Alejandro Jiménez Rios

Biography

I earned my Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Structural Engineering, from the University of Guadalajara, Mexico. During my Bachelor's program, I participated in a 12-month International Academic Exchange at the National Institute of Applied Sciences of Lyon, France, supported by the prestigious MEXFITEC scholarship funding program.

I was awarded a double Advanced Master's Degree in Structural Analysis of Monuments and Historical Constructions (SAHC) from the Czech Technical University of Prague, Czech Republic, and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain. This was made possible through funding from the European Commission's ERASMUS+ program.

At Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Statistics and a PhD in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. These studies were funded by the university's Internal Studentship Award. My doctoral research focused on the conservation of earthen vernacular architecture in Ireland through the study of the mechanical properties and the structural behaviour of Cob.

After securing internal University funding, I worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, for two years. The research project I participated in focused on studying the structural behavior of masonry using a non-standard limit analysis method implemented through the ALMA 2.0 program. The project also involved the development and extension of this software.

I then was the recipient of a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship (MSCA-IF) and worked as the Experienced Researcher of the DTADD project, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101066739. I also held a distinguished ICCROM Fellowship with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), Italy, and participated as Visiting Researcher at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.

Currently, I work as a Lecturer in Structural Engineering at the Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering at the University of Bath.

As a Structural Engineer I am deeply interested in conserving the existing built heritage. My work involves the inspection, diagnosis, intervention design and monitoring of buildings and bridges with historical and cultural value. I am also engaged in the study of vernacular and sustainable architecture. as well as the exploration of the mechanical properties and structural behavior of masonry, earthen, and bamboo structures. I have applied non-destructive experimental testing, specialized constitutive models and advanced non-linear numerical simulations. My research also involves studying the robustness and resilience of the built environment. Additionally, I am interested in the development and implementation of new technologies in the architecture, engineering, construction, management, operation, and conservation (AECMO&C) industry. These include artificial intelligence, the internet of things, structural health monitoring, bridge/building information modelling and digital twins. Through my research, I aim to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 9 and 11, as adopted by the United Nations and with the objectives of the European Green Deal.

My teaching philosophy centers around creating an active, inclusive, and safe learning environment that fosters deep learning knowledge acquisition among my students. I believe technology can greatly enhance student learning, especially when applied in line with evidence-based best teaching practices. My goal is to equip my students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in the field and empower them with learning tools that will enable them to take ownership of their own learning and professional development. I conduct myself with integrity adhering to the strict codes of conduct established by the institutions where I work. I strive to adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion principles by respecting the identity, nationality, socioeconomic level, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and age of my students and colleagues. I am interested in implementing a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) approach in my teaching practice. This aims to contribute to the improvement of teaching in structural engineering by publishing and sharing my experiences and expertise in educational journals and specialized conferences.