In 2003, with an entrepreneurial mind-set to build up and create something new, I joined the University of Luxembourg (Uni.lu) as associate professor, at a time where no research were running, no research laboratories existent and no starter funding provided. Since, I dedicated my time and energy to build up both original teaching and innovative research. With the confidence that I experienced with a favourable environment, I could determine my career objectives and surpass some of them.

In 2005, my leadership allowed the establishment of the “Solid Structures (LSS)” research group, which innovated in:

(1) State-of-the-art Structural Health Monitoring,

(2) Reliable structural analysis of reinforced or prestressed concrete structures,

(3) Inventive concrete formulations by material substitutions using waste or renewable products and,

(4) Advanced computational modelling for concrete using Multi-Physics Numerical Simulation (since 2018).

Having worked in industry, I am aware of the potential impact of knowledge and technology transfer on an economy. The launch of Uni.lu being discussed at length before its creation, I was convinced of the importance of integrating Uni.lu into the country. Benefiting from my excellent industrial background, I rapidly consolidated the group’s national and cross-border contacts with world-leading industry, regional stakeholders and national administration to efficiently initiate competitive research guaranteeing a straightforward knowledge and technology transfer towards the industry.

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Since 2000, I acquired projects of a total budget of 10,1 million € including 2 European funded projects and 2 FNR/AFR fellowships.
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With just 1 PhD position provided as Structural Position by Uni.lu, my research group counts currently 6 PhDs and 2 PostDocs (+current recruitment of 1 PostDoc) externally funded. Mid 2019, I successfully supervised and co-supervised 20 PhDs.

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My group published 111 international peer-reviewed papers. Initially, I focused on conference papers to prevent confidentiality issues in full agreement with our industrial partners. Since 2014, I upgraded the publication policy of my team to rapidly publish 13 papers in high-ranking journals (Top 10%) and also 4 patents published. My research efforts were honoured by 5 outstanding awards.
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My expertise is recognised as a reviewer of high-ranked scientific journals, remote reviewer for Horizon 2020 FETOPEN (RIA) and GreenWin, member of habilitation juries for PostDocs, editor of a special edition of the MDPI Journal Sustainability (Top 10%), peer reviewer (one out of four) for the evaluation of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at TU Graz (Austria), expert for Luxembourg’s industry and ministries, member of technical committees.

As head of the Institute of Civil and Environmental Engineering (INCEEN), I succeeded in developing a new strategy leading to national and international visibility and recognition, in acquiring and managing the European funded project ECON4SD with a Doctoral Training Unit (DTU) involving 13 researchers and in signing three MoUs with international research institutes.

As head of the research group “Construction Materials” of the University of GreaterRegion, I reinforced the realisation of common proposals leading to the project Secondary Raw Materials for Concrete Precast Products (SeRaMCo). I developed other international networks by joining the Group (RF)² B as member of the executive committee, and by participating in the COST action TU1402 on “Quantifying the value of Structural Health Monitoring”.

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With nearly 30 years of multi-lingual teaching experience (German, French, English and Luxembourgish), I taught 360 tu/year (tu=teaching unit) on average (including 4 years>400 tu/year and 540 tu/year in 2007-2008), whereas the regular Uni.lu teaching mission is 180 tu/year.
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In 2015, I was awarded SENIOR FELLOW of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) i.a .for:

-Fostering new curriculum and teaching at Uni.lu,

-Elaboration of three successful curricula, in collaboration with colleagues, with an increasing number of students and (a) ensuring alignment of the new curricula with international standards for engineering education, (b) engaging with local/regional actors and labour market, (c) campaigning to attract students and (d) inspiring talented students.

-Course director of the three civil engineering tracks (11 years) of the professional bachelor BING and later on of the whole BING (5 years) (with about 300 students in 8 different tracks) including the management and guidance of 47 adjunct senior lecturers,

-Commitment to employability in the BING curriculum by evaluating the study program and leading the employability study executed by DELOITTE,

-Signature of multiple agreements for student exchanges for three different study programmes.

