Giulio Zani

Giulio Zani is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Structural Analysis and Design at the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering of Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna and an Adjunct Professor at Politecnico di Milano. His research lies in the field of structural engineering, with a specific focus on high-performance cement-based materials for new construction and structural retrofitting, materials and structural testing, bridge engineering, and the preservation and sustainable regeneration of modern reinforced concrete heritage.

He received his PhD cum laude in Structural, Seismic and Geotechnical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano in 2013. In 2008, he obtained his MSc cum laude in Building Engineering/Architecture from Politecnico di Milano. He was a Visiting Scholar at Arizona State University in 2012 and a Visiting Researcher at The University of Tokyo in 2025.

After several research appointments at Politecnico di Milano, where he served as research fellow, postdoctoral research fellow and RTD-A researcher, he joined the University of Bologna in 2026 as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Structural Analysis and Design. Since 2023, he has held the Italian National Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor in Structural Engineering (CEAR-07/A). He also continues teaching activities at Politecnico di Milano as an Adjunct Professor.

He has carried out continuous teaching activities in the fields of structural design, structural safety, intervention techniques, precast structures and fibre-reinforced concrete structures. At Politecnico di Milano, he has taught or contributed to courses within BSc and MSc programmes in Building Engineering/Architecture, Civil Engineering for Risk Mitigation, Architecture and Urban Design, and related programmes. He has also organized innovative teaching activities devoted to the regeneration of European concrete heritage, including the REcube and CONCRETO courses. He has supervised or co-supervised numerous MSc theses and contributed to doctoral supervision activities.

His scientific work focuses on the development, characterization and structural use of advanced cement-based materials, including fibre-reinforced concrete, UHPFRC, TRC and FRCM, with applications to both new structures and the strengthening and preservation of existing structures. His research also addresses the assessment, monitoring and risk management of bridges and infrastructure, with attention to durability, maintenance and intervention prioritization.

He has participated in several national and international research projects, including RETURN, FIRMITAS, ReLUIS, REcube and CONCRETO. Within these activities, he has served as participant, work package leader, project manager, local coordinator and partner project representative. He has authored more than 100 scientific contributions, including papers in international journals, conference proceedings, book chapters and technical contributions. He is also co-author of the Springer volume Structural Analysis of Plane Frames - Solved Examples with Force and Displacement Methods.

He has been involved in institutional and outreach activities addressed to university students, secondary schools, professional associations and the general public. At Politecnico di Milano, he contributed to the organization of teaching and dissemination initiatives related to the Laboratorio Nervi and to the regeneration of twentieth-century reinforced concrete heritage. He has also been involved in teaching coordination, student orientation and academic programme support activities.

He is a member of scientific and organizing committees of national and international conferences in the fields of structural engineering and structural concrete. He serves on the Editorial Board of Discover Civil Engineering, as Review Editor for Frontiers in Built Environment - Bridge Engineering, as Academic Editor for Advances in Civil Engineering, and as Topic Editor for Applied Sciences. He acts as reviewer for several international scientific journals. He also participates in international technical committees and working groups, including fib and RILEM.

He has received awards and recognitions for research activity, international mobility and scientific contributions. These include a staff mobility grant for his visiting research period at The University of Tokyo, the Young Researcher Award of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Politecnico di Milano, and awards or special mentions for scientific papers and doctoral supervision activities.