Speakers
Keynote speakers
Prof. Carlos Negro
Head of Department, Chemical Engineering and Materials
Presentation Title
Global Research Evolution in Fiber Cement: A Bibliometric and Cluster Analysis
This presentation traces the evolution of fiber cement research from asbestos-based materials to sustainable alternatives…
Presentation Title
Multiscale Composite Materials: Designing from Nano to Macro Scale
This presentation explores how nanomaterials and bio-based fibers are revolutionizing cementitious composites through multiscale engineering….
Prof. Kim Pickering
Director: Centre for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
Presentation Title
Stuff and No-nonsense for a Sustainable Future: Materials and Circularity
This presentation confronts the environmental crisis created by materials science’s “take-make-use-waste” model and charts a path forward….
Dr. Edwin Zea
Senior Research Associate
Presentation Title
Bamboo and Concrete in Composites: When Application Shapes Performance and Sustainability
This presentation utilises Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing to reveal a critical truth: sustainable construction necessitates intelligent material pairing, not simplistic substitution….
Dr. Juliana Calabria-Holley
Senior Lecturer: Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Presentation Title
A Path to RENEW: Engineering Regenerative Credentials into Construction Materials: Bio-Based, Carbon-Capture, and Advanced Surface Engineering
Dr. Juliana Calabria-Holley’s keynote tackles the vital question: how can construction materials move beyond sustainability to actively regenerate ecosystems and communities?
Prof. Romildo Toledo Filho
CEO, Parque Tecnológico da UFRJ
Presentation Title
Toward Low-Carbon Construction: Advances and Challenges in Bio-Based Materials
This presentation tackles construction’s carbon crisis by proposing fast-growing bio-based materials—vegetable fibers, bamboo, bio-aggregates, and bio-concretes—as a strategic decarbonization pathway….
Presentation Title
Magnesium Oxide Based Panels in Building Construction
Magnesium Oxide panels offer compelling advantages over traditional gypsum and cement-based products — superior fire resistance, flexural strength, and durability — yet their adoption in the United States remains constrained by a significant regulatory gap. This session examines the current standards landscape, the material risks that demand careful consideration, and what the path to broader code acceptance may look like…