Since 2016, I have been course director of the Master of Science in Civil Engineering MSCE and participated as member in three “Teaching” groups at research unit, faculty and rectorate level.

As head of LSS, I guide my doctoral students in weekly meetings; I give them feedback; as they progress, I challenge them to develop their own ideas and become responsible and professional researchers. With an average of 4 PhD students, I successfully led 14 research projects and built-up a recognised research laboratory with high-performance equipment, including laboratory and budget management.

At Uni.lu, I am involved in numerous administration and management activities such as e.g. member of the Faculty Council, Supervisory Board of the Centre for Management of Lifelong Learning and Professional Education, Uni.lu Sustainability Group, Working group “Sustainable Integration into Luxembourg” for the elaboration of a Uni.lu strategy (2016-2026). My management skills benefitted the organisation of several important conferences.

Further, I participated in numerous outreach activities by press conferences on research subjects, being represented in all relevant national technical committee and round tables, organising regular “think-tanks” and round tables with members from Luxembourg’s industry and administration, by participating in economic missions with the Ministry of Economy abroad, disseminating research activities to a broader public through popular publications, public lectures, interview for daily journals or local television, and organising visits of the structural laboratory for children or private associations.

Having been actively involved in this exciting, pioneering and entrepreneurial phase, I am personally tied with the future of Uni.lu, even if this implied some threads to my researcher career. Nevertheless, considering the dedicated and tireless contributions I have made to both research and teaching during the last 16 years at the Uni.lu, I am deeply convinced that I contributed very significantly to its research, academic and societal missions.

Last updated on: Freitag, den 10. Juli 2020

Education

Current appointment

- 01/04/2003-ongoing: Associate Professor at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Education/Qualifications

- 01/04/1996-31/07/2000: PhD in Structural Engineering at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
                                         Title of the thesis: Shear load bearing behaviour of punctual supported slab bridges (“Schubtragverhalten von
                                         punktförmig gestützten Plattenbrücken”)
                                         Supervisor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. W. Ramm
                                         Defence in 2002
                                         

- 15/10/1989-15/01/1996: Diploma in Civil Engineering, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany     

Education

Position held: 

- 01/04/2003-ongoing: Associate Professor in the area of Concrete Structures and Structural Design at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 01/09/2000-31/03/2003: Engineer for research and development (full time) at the holding Eurobeton S.A. in Luxembourg in the field of Structural Engineering and Concrete Technology.            

Academic and scientific appointments at the University of Luxembourg

- 29/11/2018-ongoing: Member of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication (FSTC) at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 09/10/2018-19/03/2019: Member of the working group for European University "Raw Materials & Resource Efficiency" of the European University representing the University of Luxembourg

- 27/01/2018-ongoing: Member of Supervisory Board of the Economic Interest Group (G.I.E.) of the Competence Centre for the Management of Continuous and Professional Training ULCC (“G.I.E. Competence Centre de gestion pour la formation continue et professionnelle universitaire ULCC”), linked to the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 01/09/2018-ongoing: Member of the cross-faculty Sustainability Group at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 28/03/2017-ongoing: Member of the Teaching Group of the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 15/06/2017-ongoing: Member of the Teaching Group of the Unit of Engineering Sciences (RUES) at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 03/10/2016-ongoing: Head of Institute for Civil and Environmental Engineering INCEEN at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 15/02/2016-ongoing: Course director of the Master of Science in Civil Engineering - Megastructure Engineering with Sustainable Resources (academic) at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 25/02/2015-05/09/2016: Member of the Working Group Sustainable Integration into Luxembourg of the rectorate in the framework of the elaboration of a common strategy for the University of Luxembourg 2016-2026, at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 13/01/2014-16/06/2014: Member of the Group on “Better Teaching” of the Faculty of Science, Communication and Technology (FSTC) at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 2011-2016: Course director of the Professional Bachelor in Engineering (BING) (about 300 students in 8 different tracks covering the fields of Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Energy and Environment) at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 2005-2016: Study program director for the fields related to Civil Engineering of the Professional Bachelor in Engineering (BING) (Civil Engineering Construction (GCC) and Civil Engineering Urban planning (GCU)), at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 01/01/2005-ongoing: Head of the Research Group for “Solid Structures (LSS)” at the University of Luxembourg,

