People

Current members

Current MSc & PhD students

Akli Kahlal

MSc/PhD StudentTowards a DFT approach to elasticity and fracture in porous materials(MSc defense 13-09-2021)(PhD defense in 2025)

Danyang Tong

PhD StudentComputational modeling of long-term thermo-hydraulic behavior of frozen ground through discrete-continuum simulation of cyclic phase transition at the pore scale(PhD defense in 2025)

Shijie Guo

PhD StudentOptimisation of the reuse of oyster seashell wastes in very low carbon concrete(PhD defense in 2027)

Current postdoc fellows

Andrew Wilson

Postdoc fellowMortar and concrete including 100% crushed seashell waste aggregatesfor the maintenance and repair of coastal protective structures
(12 months 2024/2025)

Rizwan Minhas

Postdoc fellowExperimental investigation on adsorption, deformation and transport couplingsin microporous materials(12 months 2025)

Antoine Barthes

Postdoc fellowDFT modelling of water confinement and crystallisation effects(12 months 2025)

Tematuanui a Tehei Hantz

Postdoc fellowOptimization of the valorisation of pearl oyster co-productsin cementitious materials(10 months 2025)

Benhur Mekonnen

Postdoc fellowSynthesis and characterization of microporous materials for adsorption-induced swelling characterization (2 months 2025)

Other collaborators

Marie Ferreira

Administrative and financial support(permanent staff)

Benjami Niez

Research engineer(permanent staff)

Marc Luthy

Research assistant(25 months 2023/2025)

Camille Guillemot

VALOCOQ project engineer(12 months 2024/2025)

Alumni & former collaborators

Former PhD students

Tematuanui a Tehei Hantz

MSc/PhD StudentLow environmental impact concrete for the recovery of Pinctada pearl oyster shells from French Polynesia(MSc defense 15-07-2021)
(PhD defense 17-12-2024)

Benhur Mekonnen

PhD StudentSynthesis and characterization of microporous materials: towards a versatile adsorbent and a simple model material for the study of adsorption-induced deformation in microporous media (PhD defense 17-01-2025)

Bruno Leclere

PhD StudentCrystallisation-induced damage under confined reservoirs conditions(PhD defense 18-02-2021)
PhD Manuscript
Following position:
Project surveyor
Allseas Group S.A
Netherlands

Ana Cláudia Pinto Dabés Guimarães

PhD StudentUse of oyster shell (Crassostrea gigas) as aggregate replacement for producing environmentally-friendly concrete(PhD defense 09-05-2022)
PhD Manuscript
Following position:
Sustainability and carbon reduction advisor
BAM Nuttall
UK

Youssef Khaldouni

PhD StudentCoupling between poroelasticity and density functional theory for the estimation of adsorption-induced deformations in nanoporous materials(PhD defense 15-05-2023)

PhD Manuscript
Following position:
Design and methanisation
NENUFAR
France

Victor Okumko

MSc/PhD StudentCrystallisation-induced damage in heterogeneous porous media in the context of the erosion of the French Basque coast and the damage of its protection buildings(MSc defense 15-07-2019)
(PhD defense 18-07-2023)

PhD Manuscript
Following position:
Postdoctoral fellow SOLEIL synchrotron
France

Andrew Wilson

MSc/PhD StudentRecycling of shellfish waste for high-performance, low-environmental-impact cementitious materials
(MSc defense 15-07-2021)
(PhD defense 13-11-2024)

Antoine Barthes

MSc/PhD StudentA novel DFT for associating fluids confined in nanopores and its application to water(MSc  defense 07-09-2020)(PhD defense 13-12-2024)

Laura Rojas-Solano

PhD StudentNon-local damage, interactions and size effect(PhD defense 07-12-2012)
PhD Manuscript
Following position:Field Perf. Analyst, Goodyear
Luxembourg

Fadi Khaddour

PhD StudentProduction enhancement of Tight Gas Reservoirs(PhD defense 11-04-2014)
PhD Manuscript
Following position:Assistant Professor Al-Baath Univ. Holms, Syria

Laurent Perrier

PhD StudentCoupling between adsorption and strain in microporous media(PhD defense 10-12-2015)
PhD Manuscript
Postdoc fellowCoupling between adsorption/deformation/transport in porous media(24 months 2015/2017)
Following position:Assistant Professor LFCR, UPPA
France

