Michele's doctoral thesis was shortlisted for the Adam Neville PhD Prize 2020 for best national PhD in the field of cement and concrete.
Michele presented an overview of his PhD dissertation titled 'Deterioration and Cracking in Reinforced Concrete Bridges' at the Neville Centre Symposium held on 19th November 2020. His research investigates a new approach to the strength assessment of reinforced concrete structures. The scientific jury panel "rated his project and presentation very highly and were strongly in support of the work Michele has been doing".
One of the main objectives of his research is the reduction of the environmental footprint of concrete infrastructure through lifetime extension, an aspect that aligned well with the research themes of the keynote presentations of the 2020 Symposium, centred around sustainability, circular economy and digitalisation of cement and concrete.
The prize is a tribute to the late Prof. Adam Neville, recognised internationally as a world-leading expert in concrete technology and author of the seminal textbook 'Properties of Concrete', known as the concrete bible. The prize is awarded jointly by the Neville Centre of Excellence in Cement and Concrete Engineering and The Concrete Society, with the support of the Neville family.