- 01/01/2004-31/12/2004: Member of the Planification committee (“Commission de planification”) of the first rector Prof. Tavenas at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

- 12/11/2003-19/12/2005: Member of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication (FSTC) at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Supervisory / academic activities

• Current research group:
  • 2 PostDocs (2 project funded PostDocs, since Dec. 2017, resp. Jan. 2018)
  • 6 PhD students (5 project funded PhDs + 1 structural PhD position from the University of Luxembourg)
• Successfully supervised as principal supervisor: 9 PhD students
• Successfully supervised as co-supervisor: 11 PhD students
• Current co-supervision activities: 12 PhD students (8 PhDs in Luxembourg and 4 PhDs abroad)
• Patents: 4 patents published
• Most relevant publications and recent publications in the last 5 years:
  • 12 SJR Index Q1 Top 10% journal publications
  • 2 SJR Index Q1 journal publications

Last updated on: 02 Sep 2019

Head of the Research Group for “Solid Structures LSS”

Strategy/ Objectives

The Research Group for “Solid Structures LSS” is embedded in the Research Unit in Engineering Science (RUES) of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication of the University of Luxembourg. The focus of research lies on the analysis of structural elements, the sustainable and economical use of all kinds of resources and the establishment of a centre of expertise for the technological requirements of industrial and public actors.

The strategy for the Research Group for “Solid Structures (LSS)” built up on the following leading research principles:

• Smart Buildings and Structures,
• Demountable Structures,
• Circular Economy

aligned with the strategy of the Institute of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Furthermore, the strategy of LSS aims to:

• Increase the visibility of LSS towards the “outside world”;
• Guarantee the integration into Luxembourg;
• Serve as a reference point for industry, engineering consultancies and administrations.

The objectives of the research group is to have a solid research profile, around the following topics:

1. Structural analysis of concrete structures (2005-ongoing)

Within this research, we perform the analytical, numerical and experimental analysis of reinforced concrete or prestressed concrete structures. This includes Structural Health Monitoring, Structural Analysis and Dynamics, Structural Reliability and Risk Analysis, Finite Element Analysis of Concrete and Steel-Concrete Composite Structures, Failure Analysis for Engineering Materials and Structures. The research group is recognised for:

• Structural Health Monitoring to identify and localise damage on bridge structures by the development of the new Deformation Area Difference Method (DAD-Method) and by using most modern measurement techniques such as photogrammetry combined to drones;
• Steel Fibre-Reinforced Concrete for developing a new design method for steel fibre-reinforced concrete flat slabs taking into account the real orientation factor for large elements;
• Dry-stacked Modular Masonry Blocks for developing and submitting a patent proposal a new modular masonry block system;
• Composite Structures for developing a formulation for woodchip concrete and analysing the influence of the sheet profile design on the composite action of slabs made of this lightweight concrete;
• Honeycomb systems for developing and patenting a new rendering system with the international companies Knauf and DuPont de Nemours;
• Demountable structures by developing and submitting a patent proposal of a new modular demountable timber-concrete slab system;

2. New innovative concrete formulation (2005-ongoing)

This research field deals with the research on new concrete formulations based on renewable materials such as Miscanthus Giganteus grass or woodchips as well as with the substitution of cement and traditional aggregates by waste or renewable products aiming to:

• a reduction of energy consumption,
• a reduction of consumption of natural resources and
• a reduction of CO₂ production.

