Members

Prof. Francisco Javier Velasco – Full professor

Mining Engineer (1992) and PhD in Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering (1995), both of them from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, he is working at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid since 1996, where he is Full Professor since 2017. He has developed the majority of his research career in surfaces, mainly studying the corrosion of metallic materials, organic coatings, surface treatments for paints and adhesive bonds, and wear. In the field of corrosion, he worked in sintered (powder metallurgical) materials, mainly stainless steels (studying the influence of porosity and sintering atmosphere in corrosion and oxidation performance). Moreover, since 2004, he has worked in corrugated stainless steels and carbon steels for concrete, deepening in the influence of processing and microstructure on the corrosion mechanisms. Nowadays, he also works in funcionalized organic coatings to improve corrosion and wear properties. He has worked in research projects (national, international and regional founds, and with companies as well. He has supervised 3 European projects (VII PM, H2020, Interreg Sudoe). He has published more than 125 papers in journals included in JCR (such as Corrosion Science, Oxidation of Metals, Applied Surface Science, Wear, Construction and Building Materials or Electrochimica Acta). His personnel interests include reading and rugby.

Prof. Asunción Bautista Arija – Full Professor

Graduated in Chemisty Sciences (1992) and Master in Nuclear Energy (1993) at Autonoma University of Madrid. She performed the research related to her PhD at the National Centre of Metallurgical Research (CENIM-CSIC) in Madrid. The work obtained the Extraordinary Doctorate Award of the Complutense University of Madrid. She got the Norman Hackerman Award from the Electrochemical Society in 1999. She was Ramon y Cajal Researcher and held other researching and teaching positions at the Carlos III University of Madrid. In 2009, she became assistant professor of the Carlos III University of Madrid, in 2012, the Excellence Award of the Carlos III University was given to her. She has been director of the Doctorate Program and of the Master Program, both in Materials Science and Engineering for the Carlos III University of Madrid. Nowadays, she is Professor at the Materials Science and Engineering Department of the Polytechnic School of that University. Her expertise is corrosion and durability of metallic materials. She has performed aqueous corrosion and oxidation studies, being mainly focused on electrochemical characterization of construction materials and stainless steels. The research activity developed up to now has allowed to co-authored more than 80 scientific articles with more than 1500 citations (h index 25).

Prof. Miguel Ángel Martínez – Associate Professor

Degree in Chemical Sciences from the UCM (1983) and Doctor of Chemical Sciences in the specialty of Metallurgy from the UCM (1989). Associate Professor of Baccalaureate (1986-1988). Professor of University School (1988-1990) and Professor (interim) in the Department of Materials Science of the E.T.S.I. Roads Canals and Ports of the UPM (1990-1995). Titular Professor in the Department of Materials Science of UC3M (since 1995). He has co-supervised 7 doctoral theses and 3 others under realization. Author of more than 92 articles in indexed journals (SCI) and 52 in non-indexed journals. He has participated in 123 communications to congresses of international character and 136 of national character. President of the Spanish Adhesion and Adhesives Group (2013-2020). Scientific coordinator of the courses «European Adhesive Engineer» «European Adhesive Specialist» and «European Adhesive Applicator Technician» of the Spanish Association of Welding and Union Technology (CESOL) in Spain as a representative of the European Welding Federation (EWF) and professor of courses since 2010 and Member of the Adhesives Certification Committee since 2015. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Certification Agency in Spanish Innovation (ACIE) since 2015.

Dr. Manuel Torres Carrasco – Associate Professor

Graduated in Chemisty Sciences at Autonoma University of Madrid (2010). He obtained his PhD in 2015 (Cum Laude), at the Eduardo Torroja Institute for Construction Sciences in Madrid (IETcc-CSIC) under the direction of Prof. Francisca Puertas. He was hired as Doctor in the Ceramic for Smart Systems group at the Ceramic and Glass Institute (ICV-CSIC), and later with a Juan de la Cierva Fellowship. Currently, he is an Associate Professor at UC3M in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M). Previously, he held the position of Assistant Professor in the same department between 2017 and 2019. He is currently the Deputy Director of Academic Planning for the Department, a position he has held since the 2019/2020 academic year, coordinating undergraduate internships and related teaching activities.

He has over 14 years of experience in scientific research, focusing on the sustainable development of low-environmental-impact cement and concrete technologies. His work has been centered on the alkali activation of cements derived from sustainable materials, the durability of hybrid and alkali-activated materials, and the development of industrial applications for eco-efficient materials, such as thermal storage in solar energy systems. Throughout his career, he has published 42 articles in indexed journals (78% in Q1 quartile) and two contributions to conferences with ISBN. He is the lead author of a book chapter, has an h-index of 17, and more than 1,630 citations. He has presented over 30 papers at national and international conferences, including two invited talks. He has also organized scientific activities, such as the annual conference “Jornadas de Jóvenes Científicos en Materiales de Construcción” since 2018.

He has participated in 11 research projects funded through competitive calls, including five national, three regional, and three international projects, two of which are part of the European Union’s H2020 program. He is the principal investigator of four projects, including ALTESOMAT and EcoCeMat, which address the development of sustainable materials for thermal storage and high-durability cements. Additionally, he has worked on technology transfer projects, including the development of alkali-activated concretes and nanostructured ceramics. He holds three registered patents, two of which are pending, related to alkali-activated cements and aerogels made from alternative raw materials.

In academia, he has supervised two doctoral theses, and co-supervised two others that are currently underway. He has supervised more than ten master’s theses at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, as well as numerous undergraduate final projects related to sustainable materials and thermal storage. Moreover, he has led teaching innovation projects, such as the creation of audiovisual materials for laboratory practices, and is the coordinator of several courses within the department.

