From Theory to Practice, From Ideas to Reality: Advancing Civil Engineering for a Sustainable and Resilient Future

The Symposium on Civil Engineering, part of the 6th Doctoral Congress in Engineering (DCE25), will take place at FEUP, Porto, Portugal, on June 30th and 1st of July 2025.

This Symposium is organized by PhD students of the Doctoral Program in Civil Engineering (PRODEC) at FEUP, with the support of the CONSTRUCT, ICS (Instituto para a Construção Sustentável), Citta, and CIIMAR.

The Department of Civil Engineering at FEUP hosts education and research in various scientific fields across its sections. The Symposium welcomes submissions on the different covered areas under oral communications and posters.

Topics for Submission include (but are not limited to):

  • Building Construction
  • Structures
  • Geotechnics
  • Hydraulics, Water Resources and Environment
  • Construction Materials
  • Transport Infrastructures

The Doctoral Program in Civil Engineering is responsible by this Symposium and it invites all the PhD students as well as all the MSc students assigned to the Department of Civil Engineering to participate. Likewise, submissions from other doctoral and master programs, institutions and entities within the scope of the Symposium are also welcome. Additionally, sessions in the Symposium will include keynote lectures by renowned specialists.

Submissions

Format: Abstract for oral or poster communications

Please follow the abstract template (maximum 1 page) according to the Instruction for Authors available under the Registration page. The submission must be done through the SCI-MEET platform.

For more information, please click HERE.

Registration & Payment 

Registration is mandatory for all participants through the SCI-MEET platform.

The Doctoral Program in Civil Engineering (PRODEC) will cover the registration costs for any PRODEC student from FEUP.

A limited number of registration waivers will be granted to other students, researchers or professors from FEUP, depending on the number of attendees.

Abstracts will be included in the Book of Abstracts only if at least one author of each accepted abstract is registered and has paid the registration fee (attended the event).

Please note that at least one author per submitted abstract (oral or poster communication) must register for the Congress as soon as possible to secure participation.

Communications

Oral communication:  

  • Prepare a PowerPoint presentation to support your talk.
  • An editable PowerPoint template will be available soon.
  • Language: Presentations and slides must be in English.

Poster communication:  

  • The poster exhibition will be held in FEUP’s B Corridor, where posters will be displayed on the corridor windows.
  • Posters should be formatted in portrait mode, size A1 (841 mm height × 594 mm width).
  • Language: Posters must be in English.
  • An editable poster template will be available soon.

Publications 

All accepted abstracts, with at least one author registered in the Congress with a paid fee, will be included in the event’s program and the Symposium Book of Abstracts.

Awards 

Authors of accepted abstracts presented at the Congress will be eligible for the Best Oral and Best Poster Communication Awards.

Symposium Committees

Symposium Chairs:

  • Nuno Manuel Monteiro Ramos, FEUP
  • Pedro Aires Moreira Montenegro e Almeida, FEUP

Symposium Organizing Committee:

  • Eva Sofia Botelho Machado Barreira, FEUP
  • Nuno Manuel Monteiro Ramos, FEUP
  • Pedro Aires Moreira Montenegro e Almeida, FEUP
  • Amanda Diniz Barros, PhD Student PRODEC, FEUP
  • Elisa Losada Cerqueira, PhD Student PRODEC, FEUP
  • Filipe da Costa Miranda, PhD Student PRODEC, FEUP
  • Omar As Saadi, PhD Student PRODEC, FEUP

Symposium Scientific Committee:

