2025 UTS Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology Research Excellence Guest Lecture Series - Prof. Pascal Jose M. Adam

Propagation of Failures in Structures: Cases of Research on Structural Engineering published in Natures

Abstract
This lecture will showcase two civil engineering articles recently published in Nature magazine. Both articles deal with the propagation of failures in structures; one focuses on buildings, and the other on bridges. The publication ‘Arresting failure propagation in buildings through collapse isolation’ presents a new building design philosophy that isolates collapses, preventing them from spreading to the rest of the structure. The work on the ‘Latent resistance mechanisms of steel truss bridges after critical failures’ shows the latent resistance mechanisms that are activated in steel truss bridges after the failure of any of their components. Nature gave both of these research articles extensive coverage through ‘News and Views’ articles, videos on their YouTube channel, and podcasts. The article on buildings also made the cover of the issue.

Biography
Jose M. Adam is Professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València – UP, and Editor-in-Chief of Construction and Building Materials. He and his team perform research in the field of structural engineering, always aiming to improve the resilience of buildings and bridges. He is an experimental researcher, and his research has always been associated with ambitious experimental campaigns, including many on full-scale structures. Prof. Adam is a founding partner of the spin-off company Calsens, and holder of two ERC Grants for the amount of €2.6 million. Two of his works have been published in Nature magazine, one of which was featured on the cover of the issue.