Doctoral dissertations in progress

Formation of calcium silicate phases at increased temperature

Serena Mingione
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. B. Lothenbach, University Bern

Hydration mechanism and properties of low-CO2 cements based on magnesium hydroxycarbonates

Alexander German
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Frank Winnefeld
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura

Linear and nonlinear ultrasounds methods for non-destructive characterization of concrete durability properties

Ye Zhu
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Michele Griffa
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura

 

Completed dissertations "Concrete & Asphalt" starting January 2020:

Urban Mining for Low noise Urban Roads and Optimized Design of Street Canyons

Zhengyin Piao
Supervisor: Dr. Lily Poulikakos, Empa
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Stefanie Hellweg, ETH

Aluminium uptake in C-S-H

Yiru Yan
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Karen Scrivener, EPFL

High Performance Aggregates for Sustainable Road Pavements

Nicholas Conzelmann
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Christoph Müller, ETH
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Lily Poulikakos, Empa

Bitumen Based Intrinsically Icephobic Road Surfaces

Farrokh Tarpoudi Baheri
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dimos Poulikakos, ETH
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Lily Poulikakos, Empa

Complexation of calcium with aluminum and silicon

Sonya Barzgar
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. C. Ludwig, EPFL

The alkali-silica reaction damage in concrete at the mesoscale: characterization by X-ray tomography

Mahdieh Shakoorioskooie
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Michele Griffa
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura

Thermodynamic and spectroscopic investigations of the Fe and S speciation under reducing conditions

Andrea Mancini
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. Bernhard Wehrli

A Structural and Thermodynamic Study of the Intercalation of Selenium(-IV), Selenium(-II), Sulfur(-II) and Iodine(-I) in Hydrocalumites (AFm-phases)

Latina Nedyalkova
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. Urs Mäder

 

Completed dissertastions "Concrete Construction Chemistry" until December 2019:

 

Development of novel low-clinker high-performance concrete elements prestressed with high modulus carbon fibre reinforced polymers

Tobias Lämmlein
Supervisor Empa: Prof. Dr. Giovanni Terrasi
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura

Prediction of autogenous shrinkage in fly ash blended cement systems

Zhangli Hu
Supervisor Empa: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura
Co-supervisor Empa: Dr. Mateusz Wyrzykowski
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Karen Scrivener, EPFL and Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura, ETH Zurich

Plastic Shrinkage Cracking in Concrete: from Mechanisms to Mitigation Strategies

Sadegh Ghourchian
Supervivor Empa: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura
Co-supervisor Empa: Dr. Mateusz Wyrzykowski
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura, ETH Zurich

Magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) characterization: temperature, calcium, aluminum and alkali

Ellina Bernard
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. I. Pochard, Université de Bougogne, Dijon 

Multi-contrast X-ray imaging of water and microstructure in cement-based materials

Fei Yang
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Michele Griffa
Co-supervisor Empa: Dr. Rolf Kaufmann
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura, ETH Zurich 

A fundamental research on cold mix asphalt modified with cementitious materials

Xing Fang
Supervivor Empa: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura
Co-supervisor: Dr. Alvaro Garcia, University of Nottingham 
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura, ETH Zurich

Drying shrinkage and cracking of cementitious materials at early-age

Carmelo di Bella
Supervisors Empa: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura
Co-supervisor Empa: Mateusz Wyrzykowski
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pietro Lura, ETH Zurich and Prof. Dr. Henrik Stang, Technical University of Denmark 

Hydration of multi-component cements containing clinker, slag, type-V fly ash and limestone

Axel Schöler
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Co-supervisor Empa: Dr. Frank Winnefeld
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Horst Michael Ludwig, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

Aluminium and alkali uptake in calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) 
Emilie L’Hôpital
Supervisors Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. K. Scrivener, EPFL Lausanne

Reaction of siliceous fly ash in blended Portland cement pastes and its effect on the chemistry of hydrate phases and pore solution 
Florian Deschner
Supervisors Empa: Dr. Frank Winnefeld
Co-supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Neubauer, FAU Erlangen

Resistance against sulfate attack
Wolfgang Kunther
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. K. Scrivener, EPF Lausanne


Fe-containing hydrates and their fate during cement hydration: thermodynamic data and experimental
Belay Zeleke Dilnesa
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Co-supervisor: Dr. Erich Wieland, PSI
Academic supervisor: Prof. K. Scrivener, EPF Lausanne


Interaction of PCE polyelectrolytes with cement mineral surfaces: a study from the macro to the nano scale
Lucia Ferrari
Supervisors Empa: Dr. Frank Winnefeld, Dr. Josef Kaufmann 
Academic supervisor: Prof. Johann Plank, TU Munich


Shrinkage reducing admixtures in self compacting concretes and mortars
Arnd Bernd Eberhardt
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Josef Kaufmann
Academic supervisor: Prof. J. Stark, Univ. of Weimar


Cement-superplasticizer interaction: link between macroscopic phenomena and micro-structural data of the early cement hydration 
Anatol Zingg
Supervisors Empa: Dr. Frank Winnefeld, Dr. Lorenz Holzer
Academic supervisor: Prof. L. Gauckler, ETH Zürich


Thermodynamics of cement hydration 
Thomas Matschei
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. F. P. Glasser, Univ. of Aberdeen

Thomas Matschei won the following award: Hans-Jürgen Kuzel Preisfond 2008

A thermodynamic approach to cement hydration: The role of retarding admixtures and Fe-minerals during the hydration of cements 
Göril Möschner
Supervisor Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach
Academic supervisor: Prof. R. Kretzschmar, ETH Zürich


Sulfate attack and the role of internal carbonate on the formation of thaumasite 
Thomas Schmidt
Supervisors Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach, Dr. Michael Romer
Academic supervisor: EPF Lausanne, Prof. K. Scrivener


Hydration mechanisms of activated blast furnace slag 
Astrid Gruskovnjak
Supervisors Empa: Dr. Barbara Lothenbach, Dr. Frank Winnefeld
Academic supervisor: PD U. Mäder, Univ. of  Bern


AFM study of water absorption and transport in cement on a molecular scale 
Tianhe Yang
Supervisors Empa: Dr. Lorenz Holzer, Dr. Frank Winnefeld, Dr. Josef Kaufmann
Academic supervisor: Prof. B. Keller, ETH Zürich

 

Completed dissertastions "Bituminous Materials" until December 2019:

 

Completed 2019: Use of waste materials to reduce the consumption of natural resources in asphalt mixtures production

Israel Rodriguez-Fernández
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Daniel Castro-Fresno, University of Cantabria
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Moisés Bueno, Empa

Completed 2018: Sustainable Fully Recycled Asphalt Concrete

Maria Chiara Cavalli
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Edoardo Mazza, ETH
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Lily Poulikakos, Empa

Completed 2017: Activated crack healing of bituminous materials

Etienne Jeoffroy
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Manfred Partl, Empa; Prof. Dr. André Studart, ETH

Completed 2018: Real-Time In-situ Quality Evaluation of Asphalt Pavements during installation

Ehsan Ghafooriroozbahany
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Manfred Partl, Empa
Co-Supervisors: Prof. Denis Jelagin and Dr. Alvaro Guarin, KTH

Completed 2016: Low Temperature Pavements with Foam Bitumen

Biruk Hailesilassie
Supervisor: Prof. Björn Birgisson, KTH, Stockholm
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Manfred Partl, Empa

Completed 2015: Advanced methodology for optimization of mixture design of asphalt concrete containing reclaimed asphalt pavement material

Sara Bressi
Supervisor: Prof. André- Gilles Dumont, EPFL
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Manfred Partl, Empa

Completed 2012: Non-destructive-detection of Chlorides and Moisture in Multi-Layer Structural Elements such as Concrete Bridge Decks using High Frequency Electromagnetic Waves

Alexis Kalogeropoulos
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Eugen Brühschwiler, EPFL; Prof. Dr. Jan van der Kruk, Forschungsanstalt Jülich; Dr. Johannes Hugenschmitt, Empa
Funding: SNF

Completed 2011: A Fundamental Ivestigation of Interfacial Moisture Content ans Adhesive Deterioration of Asphalt Aggregate Bond in Porous Asphalt

Lily Poulikakos
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jan van Mier, ETH
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Manfred Partl, Empa
Funding: SNF

Completed 2011: Influence of Water and Climate on the Interlayer Bond on Asphalt Pavements

Christiane Raab
Supervisor: Prof. A. O. Abd El Halim, Carleton University, Ottawa
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Manfred Partl, Empa

Completed 2010: Effect of Vehicle-Road Dynamic Interaction on Road Damage

Martín Arraigada
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Silvia Angelone, Universidad Nacional de Rosario
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Manfred Partl, Empa

Completed 2010: Geophysics and Non-destructive Testing for Transport Infrastructure with Special emphasis on Ground-Penetraiting Radar

Johannes Hugenschmitt
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Alan Green and Prof. Dr. Hansruedi Maurer, ETH; Prof. Dr. Eugen Brüschwiler, EPFL

Completed 2007: Experimental Characterization of Interlayer Shear Resistance in Flexible Pavements

Gilda Ferrotti
Supervisor: Prof. Francesco Canestrari, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Manfred Partl, Empa