  • Ana Sofia Moreira dos Santos Guimarães Teixeira, FEUP
  • Bárbara Rangel Carvalho, FEUP
  • Carlos Filipe Ferreira de Sousa, FEUP
  • Carlos Manuel Ramos Moutinho, FEUP
  • Carlos Manuel Rodrigues, FEUP
  • Cecília Maria Nogueira Alvarenga Santos do Vale, FEUP
  • Cristina Maria Monteiro dos Santos, FEUP
  • Diogo Rodrigo Ferreira Ribeiro, ISEP
  • Elsa Maria da Silva Carvalho, FEUP
  • Eva Sofia Botelho Machado Barreira, FEUP
  • Filipe Manuel Rodrigues Leite Magalhães, FEUP
  • Hipólito José Campos de Sousa, FEUP
  • Humberto Salazar Amorim Varum, FEUP
  • João Pedro da Silva Poças Martins, FEUP
  • José António Fonseca de Oliveira Correia, FEUP
  • Juan Tomé da Mata, LNEC
  • Lino Manuel Serra Maia, FEUP
  • Luciana Paiva das Neves, FEUP
  • Mário Jorge de Seixas Pimentel, FEUP
  • Nuno Manuel Monteiro Ramos, FEUP
  • Pedro Aires Moreira Montenegro e Almeida, FEUP
  • Rodrigo Jorge Fonseca de Oliveira Maia, FEUP
  • Sara Rios da Rocha e Silva, FEUP

Contact: up202100753@edu.fe.up.pt (Elisa Cerqueira)

Keynote Lecture

Local: Room B009

Date: Monday, June 30th, 2025 | 15h40

Behind the Thesis: Addressing the Hidden Struggles of PhD Mentorship

This talk explores the often-overlooked challenges of doctoral supervision, including misaligned expectations, communication barriers, emotional dynamics, time management issues, and institutional pressures. Drawing on personal experiences from supervising PhD students, it sheds light on the hidden dimensions of the supervisor-researcher relationship. The aim is to encourage more supportive, transparent, and effective mentorship practices within academia.

Romeu da Silva Vicente

Full Professor, UA

Biography

Romeu Vicente is a Full Professor at the University of Aveiro’s Civil Engineering Department. He teaches Building Physics, Pathology, and Rehabilitation across all academic levels. His research focuses on building rehabilitation, energy efficiency, and innovative construction solutions. He coordinates national and international projects and has published widely. He is also deputy director of the PhD program, leads the RISCO Research Unit, and founded the Passivhaus Zero Energy Association in Portugal.

Keynote Lecture

Local: Room B009

Date: Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 | 09h00

Modeling on the natural risk assessment of structures

Since we cannot predict when the next major earthquake, hurricane, landslide, or other natural event will occur-nor the intensity with which it might impact our structures-it is essential to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment. This process requires the collaboration of various engineering disciplines to define the key components of risk: hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. The goal is to estimate the potential consequences, identify the most affected areas, determine how many people might need assistance, and, most importantly, to proactively minimize these potential impacts.

Mauro Niño

Full Professor, UNAM

Biography

Full Professor A at the Faculty of Engineering at UNAM (Mexico) and National Researcher Level I. His research interests include seismic infrastructure assessment and design and structural response estimation. He has participated in national and international projects for institutions such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the CCRIF. He has taught workshops on risk estimation in Latin American and South Asian countries.

Keynote Lecture

Local: Room B009

Date: Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 | 11h00

Health Monitoring and Condition Assessment of bridges with Physics-based and Data-driven Methods

This presentation introduces methods for assessing the condition of girder and cable-supported bridges using physics-based and data-driven approaches. For girder bridges, we use traffic modeling and machine learning with inspection reports, achieving 89% accuracy in automated condition rating. For cable-supported bridges, we apply image-based train classification (97.5% accuracy) and machine learning to predict fatigue damage with over 90% accuracy. Combining physics and data enhances bridge evaluation and supports smart infrastructure management.

Sun Zhen

Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University

Biography

Zhen Sun is a Professor at the School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University. His research focuses on structural dynamics and structural health monitoring. He specializes in damage detection and evaluating the load-carrying capacity of girder bridges under vehicle loads. He also works on data-driven condition assessment of cable-supported bridges. His contributions support the advancement of bridge safety and infrastructure resilience.

General Program

Oral Communications

Directions to Rooms B006 and B009

The Department of Civil Engineering at FEUP hosts education and research in various scientific fields across its sections. The Symposium welcomes submissions on the different covered areas under oral communications and posters.

