where I collaborate with a highly competent and dedicated team. Furthermore, since 2021, I have served as a part-time lecturer at Moroccan universities, teaching courses in Fundamental General Ecology and Applied Ecology, including waste management processes.

Professor A. Yahia is a Full Professor in the Department of Civil and Building Engineering at the University of Sherbrooke
(UDS), Quebec, Canada. He leads an internationally recognized research program focused on the rheology of cement-based materials, self-consolidating concrete (SCC), 3D-printable cementitious systems, and bio-sourced admixtures for low-carbon concrete, bridging fundamental science and applied engineering with a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation.
As founder of the Biopolymers Team at UDS, a collaboration between Civil Engineering and Biology, he pioneered the use of marine algae as natural admixtures for fluid and printable cementitious materials. He is also actively involved in several national and international collaborations with industry and academia across Canada, the United States, Mexico, France, and the Middle East.
Professor Yahia is recognized for his contributions to interdisciplinary research and for training the next generation of engineers, with a strong focus on developing sustainable and innovative construction solutions.

She’s Associate Professor in Architecture and Urban Design, Department of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Polytechnic of Milan, Professor of Advanced Architectural Design Studios in the Master's in Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Design. She develops her research on the project’s topics: open space as common ground, public buildings, and the architecture of the soil. She’s the Scientific Director of the research "A Shared School, for a culture of Happiness" of the Ministry Fund for the fight against educational poverty, she coordinated the programs “Inventing Schools” and "Re-forming Milan. Design experiments for neglected and decayed spaces and building". She is the scientific director of the "Industry in the park - Architecture Energy Landscape "research project, commissioned by Holding Terni Research. She is a member of the research group involved in the Ministry-funded PRIN project Re-Cycle Italy. She participates in conferences and curated exhibitions.

Dr. Huating Chen is an Associate Professor and Master/Doctoral Supervisor at Beijing University of Technology, China. She received training attop universities in China (Tongji University and Tsinghua University) and completed a Ph.D.in Structural Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada. After three years of practical experience in consulting firms as a bridge engineer, she joined Beijing University of Technology in 2008. Sheworked in the Institute of Road and Bridge Engineering since then. Her research interests primarily lie in the analysis, design, evaluation, and rehabilitation of steel and concrete bridges, with a focus on long-term performance aspects, including fatigue and durability.She has led more than 10 competitive research projects, including grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and has published over 30 academic papers indexed by SCI/EI/SCOPUS. She also holds multiple invention patents authorized in China.Dr. Chen serves as a peer reviewer for several leading journals, includingtheJournal of Infrastructure Intelligence and Resilience, the International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials, and theJournal of Building Engineering, and is an active member of several national/international technical committees.

Vivien Jiaqian Zhu earned an A.B. (distinction) in comparative literature and Chinese literature, with a minor in history of art from UC Berkeley in 2018. She was a recipient of the Theresa Hak Kyung Cha Award in Comparative Literature, and a Regent's Scholar by the Graduate Division at University of California, Berkeley to pursue a Ph.D. degree. Her dissertation investigates the expression of self, the interior space/interiority, and architectural tropes in literature and art.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Steffen Leppla, born 1979, studied civil engineering in Frankfurt am Main and in Darmstadt, Germany. From 2007 to 2017 he was a scientific research assistant at the Institute and Laboratory of Geotechnics of Technical University Darmstadt, Germany. The main research topics are soil-structure interaction, soil, rock and salt mechanics, tunneling and special geotechnical constructions. Since 2013 he is working also as project leader in the international consulting office Ingenieursozietaet Professor Dr.-Ing. Katzenbach GmbH. During his research and project work he supervises large national and international construction projects. 2013 he became a certified, independent expert
for Geotechnics of underground metro systems and tramways. In 2017 he finalized his doctorate with excellence to the topic “Time variant material behaviour of granular rock salt and simulation in numerical models”. Since 2014 he is assistant lecturer for tunnelling at the Technical University Darmstadt, Germany. In 2021 he became a full professor for Geotechnics at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. Since this time he is also project leader and scientific consultant at the international consulting office Ingenieursozietät Professor Dr.-Ing. Katzenbach GmbH. The comprehensive practical
and scientific experience of Professor Leppla is documented in more than 425 national and international publications and presentations.

After graduating from university, Prof. Kaori Nagai worked as a researcher at the Technical Research Institute of Taisei Corporation, where she was involved in durability evaluation of building materials, effective use of wood, carbon neutrality, deterioration
evaluation of high-rise buildings, and development of laser processing equipment for on-site use. Later, as an associate professor at Nihon University, she continued her research while developing sustainable materials, thermal insulation coatings, on-site
laser survey and construction methods, and standard specifications for the construction of noncombustible wood. She has surveyed over 30 super high-rise buildings and wrote “Concept of Large-Scale Repair of Super High-Rise Buildings” as the lead author. She is studying the concept of circular economy based on the process from material manufacturing to construction, demolition, and disposal, as well as improving the environment of the construction site together with general contractors and material manufacturers.

Will update soon

Dr. Giuseppe Brando is Associate Professor of Structural Engineering at the Department of Engineering and Geology of the University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti–Pescara (Italy), where he teaches Structural Engineering and Steel Structures. He graduated cum laude in Civil Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II and earned a Ph.D. in Structural Design, Analysis and Testing from the University of Chieti–Pescara. His international academic experience includes research appointments at Federico II University, Boğaziçi University (Turkey), the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway), and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. His research focuses on steel structures, seismic behavior of masonry and heritage buildings, and innovative seismic protection systems for reinforced concrete, steel, and masonry structures. He has authored more than 200 scientific publications. He has coordinated and participated in several national and international research projects and serves as an expert member of the European standardization committee CEN/TC 250/SC9 for the development of Eurocode 9. He also serves as Associate Editor of international engineering journals.

Dr. Jai Hong Lee is an Associate Professor and Academic Program Coordinator in the Department of Engineering at South Carolina State University, United States. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. from Hanyang University and completed post-doctoral studies at Colorado State University, where he also worked as a research scientist. Since joining SC State in 2019, Dr. Lee has conducted USDA-funded research and taught a wide range of civil engineering courses, including Hydrology and Drainage Engineering, Fluid Mechanics & Hydraulics, Soil Mechanics, and Water & Sewage Systems.

His research interests span civil engineering, hydrology, hydraulics, hydroclimatology, and water engineering, with numerous publications in leading journals such as the Journal of Hydrology, Catena, ASCE journals, and Hydrological Processes.

Beyond his academic role, Dr. Lee contributes significantly to the scholarly community as Special Editor of the Journal of Atmospheric, editorial board member of Modern Subsea Engineering and Technology, and reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Hydrology, Catena, Water, Journal of Climate, Sustainability, Land, Atmosphere, Hydrologic Science Journal, Climate Research, Hydrology, and Hydrological Processes.

He is recognized for his dedication to advancing civil engineering education and research, particularly in the areas of water resources and climate impacts on hydrologic systems. Outside academia, Dr. Lee enjoys tennis, golf, hiking, and baduk (Go), reflecting his well-rounded professional and personal pursuits.

Chika Onyewuchi is a PhD researcher at the University of Reading, focusing on adapting the Social-Economic-Technical Systems (SETS) framework to improve planning for climate risks in energy infrastructure. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Ibadan and a Master’s degree in Renewable Energy, Sustainability and Technology from the University of Reading.

Previously, Chika served as Executive Director at GVI Group, an energy infrastructure company. His research interests center on integrating systems thinking into infrastructure planning to address complex, interconnected risks related to climate change.