The Research Group for “Solid Structures (LSS)” is known for its contribution to the field of:

• Cement Substitution using waste products by activating gravel wash mud as waste product for substitution of cement;
• Self-compacting concrete by identifying the rheological behaviour of self-compacting concrete depending on temperature;
• Concrete mixtures based on renewable materials such as Miscanthus and woodchips.

3. Computational modelling for concrete (since 2018)

This new field researches on Multi-Physics Numerical Simulation of the chemical, mechanical and thermal material behaviour of concrete.

The Research Group for “Solid Structures (LSS)” at the University of Luxembourg made a significant contribution to the field of cracking in concrete materials and structures. Many projects have been conducted in this area, such as the analysis of fracture in lightweight concrete sections within a lightweight masonry block in a project with Chaux de Contern (2006-2010), rheological and fracture analysis of self-compacting concrete in function of environmental conditions in a project with CIMALUX (2005-2010), investigation of crack development in hybrid fibre-reinforced concrete in a project with Dyckerhoff - Germany (2013-2017), and many others. Recently, LSS has studied the fracture and damage of brittle materials in the framework of the variational approach to fracture mechanics. In this approach, all calculations can be performed on the initial mesh and are independent of the topology of the cracked domain. Nucleation, initiation, propagation, and bifurcation of cracks occur spontaneously without the need for ad-hoc rules to determine these behaviours. The formulation is also remarkably stable and straightforward to implement in both two and three dimensions. All of that made this model one of the best methodologies of crack propagation. LSS has developed an efficient algorithm to apply such techniques to the strongly heterogeneous material, and for the first time, accounting all microstructural heterogeneities, interfacial effects, like models obtained from micro-tomography. The developed method is now applied to investigate the early-age cracking behaviour in cement-based materials by using a coupled computational chemo-thermo-mechanical model.

In general, the performed research projects include investigations on the following subjects:

• Sustainable construction,
• Short and long term properties of blended cement and concrete,
• High performance/self-compacting concrete,
• Steel fibre reinforced concrete,
• Development of materials out of industrial wastes for structural applications,
• Strengthening and retrofitting of structures,
• Composite construction in steel, timber and concrete,
• Bond in composite construction,
• Life cycle analysis of materials and structures,
• Non-destructive testing methods (NDT).

Nearly all of the projects are co-financed by industry and thus contribute to promote this new University of Luxembourg. In parallel, this strong link to industry contributes to integrating the young university within the society of Luxembourg.

Achievements

As I worked for three years as a research and development engineer in industry, I am aware of the potential impact of knowledge and technology transfer on an economy. The launch of the University of Luxembourg was discussed at length before its creation and the integration of the University of Luxembourg into the country was and is an important factor. Precisely because of this, I have developed the group’s national and cross-border contacts with industry, administration and other sectorial stakeholders, such as e.g. ArcelorMittal, Cimalux, Chaux de Contern, Eifelhaus, Astron, Knauf, Dupont de Nemours, Goodyear, Pont & Chaussées, CDCL, Carrières Feidt, , Recyma, Cloos, ENECO; Secolux, Entrapaulus, Dyckerhoff (DE) and Freyssinet (FR). The full list can be found in annex 5. Many of these actors have recognised our know-how, and funded and co-funded around 14 research projects or requested our scientific expertise.

The resulting group publications have appeared in ca. 41 papers in international peer-reviewed scientific journals and 2 book chapters. In the first years, I mostly focused on conference papers as publications in collaboration with industrial partners were not always possible due to confidentiality reasons. Alternatively, 4 patents were published. However, especially in the last years, I successfully placed the focus on high ranked publications, also in the framework of industry projects. As a result, since 2014 14 high-ranked publications (12 SJR Index Q1 Top 10% journal publications + 2 SJR Index Q1 journal publications) have been published. My efforts have been compensated by 5 prizes and the research group efforts by further 4 prizes.

