Prof. Mar Alonso Martínez, University of Oviedo
Prof. Mar Alonso Martínez is a Associate Professor of Construction Engineering at the University of Oviedo, Spain, and director of GICONSIME, the Research Group on Sustainable Construction, Simulation and Testing. She is also affiliated with the University Institute of Industrial Technology of Asturias.
She received her PhD in Engineering from the University of Oviedo in 2013, following the completion of her doctoral research within GITECO, the Construction Technology Research Group at the University of Cantabria. Her research integrates advanced numerical simulation and experimental testing to develop safer, smarter and more sustainable construction materials and structural systems.
Prof. Alonso Martínez’s main research interests include structural lightweight concrete, advanced cement-based materials, adaptive building envelopes, phase-change materials, circular economy strategies and the valorisation of industrial by-products. A central objective of her work is to connect material innovation with structural performance, energy efficiency, carbon-emission reduction and intelligent structural-health monitoring.
She has participated in numerous competitive national, regional and international research projects, serving as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on several of them. Her scientific record includes more than 25 articles in JCR-indexed journals, book chapters and over 30 contributions to international conferences. She has also contributed to more than 60 research and knowledge-transfer projects undertaken in collaboration with companies and public institutions.
Her international experience includes three research stays at Purdue University in the United States and a further stay at University College London. In 2025, she received a prestigious Leonardo Grant from the BBVA Foundation for the development of self-sensing structural lightweight concretes capable of monitoring their condition, detecting damage and anticipating structural failure without relying on external sensors. Through this work, Prof. Alonso Martínez contributes to a new generation of resilient, low-carbon and intelligent civil-engineering structures.
Prof. Javier Sánchez-Haro, University of Cantabria
Prof. Javier Sánchez-Haro is a Civil Engineer and Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of Cantabria, Spain. He received his PhD in Civil Engineering from the same university in 2017, with highest honours and a European Doctorate distinction, for a thesis devoted to developing a simplified theory for the analysis of structural impacts.
His research lies at the intersection of structural dynamics, advanced computational modelling and engineering practice. His main fields of expertise include impact loading on structures, the dynamic response and resonance of railway bridges, seismic soil–structure interaction, and the transmission of vibrations generated by high-speed rail traffic through the ground and into nearby buildings. He currently supervises three doctoral theses addressing seismic response and vibration-propagation problems.
A defining feature of Dr Sánchez-Haro’s work is his physically grounded approach to complex dynamic phenomena. By combining analytical formulations, finite-element modelling and experimental validation, he develops efficient simplified methods that support preliminary design, provide an independent means of verifying sophisticated numerical models and facilitate engineering decision-making. His research has produced new methodologies for the analysis of structural impacts, the identification of resonance effects in railway bridges and the assessment of dynamic amplification during bridge-construction operations. His findings have been published in leading international journals, including Engineering Structures, the Journal of Structural Engineering, the International Journal of Impact Engineering and Structures.
Before moving into full-time academia, Dr Sánchez-Haro developed an extensive professional career with engineering firms including Arenas & Asociados, WSP and INGECID. He contributed to the analysis and design of bridges and major international infrastructure, including structures located in highly seismic regions such as Chile. This experience continues to inform a research philosophy in which theoretical developments are tested against the requirements and constraints of real engineering projects.
At the University of Cantabria, he is responsible for the course Advanced Structural Analysis in the Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, where he teaches structural dynamics and seismic analysis. He also teaches finite-element analysis, steel structures, concrete structures and structural analysis at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His international experience includes teaching and research stays at European institutions, and he has participated in and led knowledge-transfer projects involving universities and industry. Alongside his academic and professional activity, he is actively engaged in communicating structural dynamics to broader audiences, making complex engineering phenomena accessible without sacrificing scientific rigour.