He has been a regular reviewer for international scientific journals and an active member of RILEM technical committees. Among his recognitions, he received an excellence award from the Social Council and UC3M for young researchers, in recognition of his research trajectory. His career includes research stays in Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as collaborations with prestigious institutions in Spain and abroad, solidifying his reputation as a leading figure in sustainable construction materials and academic excellence.

Dra. Juana Abenojar – Assistant Doctor

Graduated in Chemistry from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1990 and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering in 2003 from Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M). After being assistant of university school and doctor assistant in Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering department of UC3M from 2001 until 2010, she is a researcher with charge to project in the same department of UC3M since 2011. The accreditation as a tenured professor was obtained in 2009. Her lines of work are focused on surface treatments and adhesion, adhesives, composite and bio-composite. Regarding research, she has contributed to 35 R+D Projects funded in public calls, both national and international; along with 22 contracts of R+D of special relevance with Companies and / or Administrations, besides technical consultancies with companies. She has participated in the publication of 73 papers in international journals indexed in the JCR, 32 in non-indexed journals and three book chapters. She has also participated in the presentation of 125 papers to international congresses and 105 to national congresses. She has also co-directed 5 doctoral theses, along with a total of 51 master’s theses and degree’s theses. She currently holds a patent together with Porto University and Pontificia Comillas University of Madrid.

Dra. Irene Ramón Álvarez – Assistant Doctor 

Graduated in Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (2019). She obtained her Master’s Degree in Materials Science and Engineering at the Carlos III University of Madrid (2020). Currently, she is a doctoral student at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering, and she is a professor in the Academic Support and Reinforcement Plan of the Community of Madrid since 2017. As a Master’s Final Project, she studied and optimized the conditions of preparation of porous PLA / PCL materials by blown spinning in order to improve the quality and biocompatibility of scaffolds (biological structures). At this time, her work is focused on producing eco-efficient cementitious materials, which avoid the use of Portland cement since its manufacture entails large associated emissions, in order to implement them in solar thermal power plants as solid means of thermal storage. Together with her research work, she is a laboratory professor of subjects related to materials of the different Engineering Degrees.

Nataly Elizabeth Calderón Perea – PhD student 

Graduated in Materials Engineering (2016) from San Agustin National University of Arequipa (Perú). She was granted the Global Korean Scholarship (GKS) as an exchange student at Handong Global University (2012) where she pursued studies on environmental impact. Her undergraduate work was carried out as part of a scientific stay at the Unitê de Matêriaux Et Transformations in Lille 1 University (2015), it was focused on the obtention and characterization of chitosan nanoparticles by ionic gelation method. She has got her Master degree in Materials Science and Technology (2022) from San Agustin National University of Arequipa (Perú). Her master thesis was focused on the characterization of the volcanic ash alkaline activation based geopolymer mortars. In 2023 she started her PhD studies at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and her research is focused on powder coating functionalization to improve their lifetime and protection capacity against corrosion. Alongside her research, she is a laboratory professor on subjects related to materials science and engineering. 

Angily Paola Cruz Hernández – PhD student

Graduated in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander- Colombia (2020), developing her degree work on the evaluation of a Highly Branched Polyester Polyol Polyol of First Generation (HBP1G) as a plasticizing agent for recycled polystyrene (PS) and rice husk blends, in which she obtained a scientific publication as a result. She obtained her Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (2022). In his Master’s Thesis, he conducted research based on the optimization of feedstock type raw material for 3D printing of Ni superalloy parts by the method of «Composite Extrusion Modelling» CEM.» She started her PhD studies in 2023 with the research group of In-Service Behavior of Materials, belonging to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering, carrying out her research work with new eco-efficient cementitious materials capable of guaranteeing the durability of reinforced structures in corrosive environments. In addition, she teaches laboratory practices in the materials science subjects of the different engineering degrees.

Graduated in Chemistry from the Autonoma University of Madrid (2023). He specialized in materials with a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Carlos III University of Madrid (2024). During his university years, he has been investigating the ionic conductivity in NASICONs-type solid-state electrolytes and the chemical durability of magnesium potassium phosphate cements, publishing a paper on this last topic. Currently, he is carrying out his doctoral studies, focussed on developing eco-efficient cementitious materials that can be self-repaired using bacillus family bacterias. In addition, he imparts laboratories practices of chemistry and materials science in different engineering degrees. 

Jara Martínez Ramírez – PhD student 

Graduated in Chemistry at the Autónoma University of Madrid (2022). Her Bachelor’s thesis was based on the characterisation of barium titanate-doped polymeric composites for technological applications at the Materials Science Institute in Madrid (ICMM). She participated in a research internship (2023) at the National Centre of Metallurgical Research (CENIM), where she conducted a thermo-energetic study of the pyrometallurgical process of lithium recovery from electric vehicle batteries.  She obtained her Master’s Degree in Chemical Science and Technology (2024), with Analytical Chemistry expertise, and focused her Master’s thesis in the removal of polluting agents in water media via coffee waste-based activated carbon also in the CENIM. She started her PhD studies in 2024. Her research is directed towards the development of sensible heat storage systems in AI-optimized ecological concrete.

Carlos Blanco de Diego – PhD student

Graduated in Industrial Technologies Engineering from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (2023). He obtained his Master’s Degree in Materials Science and Engineering at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (2024). During his time at university, he focused on studying the selection process of materials for specific mechanical purposes, as well as the mechanical characterization of polymer-matrix composites. He is currently a PhD student, with his research focused on the durability and the rheology of LC3 cements. Moreover, he is a laboratory professor of different subjects related to materials.