Topics for Submission include (but are not limited to):

  • Building Construction
  • Structures
  • Geotechnics
  • Hydraulics, Water Resources and Environment
  • Construction Materials
  • Transport Infrastructures

The Doctoral Program in Civil Engineering is responsible by this Symposium and it invites all the PhD students as well as all the MSc students assigned to the Department of Civil Engineering to participate. Likewise, submissions from other doctoral and master programs, institutions and entities within the scope of the Symposium are also welcome. Additionally, sessions in the Symposium will include keynote lectures by renowned specialists.

Submissions

Format: Abstract for oral or poster communications

Please follow the abstract template (maximum 1 page) according to the Instruction for Authors available under the Registration page. The submission must be done through the SCI-MEET platform.

For more information, please click HERE.

Registration & Payment 

Registration is mandatory for all participants through the SCI-MEET platform.

The Doctoral Program in Civil Engineering (PRODEC) will cover the registration costs for any PRODEC student from FEUP.

A limited number of registration waivers will be granted to other students, researchers or professors from FEUP, depending on the number of attendees.

Abstracts will be included in the Book of Abstracts only if at least one author of each accepted abstract is registered and has paid the registration fee (attended the event).

Please note that at least one author per submitted abstract (oral or poster communication) must register for the Congress as soon as possible to secure participation.

Communications

Oral communication:  

  • Prepare a PowerPoint presentation to support your talk.
  • An editable PowerPoint template will be available soon.
  • Language: Presentations and slides must be in English.

Poster communication:  

  • The poster exhibition will be held in FEUP’s B Corridor, where posters will be displayed on the corridor windows.
  • Posters should be formatted in portrait mode, size A1 (841 mm height × 594 mm width).
  • Language: Posters must be in English.
  • An editable poster template will be available soon.

Publications 

All accepted abstracts, with at least one author registered in the Congress with a paid fee, will be included in the event’s program and the Symposium Book of Abstracts.

|| The Book of Abstracts will be available soon ||

Awards 

Authors of accepted abstracts presented at the Congress will be eligible for the Best Oral and Best Poster Communication Awards.

Symposium Committees

Symposium Chairs:

  • Nuno Manuel Monteiro Ramos, FEUP
  • Pedro Aires Moreira Montenegro e Almeida, FEUP

Symposium Organizing Committee:

  • Eva Sofia Botelho Machado Barreira, FEUP
  • Nuno Manuel Monteiro Ramos, FEUP
  • Pedro Aires Moreira Montenegro e Almeida, FEUP
  • Amanda Diniz Barros, PhD Student PRODEC, FEUP
  • Elisa Losada Cerqueira, PhD Student PRODEC, FEUP
  • Filipe da Costa Miranda, PhD Student PRODEC, FEUP
  • Omar As Saadi, PhD Student PRODEC, FEUP

Symposium Scientific Committee:

  • Ana Sofia Moreira dos Santos Guimarães Teixeira, FEUP
  • Bárbara Rangel Carvalho, FEUP
  • Carlos Filipe Ferreira de Sousa, FEUP
  • Carlos Manuel Ramos Moutinho, FEUP
  • Carlos Manuel Rodrigues, FEUP
  • Cecília Maria Nogueira Alvarenga Santos do Vale, FEUP
  • Cristina Maria Monteiro dos Santos, FEUP
  • Diogo Rodrigo Ferreira Ribeiro, ISEP
  • Elsa Maria da Silva Carvalho, FEUP
  • Eva Sofia Botelho Machado Barreira, FEUP
  • Filipe Manuel Rodrigues Leite Magalhães, FEUP
  • Hipólito José Campos de Sousa, FEUP
  • Humberto Salazar Amorim Varum, FEUP
  • João Pedro da Silva Poças Martins, FEUP
  • José António Fonseca de Oliveira Correia, FEUP
  • Juan Tomé da Mata, LNEC
  • Lino Manuel Serra Maia, FEUP
  • Luciana Paiva das Neves, FEUP
  • Mário Jorge de Seixas Pimentel, FEUP
  • Nuno Manuel Monteiro Ramos, FEUP
  • Pedro Aires Moreira Montenegro e Almeida, FEUP
  • Rodrigo Jorge Fonseca de Oliveira Maia, FEUP
  • Sara Rios da Rocha e Silva, FEUP

Contact: up202100753@edu.fe.up.pt (Elisa Cerqueira)