Dr Riccardo Maddalena
Lecturer
- maddalenar@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 208 76 150
- Room C/4.09, Queen's Buildings - Central Building, 5 The Parade, Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 3AA
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
#myself
Pronouns: He/Him/His; Hear my name
I am a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Civil Engineering at Cardiff University. I am a Chartered Engineer (CEng), Chartered Scientist (CSci) and Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), with a focus on multidisciplinary applied research. I gained experience in the automotive industry, civil engineering consultancy and academia. I have been the Project Manager and Co-I of the UKRI-EPSRC Resilient Materials 4 Life (RM4L) Programme Grant (2017 - 2022), developing self-healing and biomimetic infrastructure materials.
I am passionate about #equality and #diversity, especially in STEMM. I co-chair the School of Engineering Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) committee.
#myinterests
My main research activity is associated with the REsilient Structures and COnstruction Materials (RESCOM) Research Group. My interests are on characterisation and durability of building materials, cement and concrete science, chemistry and engineering applications. I have experience in bench-scale and pilot-scale experiment design. I use analytical techniques for bulk-scale and nano-scale characterisation studies (XRD, SEM, TGA/DSC, Raman and NMR spectroscopy, calorimetry, laser light scattering technique for PSD, MIP). I am also interested in carbon offsets and life cycle assessment (LCA) of innovative infrastructure materials and engineering solutions.
I am the Director of the DURALAB, the first interdisciplinary durability testing facility in Wales, a “time-capsule”, capable of simulating hundreds of years of ageing and deterioration of materials in a matter of weeks.
#myresearch
Past and ongoing research activities and interests:
- low-carbon cements
- self-healing and bio-mimetic infrastructure materials
- recycled and recyclable building materials
- radionuclide immobilisation into cement minerals
- life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint analysis
- novel low-carbon (geo)materials
- in-situ concrete repair solutions
- in-situ and ex-situ thermal treatments of polluted soils and sediments.
#getintouch
Do you want to discuss your ideas with me? Get in touch via email or book directly a meeting (online or in person).
Biography
My Studies
- 2018: PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, UK
- 2018: PGCert in Researcher Professional Development, University of Strathclyde, UK
- 2013: Laurea Magistrale (MSc equivalent) in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Catania, Italy
- 2011: Laurea in Civil and Environmental Engineering (BEng equivalent), University of Catania, Italy
Honours and awards
- 2022: Outstanding Contribution Award (OCA), Cardiff University, UK
- 2019: JSPS Fellowship at Tohoku University, Japan
- 2017: Marie Curie Research Visit (GREAT Project), Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- 2014: Remediation Technologies (REMTECH) Best MScThesis Award, Ferrara, Italy
- 2009: Vulcanus in Japan, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation.
Professional memberships
- Chartered Engineer (CEng), UK Engineering Council
- Chartered Scientist (CSci), UK Science Council
- Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), UK Society for the Environment
- Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), awarded by the Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Member (MIMMM) of the Institute of Mineral, Materials and Mining (IOM3) since 2016
- Member (MIET) of the Intitution of Engineering and Technology (IET) since 2016
- RILEM Member since 2020
- Ingegnere Civile ed Ambientale (Chartered Civil Engineer equivalent, Italian Engineering Council).
Academic positions
- 2020 - present: Lecturer in Civil Engineering at Cardiff University, UK
- 2019: JSPS Postdoctoral fellow at Tohoku University, Japan
- 2017 - 2020: Research Associate and RM4L Project Manager, Cardiff University, UK
- 2017 - 2018: Visiting Researcher, University of Strathclyde, UK
- 2017: Research Assistant, University of Strathclyde, UK
- 2017: Visiting Researcher, Tsinghua University, PR China
- 2011-2012: Civil Engineer, Technoside Srl, Italy
- 2009-2010: Materials Engineer, Akebono Brake Co. Ltd, Japan
Speaking engagements
- 2022: ICSHM Conference, Milano, Italy
- 2021: RM4L2020 International Conference, Cardiff, UK
- 2020: 40th Cement and Concrete Science Conference (CCS), Sheffield, UK
- 2019: Seminar at the JSPS London Office, London, UK
- 2019: 39th Cement and Concrete Science Conference (CCS), Bath, UK
- 2019: Special Lecture at Tohoku University, Japan
- 2019: ICSHM Conference, Yokohama, Japan
- 2018: RAMS Conference, Cardiff, UK
- 2018: National Construction EXPO, MIlton Keynes, London, UK
- 2017: Seminar, School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
- 2017: Seminar, Research Meeting of the Institute of Building Materials, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China.
- 2016: 10th Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions (SAHC) Conference, Leuven, Belgium
- 2016: 36th Cement and Concrete Science (CCS) Conference, Cardiff, UK
- 2015: DISTINCTIVE Consortium, Conference, Sheffield, UK
- 2015: 35th Cement and Concrete Science (CCS) Conference, Aberdeen, UK.
