fibUK: Developments in structural concrete conference 2026

Chris is Head of Bridge Engineering in AtkinsRéalis where he has led some of their most complex bridge projects. In 2012 he was awarded the UK Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy in 2013. He was awarded the Institution of Civil Engineer’s Gold Medal in 2016. He is Chairman of the BSI bridge committee, the UK’s Steel Bridge Group and fibUK. He was a Project Team member for the second generation Eurocodes EN 1993-1-5, EN 1993-2 and EN 1993-1-11 which deal with plate buckling, steel bridge design and cable-supported structures respectively.

Miguel Azenha is an Associate Professor with Habilitation in Civil Engineering at the University of Minho, Portugal. His research addresses the behaviour of concrete at early ages (thermo-hygro-mechanical couplings, property evolution during hydration, creep, shrinkage and cracking) alongside the use of digital processes (BIM) in construction. He chairs RILEM TC 287-CCS on crack-width analysis in reinforced concrete structures and previously chaired COST Action TU1404 on the service life of cement-based materials. He founded and co-organises the SynerCrete conference series, and has edited several reference volumes on concrete testing and thermal cracking. He is an active member of buildingSMART Portugal, CEN TC442 and fib SAG-AI.

Dan is a Chartered Structural Engineer and Associate Professor at the University of Surrey, specialising in sustainable and resilient structural engineering. He leads research initiatives on net-positive building systems, recycling and structural reuse, decarbonisation in design, and is active in developing methodologies for evaluating the circularity potential of structural systems. Dan has published several peer-reviewed papers on structural materials and engineering, is lead author of an award-winning paper, Structures Best Paper Prize, and part of the team recognised with an Award of Excellence for Innovation for pioneering work on concrete reuse.

Dr. Irene Josa is an Assistant Professor at University College London (UCL) in the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction. Her research focuses on the circular economy, life-cycle assessments, and multi-criteria decision-making tools to evaluate the environmental and social impacts of construction. Within fib, she serves as the Deputy Chair of Commission 6 and Co-convenes Task Groups 6.3 (Sustainability), 6.11 (Social Impacts), and a new task group on structural concrete reuse. She holds a PhD in Construction Engineering from the Technical University of Catalonia (BarcelonaTECH) and actively works to translate sustainability strategies and metrics into practical industry frameworks.

Fragkoulis is Arup's global lead for concrete materials and decarbonisation, based in London. With a strong background in structural engineering, he specialises in concrete materials, sustainability, durability, and condition assessment. He has contributed to over 400 projects worldwide, including buildings, bridges, tunnels, and renewable energy structures, and led key roles such as Materials and Durability Design Lead for High Speed 2 and HARP. He chairs multiple technical committees and has published over 60 articles. Fragkoulis has received numerous awards for his overall contributions to materials and structures. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Concrete Technology and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and a Chartered Engineer, Scientist, and Environmentalist. 

A Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers, Mehdi's work focusses on the structural assessment, retrofit and resilience of existing reinforced-concrete structures and bridges, with particular interest in deterioration, corrosion and dynamics response under earthquake loading. He combines advanced laboratory testing with computational modelling to quantify residual capacity and inform practical decision-making for asset owners. Mehdi has authored more than 130 publications and contributes to international guidance on modelling the performance of existing concrete structures, including practice aligned with fib Bulletin 111. 

Janet Lees is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. She leads the Concrete Infrastructure Research Group within the Civil Engineering Division at Cambridge. The main interests of her research group relate to the development of more sustainable reinforced concrete infrastructure. Ongoing project areas include the strength assessment of existing infrastructure, tailored reinforced concrete infrastructure, and accelerating the uptake of concretes with lower embodied carbon. She is a Director of Cambridge’s EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment (FIBE2 and FIBE3). She was awarded an EPSRC Established Career Fellowship in 2017.

Chris is Technical Director within Atkins’ Transportation business. He has spent most of his career involved with asset management of bridge structures, including iconic suspension bridges such as the Forth Road, Humber and M48 Severn Bridges, and has most recently been involved with National Highways looking at new technologies to non-intrusively determine structural condition within concrete bridges. Chris is also a member of fib Comission 5 on inspection and health monitoring of reinforced/prestressed conrete.

Fenella is a Principal Civil Engineer at AtkinsRéalis, working in the design and delivery of major infrastructure projects. She has led the design of structures on a range of complex and safety-critical projects focusing on reinforced concrete structures, applying innovative approaches to structural design and optimisation. Fenella is interested in material efficiency, sustainability, and reducing embodied carbon. Her presentation covers a cast-study into the over-provision of cement in a reinforced concrete structure and its implications for carbon emissions.

A graduate of ETH Zurich, Hans is a structural engineer with extensive experience in prestressed concrete structures, prestressing systems, and structural standards. He previously served as Chief Technical Officer at VSL International Ltd., where he was responsible for the company’s Technical Centres in the USA, Europe, and Asia, as well as research and development activities. Since 2011, he has worked through Ganz Consulting, advising on prestressed concrete and masonry structures and the assessment of prestressing systems. He has been actively involved in the development of Swiss and European structural standards, including Eurocode 2, and currently serves as Honorary President of the International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib).