João Ramôa Correia, professor at the IST Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geo-resources (DECivil) and researcher at CERIS – Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability, was elected Fellow of the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) and became the 1st Portuguese to receive this prestigious international distinction. The Técnico professor co-authored a paper awarded at the 10th International Conference on Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites in Civil Engineering (CICE 2020/2021).
The IIFC Fellows are “senior members of the Institute who have achieved a position of high responsibility and have contributed significantly to the advancement of the field through research or practice, or both.” The IIFC presently honours 34 Fellows representing 13 countries.
“I’m very pleased to have been elected as a IIFC Fellow, as it is a recognition that comes from my peers and highlights the importance of my work over the last few years”, says professor João Ramôa Correia. “Around 5% of the members were honoured with this prestigious distinction, which is, of course, a source of pride but also a responsibility”, stresses the Técnico professor.
According to the CERIS researcher, “the work developed in recent years, not only by me, but by all the members of the research group on composite materials at CERIS – the Core Group”, may have led to this distinction.
The Técnico professor leads the European team (CEN Project Team) that developed the Eurocode for fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials, “whose entry into force will be a very important milestone”, he points out.
Professor João Ramôa Correia won the IIFC “Distinguished Young Researcher Award” in 2016. A few years earlier, in 2012, he won the IABSE award for his research work on GFRP structures.
The Técnico professor started his career in 2002 as a Teaching and Research Assistant. In 2016 he became a Full Professor at DECivil, where he teaches Construction Technology and Construction Pathology and Rehabilitation.
Professor João Ramôa Correia founded and coordinates the CORE group, which perform fundamental and applied research, development, and teaching activities on advanced fibre-polymer composite systems for civil engineering applications. The main research areas of the CORE group are the mechanical behaviour, connection technology, long-term performance and fire behaviour.
Throughout his career, the Técnico professor has carried out consulting activity and advanced training in the fields of building pathology, rehabilitation and inspection. He participated in several applied research projects in collaboration with the industry sector.
The CERIS researcher reconciles this intense scientific activity with some management positions: Vice-president for Research and Development at DECivil and member of the School Assembly. From 2013 to 2020, he was member of the Scientific Council.
Throughout the past few years, professor João Ramôa Correia has been consecutively distinguished as an “IST Excellent Teacher”.