Vincent Lefort

PhD StudentA lattice model for crack propagation simulation under fluid injection in a quasi-brittle heterogeneous medium(PhD defense 04-07-2016)
PhD Manuscript
Following position:Engineering school teacher, ISABTP-UPPA
France

Fernando F. Mendonça

PhD StudentCombined neutron and X-ray imaging for the characterization of in situ crystallisation-induced cracking in the context of cultural heritage preservation
Following position:PhD candidate
Delft University
Netherlands

Lionel Ecay

MSc/PhD StudentConcrete transfer properties evolution and nuclear containment vessel tightness assessment during an accident(MSc defense 01/09/2014)(PhD defense 17-12-2018)
PhD Manuscript
Following position:Structural engineerIngeni
Switzerland

Former MSc students

Ali Haidar

MSc student (M2)Characterization of the spatial correlations induced during seismic tremors : focus on the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull(M2 defense 13-07-2022)
Following position:PhD candidate
Liège University
Belgium

Sara Khalil

MSc student (M2)Characterisation of the mechanical and petrophysical properties of the Barrois limestone formation(M2 defense 13-07-2022)Project engineer(11 months 2023)
Following position:PhD candidate
Université Clermont Auvergne, France

Amandia Reynal

MSc student (M1)Use of sea shells as aggregate replacement for producing environmentally-friendly concrete(M1 defense 03-07-2023)
Following position:Student apprentice Eiffage, France

Maryline Comoe

MSc student (M1)Use of sea shells as aggregate replacement for producing environmentally-friendly concrete(M1 defense 23-03-2023)
Following position:M2 master student CESI, France

Elvis Baffoe

MSc student (M2)On the evaluation of Oyster and Nacre as high performance cement-based grouts for geothermal well cementation(MSc defense 15-07-2019)
Following position:PhD candidateUniversity of Miami
USA

Audrey Gabard

MSc student (M1)Recycling sea shell wastes in drilling fluids(M1 defense 26-06-2019)
Following position:M2 master student UPPA, France

Moustafa Sebaa

MSc student (M2)Crystallisation-induced damage in heterogeneous rocks -Application to haloclasty(MSc defense 07-09-2020)
Following position:PhD candidateUniversity Grenoble Alpes, France

Pearl Agape Tetteh

MSc student (M2)Incorporation of adsorbent particles for resilient and self-healing cementitious grouts(MSc defense 13-09-2021)
Following position:
PhD candidate
The University of New Mexico
USA

Fleurian Grégoire

MSc student (M1)Seashell granular skeleton concrete optimisation(M1 defense 29-10-2021)
Following position:M2 master student CESI, France

Mustapha Mennane

MSc student (M1)Seashell granular skeleton concrete optimisation(M1 defense 29-10-2021)
Following position:M2 master student CESI, France

Former postdoc fellows

Vitor de Morais Sermoud

Postdoc fellowModeling of crystallization-induced damage with Density Functional Theory(12 months 2022/2023)
Following position:
Postdoc fellow
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Brasil

Carine Malheiro

Postdoc fellowEstimation of adsorption-induced pore pressure by DFT(12 months 2014/2015)
Following position:Teacher, France

Fabrizio Croccolo

Postdoc fellowExperimental determination of a saturation front in a porous medium(12 months 2014/2015)
Following position:E2S senior Chair
UPPA, France

Olivier Nouailletas

Postdoc fellowFracture and permeability of heterogeneous quasi-brittle media(24 months 2013/2015)Research engineer(3 ans 2017/2020)
Following position:
Research engineer
ISABTP UPPA
France

Flavien Thierry

Postdoc fellowCast3m modelling of crystallisation-induced damage in heterogeneous porous media(12 months 2020/2021)
Following position:
Postdoc fellow
UPPA, France

Martín Pérez-Rodríguez

Postdoc fellowMolecular simulation of fluid confinement and crystallisation effects(24 months 2020/2022)
Following position:
Senior scientist
Blas Cabrera Institute of Physical Chemistry, Spain

Madura Pathirage

Postdoc fellowLattice discrete particle modelling of crystallisation-induced damage in heterogeneous porous media(20 months 2020/2022)
Following position:
Assistant Professor
The University of New Mexico, USA

Other collaborators

Beñat Urchegui

Research assistant(2 years 2015/2017)
Following position:BoilermakerFrance

Islam Lebouachera

Research engineer(16 months 2020/2021)
Following position:Process engineering project managerSCT Ceramics, France

Dominic Gomes

Research assistant(16 months 2020/2021)
Following position:CNAM master student
France