During my professional career, I have acquired a financial contribution from industry and funding agencies of a total budget 10,1 million € (including the expenditures for all human resources working on the project) with an in-kind contribution of 5,4 million € (industry: 3,2 million €+ competitive funding: 2,2 million €), thus more than 50 % of the total project budgets. In the last 5 years, I have acquired research projects with a total budget of 5.2 million € and an in-kind contribution from funding agency or industry of 2.5 million €. This includes the funding for 2 European funded projects as well as 2 FNR/AFR fellowships.

In recent years I have built a research group, which counts currently 6 PhD students and 2 PostDoc researchers (the recruitment for another PostDoc has been launched recently) including just 1 structural PhD position provided as Structural Position by the University of Luxembourg. By mid of 2019, I have supervised 9 successful PhD or co-supervised another 11 successful PhD researchers, most of them now employed with high responsibility in major companies or as Postdoc researchers or professor at university.

Brief account on planned research effort:

The Research Group for “Solid Structures (LSS)” has established research strengths in a number of areas (see previous part on strategy/objectives). These research themes will be further developed in order to become a leader for Structural Analysis in the domain of Civil Engineering in the Greater Region together with the colleagues of INCEEN and to increase the visibility of the University of Luxembourg.

To realise this intention, the following goals have been defined:

• Identification and solution of national and international Structural Engineering problems related to energy, environment and sustainable growth by innovative approaches;
• Clustering a multi-disciplinary group with researchers from INCEEN and researchers from Universities in the Greater Region in order to create a recognised working group and thus to increase visibility;
• Reinforcement of the link between industry and science by continuing to foster common think-tank meetings in order to:
  • develop long-term visions,
  • keep in touch with the relevant and day-to-day problems of the economic sector,
  • identify and establish promising areas relevant to the future development of the national economy, and
  • support industry for the transfer of scientific knowledge into technological solutions;
• Exploitation additional public and private sources for funding.
• Focused actions to increase the interest of young people in science and engineering.

To meet the requirements of sustainable structures in the future, the traditional approaches of engineers must change: resources and energy consumption must be reduced in order not to compromise the natural environment for future generations. Therefore, the future research needs and opportunities will be driven by this changed approach to protect built and natural environments. The world population will continue to grow and, in parallel, the existing infrastructure will age. Thus, a planned research effort will have to face these problems in order to build the community of the future.

• To address these needs and challenges of both society and industry, the Research Group for “Solid Structures (LSS)” has committed itself to focusing its research on innovation, on a sustainable use of resources and on a reduction of the impact on energy and environment induced by the construction domain, contributing to the European Strategic Technology Plan and the European Union’s emphasis on creating an innovation Union in Europe.
• The Research Group for “Solid Structures (LSS)” identifies one of its central missions as creating a strong link between the University of Luxembourg and the national economy to improve and support its competitiveness. Only by working together with private and public organisations, the impact of research results can be maximised. A multidisciplinary approach can be obtained by collaboration with complementary disciplines from the Institute of Civil and Environmental Engineering INCEEN and the Research Unit Engineering Science and with international universities.

Last updated on: 07 Aug 2019

Last updated on: 07 Aug 2019

Last updated on: 07 Aug 2019

I am in contact will all relevant industries related to the construction sector in Luxembourg. Nearly all research projects have been carried out in cooperation with industrial partners, which contributes to an integration of the University of Luxembourg in Luxembourg’s society and in the Greater Region. As an engineer, I am convinced that the role of a university should not only consist of a pure fundamental research institute without any link to a country’s economy. Especially in such a small country as Luxembourg, the only university of the country should be well anchored in the ambient context and should have a direct impact on the development of the country. In order to foster the acceptance of this young university a relationship between academic research and industrial partners must be established. This will permit the transference of scientific knowledge into industrial applications. Therefore, I put a great effort in collaborating with and supporting industries’ research activities. Several direct, personal initiatives, such as different round tables established between actors of the local construction industry, worked as “think tanks” where many interesting, and socially and industrially-relevant research ideas came out, which will be explored in the near future by my research group. These initiatives of the Research Group for “Solid Structures (LSS)” are well recognised, as proven by continued multiple interactions with industry and administration, and requests to collaborate with them in recent years.