Committees and reviewing
- Member of Cardiff University Race Equality Supervisory Panel (RESP)
- Co-Chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Committee of School of Engineering, Cardiff University, UK
- Member of the EPSRC Reviewers College, JSPS London and Horizon EU
- Guest Editor and Journal Reviewer for Elsevier, Springer, MDPI, ASCE, ICE journals.
Publications
2023
- Maddalena, R. 2023. Freeze/thaw resistance of mortar with recycled tyre waste at varying particle sizes. Materials 16(3), article number: 1301. (10.3390/ma16031301)
- Nishiwaki, T., Shimizu, K., Tanabe, T., Gardner, D. and Maddalena, R. 2023. Terahertz (Thz) wave imaging in civil engineering to assess self-healing of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCC). Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology (10.3151/jact.21.58)
2022
- Li, K. et al. 2022. Long-term field exposure of structural concretes in marine environment: state-of-the-art review by RILEM TC 289-DCM. Materials and Structures 55(7), article number: 205. (10.1617/s11527-022-02027-2)
- Maddalena, R. et al. 2022. Applications and life cycle assessment of shape memory polyethylene terephthalate in concrete for crack closure. Polymers 14(5), article number: 933. (10.3390/polym14050933)
2021
- Maddalena, R. and Wright-Syed, M. eds. 2021. Proceedings of the Resilient Materials 4 Life 2020 (RM4L2020) International Conference. Cardiff: Resilient Materials 4 Life - Cardiff University.
- Maddalena, R., Taha, H. and Gardner, D. 2021. Self-healing potential of supplementary cementitious materials in cement mortars: sorptivity and pore structure. Developments in the Built Environment 6, article number: 100044. (10.1016/j.dibe.2021.100044)
- Litina, C. et al. 2021. Evaluation of methodologies for assessing self-healing performance of concrete with mineral expansive agents: an interlaboratory study. Materials 14(8), article number: 2024. (10.3390/ma14082024)
2020
- Maddalena, R., Bonanno, L., Balzano, B., Sweeney, J. and Mihai, I. 2020. A crack closure system for cementitious composite materials using knotted shape memory polymer (k-SMP) fibres. Cement and Concrete Composites 114, article number: 103757. (10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2020.103757)
2019
- Maddalena, R., Hamilton, A., Li, K., Chater, P. and Michalik, S. 2019. Direct synthesis of a solid calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H). Construction and Building Materials 223, pp. 554-565. (10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.06.024)
- Maddalena, R. 2019. Effect of silica particle size on the formation of calcium silicate hydrate using thermal analysis. Thermochimica Acta 672, pp. 142-149. (10.1016/j.tca.2018.09.003)
- Maddalena, R. 2019. The healing touch. Construction and Civil Engineering Magazine(167), pp. -.
- Maddalena, R., Taha, H. and Gardner, D. 2019. Enhanced self-healing using conventional supplementary cementitious materials. Presented at: 39th Cement and Concrete Science Conference 2019, Bath, England, 9-10 September 201939th Cement and Concrete Science Conference 2019. University of Bath pp. 43-46.
2018
- Maddalena, R., Roberts, J. J. and Hamilton, A. 2018. Can Portland cement be replaced by low-carbon alternative materials? A study on the thermal properties and carbon emissions of innovative cements. Journal of Cleaner Production 186, pp. 933-942. (10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.138)
2017
- Falciglia, P. P., Malarbì, D., Maddalena, R., Greco, V. and Vagliasindi, F. G. A. 2017. Remediation of Hg-contaminated marine sediments by simultaneous application of enhancing agents and microwave heating (MWH). Chemical Engineering Journal 321, pp. 1-10. (10.1016/j.cej.2017.03.097)
- Maddalena, R. and Hamilton, A. 2017. Low-pressure silica injection for porosity reduction in cementitious materials. Construction and Building Materials 134, pp. 610-616. (10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.11.016)
2016
- Maddalena, R., Mali, A. and Hamilton, A. 2016. Low-pressure nano-silica injection on cement for crack-healing and water transport. Presented at: 10th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions (SAHC 2016), Leuven, Belgium, 13-15 September 2016 Presented at Van Balen, K. and Verstynge, E. eds.Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions: Anamnesis, Diagnosis, Therapy, Controls Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions. London: CRC Press, (10.1201/9781315616995)
- Falciglia, P. P., Maddalena, R., Mancuso, G., Messina, V. and Vagliasindi, F. G. A. 2016. Lab-scale investigation on remediation of diesel-contaminated aquifer using microwave energy. Journal of Environmental Management 167, pp. 196-205. (10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.11.046)
Teaching
#2022/2023
- Materials and Construction (Year 1)
- Structural Engineering and Design (Year 2)
- 3rd Year project supervision
- MSc project supervision
Do you need help with calculations or tutorials? Get in touch via email or book directly a meeting (online or in person).