The figure shows all my collaboration partners (industry, government, private 
companies) in Luxembourg and abroad.

My research is supplemented by a strong collaboration with industries, government and private companies. I was involved as a consultant in interesting and challenging projects, which include:

• Design/quality control of building structures by in situ loading tests (Administration of Public Buildings (”Administration des Bâtiments Publics”), City of Luxembourg, ArcelorMittal)
• Design/quality control of bridges, (Public Road Administration (“Administration des Ponts et Chaussées Luxembourg”))
• Development of insulating masonry blocks (Chaux de Contern S.A., Lux.)
• Determination of the acoustic performances of a lightweight concrete realised based on wood-chip aggregates (Eifelhaus S.A., Lux.)
• Optimisation of the formulation of a wood-chip concrete in order to balance the insulation and mechanical performances (Eifelhaus S.A., Lux.)
• Rheological analysis of mortar in order to characterise the compatibility of the binder and the additives (Cimalux, S.A., Lux.)
• Optimisation of the formulation of a Miscanthus x giganteus concrete in order to balance the insulation and mechanical performances (Chaux de Contern S.A., Lux.)
• Analysis of the crack development of a fair-faced replacement screed (Dyckerhoff, Buzzi-Unicem, Germany, Italy)
• Analysis of the crack development in walls with new render system (DuPont de Nemours S.A., Knauf S.A.)
• Analysis of the strength development of a grouting mortar for pre-stressed systems (Freyssinet, France)
• Development of a double-leaf masonry wall system (Chaux de Contern S.A., Lux.)

Expert reports in case of failure for lawyers.

In brief:

• Nearly all research projects were realised in collaboration with local industry, which contributes to an integration of the young university to Luxembourg’s society and to the Greater Region.
• Excellent established contacts with national industry as for example ArcelorMittal, Cimalux, Contern Concrete (“Contern, Lëtzebuerger Beton”), Eifelhaus, Astron Buildings, DuPont de Nemours, etc.
• Development of contacts with international industry as for example Dyckerhoff in Germany and Freyssinet in France.
• Industrial experience as main project coordinator of several research and development projects at Eurobeton S.A.
• Organisation of a round table with the French expert for prestressed constructions “Freyssinet”, the construction company “compagnie de construction Luxembourgeoise (cdcl)”, the consulting engineer “Schroeder&Associés”, the architecte “Metaform” and the cement producer “Cimalux” in order to define potential research projects on the horizon 2020.
• Organisation of a round table with the Luxembourg railway administration in order to define relevant research subjects for the next 10 years.
• Several presentations and activities at Business Meets Research of Luxinnovation in Luxembourg.
• Invited to participate at several Economic Missions of Luxemburg’s Ministry of Economy to e.g. Berlin, Hannover (Germany) and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).
• Organisation of the conference on Secondary Raw Materials for Concrete Precast Products at the University of Luxembourg in 2018 with 120 participants from Luxembourg’s industry and the Greater Region.
• Organisation of the NEAT (New Railway Alps Tunnel) exhibition on the Swiss and Luxembourg tunnel construction in collaboration with the “Ponts & Chaussées Luxembourg” at the University of Luxembourg in 2011. (More than 300 participants and Luxembourg minister of transport)

Supervision of many bachelor and master theses in cooperation with consulting engineers and public administration as for example: Schroeder&Associés, TR-Engineering, SGI Ingénierie, Administration of Public Buildings (“Administration des Bâtiments Publics”), Public Railway Administration (“Administration des Chemins de Fer”), Public Road Administration (“Administration des Ponts et Chaussées”), Eifelhaus, Cimalux, etc.

Last updated on: 02 Sep 2019

The group on Solid structures benefits from a wide range of modern equipment, described below.

Last updated on: 19 Jul 2019