#funding |
||||
| Title | People | Funder | Value | Duration |
| Hygrothermal Monitoring of Timber-Frame Replacement Infill Panels | C Whitman (PI), R Maddalena (Co-I) | Historic England | £50,000 | 01/2023-12/2024 |
| Concrete MOT | R Maddalena (PI) | Cardiff University | £7,000 | 07/2022-06/2023 |
| QUANTUM EFFICIENCY HUB | B Hou (PI), R Maddalena (Co-I), | HEFCW | £404,000 | 06/2022-04/2023 |
| DURALAB | R Maddalena (PI), (and others) | HEFCW | £383,000 | 09/2021- 04/2022 |
| Resilient Materials 4 Life (RM4L) | T Jefferson (PI), R Maddalena (Co-I) (and others) | UKRI-EPSRC | £4,837,625 | 04/2017 - 04/2022 |
| TETCRETE 2.0 | R Maddalena (PI), J Sweeney (Co-I) | IAA-EPSRC | £19,500 | 06/2021 - 02/2022 |
| Themo-crete | R Maddalena (PI) | Cardiff University | £6,500 | 03/2021 - 07/2021 |
| CCK (Circular Cement in Kenya) | R Maddalena (PI), E Latif (Co-I), Joseph Marangu (Fellow) | UKRI - GCRF | £6,100 | 01/2021 - 04/2021 |
| FISH (Fibre-reinforced Self-Healing) Concrete | R Maddalena (Fellow), Tomoya Nishiwaki (Supervisor) | JSPS | £15,000 | 05/2019 - 08/2019 |
#internships |
||||
| Title | Student | Funder | Value | Duration |
| Materials for the future: low-carbon concrete and LCA | Borna Neghabat Shirazi | CUROP | £2,000 | 06/2022 - 09/2022 |
| DURALAB internship | Tanveer Chaudhry | ENGIN | £2,000 | 06/2022 - 07/2022 |
| Built2Future: Sustainable Building Materials to build a better Future | Simran Mahal | CUROP | £1,000 | 07/2021 - 08/2021 |
| Sustainability of Smart Concrete (SSC) | Zhening Huang | CUROP | £1,000 | 06/2020 - 08/2020 |
| Hydrophobic coatings of mortar paste | Robin Grosse | INP-ENSIACET (France) | Other | 06/2020 - 08/2020 |
| Self-healing of cementitious materials | Dan Incorvaja | CUROP | £1,000 | 08/2019 - 09/2019 |
| Self-healing knotted Shape Memory Polymer Fibres (k-SMP) in cement | Lorenzo Bonanno | Cardiff University | Other | 05/2018 - 08/2018 |
Do you want to discuss your ideas with me? Get in touch via email or book directly an online meeting.
Supervision
#SupervisedAreas
I am available to supervise PhD, MPhil students, project students (undergraduate and postgraduate), interns and visiting students on the following topics:
- Self-healing concrete
- Re-use of waste into concrete and mechanical behaviour
- Thermal analysis and thermal imaging of cementitious materials
- Chemistry of cement mortar and concrete
- Water transport in concrete
- Green low-carbon concrete
- Life Cycle Assessment and carbon footprint of infrastructure materials
- ...I am also open to other topics.
Note: Prospective research students (PhD, EngD, MPhil, MRes) should investigate potential funding and/or scholarships before getting in touch. The UK Government has made available the Doctoral Student Loans (up to £26,000 for UK and EU students). Explore also the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) PhD scholarships.
Do you want to discuss your ideas with me? Get in touch via email or book directly a meeting (online or in person).
#currentStudents |
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| Title | Student | Degree |
| Tetcrete for crack control and self-healing (with National Highways and Costain) | Thomas Moore | MPhil |
| Durability of self-compacting concrete | Ibrahim Degani | PhD |
| Sustainable self-compacting concrete and numerical modelling | Ayman Almutlaqah | PhD |
| Design and durability of low-carbon sustainable concrete | Ahmad Alhamdan | PhD |
Past projects
#internships |
||
| Title | Student | Year |
| Materials for the future: low-carbon concrete and LCA | Borna Neghabat Shirazi | 2022 |
| Biomimetic Concrete: tetcrete for crack control | Qistina Binti Zainal | 2022 |
| DURALAB Lab Manager Assistent (HS,E) | Tanveer Chaudhry | 2022 |
| Built2Future: Sustainable Building Materials to build a better Future | Simran Mahal | 2021 |
| Sustainability of Smart Concrete (SSC) | Zhening Huang | 2020 |
| Hydrophobic coatings of mortar paste | Robin Grosse | 2020 |
| Self-healing of cementitious materials | Dan Incorvaja | 2019 |
| knotted Shape Memory Polymer Fibres (k-SMP) in concrete | Lorenzo Bonanno | 2018 |