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FRANCESCA DA PORTO

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Position

Professoressa Ordinaria

Structure

Dipartimento di Geoscienze

Address

VIA G. GRADENIGO, 6 - PADOVA

Telephone

0498275631

E-mail

francesca.daporto@unipd.it

CURRENT POSITION
Since March 2019: Full Professor for the SSD ICAR/09 – Structural Engineering, University of Padova.
2015-2021: Vice-Rector for Buildings and Safety. Since October 2021: Vice-Rector for Sustainability and Rector's delegate for the New Padova Hospital.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING
2015-19: Associate Professor; 2006-15: Assistant Prof. of Structural Engineering, University of Padova.
2005: NATO-CNR advanced fellowships programme (ZAG, Ljubljana)
February 2005: PhD in “Modelling, conservation and control of materials and structures”, University of Trento
2002: US/ICOMOS International Summer Intern Program, “Wooden Covered Bridges Documentation Project” HAER, National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, Washington DC
2001: 2 scholarship awards at UPC, Barcelona, Spain
2000: Graduated in Architectural Engineering at the University of Padova, 110/110 with honours.

PUBBLICATIONS & RESEARCH ACTIVITY
She has published more than 300 papers on national and international journals and conferences and several research reports. She has participated in the publication of 7 monographs/book chapters. She won 4 publication awards. Her work is focursed on the following research topics: •New construction systems for load bearing masonry e for infill walls in RC frame structures •Evaluation and mitigation of the seismic vulnerability of historic masonry buildings •Seismic risk evaluation of classes of structures •Structural and seismic behaviour of bridges and dynamic identification. She is responsible, or member of the working group, in the framework of many national and international research projects and contracts, among which 3 European Projects (6FP, 7FP) for which she took care of presenting the proposal, negotiating the contract and coordinating the project. She obtain the patent: N. 0001428006 “Tamponatura in muratura antisismica” (31/03/2017). She participates in the work of technical and standardization committees; member of national and international scientific associations and scientific reviewer of international journals and research projects.

TEACHING AND SEMINAR ACTIVITY
Professor of:
-Aseismic design of building structures (2012-18); Design of Structures (since 2017), Specialist Degree in Civil Eng.
-Structural Design II (since 2005), Five-years Degree in Architectural Eng.
-Construction and static principles of historical buildings (2009-12), Specialist Degree in Archaeology.
She is lecturer in other academic courses, and in academic and professional refresher and advanced training courses, in Italy and abroad. She has supervised more than 150 graduation theses, 18 MsC theses, 21 PhD theses (8 ongoing).

Notices

Teachings

Publications

She has published more than 300 papers on journals and national and international conference proceedings and many scientific research reports and technical-scientific reports.
She has won four publication awards:
“Atta-ward Young Researcher Award” as “Best Research Paper Presented by a Young Researcher”: Valluzzi M.R., da Porto F., Modena C. (2002). “Admixtures requirements for the injection of stone masonry walls” International Conference on Performance of Construction Materials, Cairo, Egypt; 18-20 February 2003; Vol. I, pp. 393-402
“R.G. Drysdale Award - For the best paper on masonry research or education”: da Porto F., Casarin F., Garbin E., Grendene M., Modena C., Valluzzi M.R. (2005). “Designed assisted by testing of semi-prefabricated reinforced brick masonry vaults” 10th Canadian Masonry Symposium, Banff, Alberta, June 8 – 12, 2005, pp. 261-271.
“Aftab Mufti Medal for the Best Paper published in the Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring” Lorenzoni F., Casarin F., Modena C., Caldon M., Islami K., da Porto F. (2013). ‘Structural Health Monitoring of the Roman Arena of Verona, Italy’, Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring. Springer. 3(4):227-246; doi: 10.1007/s13349-013-0065-0
“Outstanding 13 NAMC Honorable Mention Paper Award” Minotto M., Verlato N., Donà M., Saler E., da Porto F. (2019). "Strengthened Thin Clay Masonry Infills: In-Plane and Out-of-Plane Experimental Tests", 13th North American Masonry Conference, Salt Lake City, June 16-19, 2019

Attached a list of the main publication on international journals and book chapters.

Research Area

Her work is devoted to the following research topics:

-Evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of historic masonry buildings, including on-site investigation techniques, dynamic identification and Structural Health Monitoring; analysis of structural behaviour; materials and techniques for strengthening and repair; vulnerability analysis of clustered buildings and historic centres.
-New load bearing masonry construction systems: clay, AAC, or stabilized expanded clay edge-ground units with thin layer mortar joints, reinforced masonry made with clay units, mechanical behaviour of load bearing masonry under cyclic shear-compression loading, semi-prefabricated reinforced brick masonry vaults, new systems for ductile a-seismic infill walls; including experimental testing, numerical analysis, development of design procedures.
-Behaviour of R.C. structures and structural elements, including application and testing of strengthening techniques for the repair of R.C. beams and columns; static and fatigue behaviour; structural analysis and on-site investigations on historic R.C. structures; seismic vulnerability analyses of R.C. of gravity load designed frames with and without infill wall interaction.
-Structural behaviour of bridges: analysis of wooden bridges under the effects of creep and shrinkage; analysis of the seismic vulnerability of traditional R.C. bridges; development of automatic procedures for the vulnerability assessment of masonry arch bridges; dynamic identification and monitoring.

She is working on these research topics in the framework of many national and international research projects and research contracts with public bodies, industrial associations and industries. European research project for which she took care of presenting the proposal, negotiating the contract and coordinating the project:
-DISWAll, COOP-CT-2005-18120 “Developing innovative systems for reinforced masonry walls”; Coordinator: University of Padova, IT (240.000€ UNIPD; 997.500€ total)
-NIKER, FP7-ENV-2009-1-GA244123 “New integrated knowledge based approaches to the protection of cultural heritage from earthquake-induced risk”; Coordinator: University of Padova, IT (330.440€ UNIPD; 2.736.114€ total)
-INSYSME, FP7-SME-2013-GA606229 “Innovative systems for earthquake resistant masonry enclosures in RC buildings”; Coordinator: University of Padova, IT (311.666 € UNIPD; 1.827.000€ total)

R.U. responsible for many other projects, among which:
- MAAC - Modern Art Conservation Center, 2011-2014, Creation of a centre for coordination, research and conservation of modern and contemporary art; FESR ERSS 2007-2013, CB123 (157.500€)
-Executive Project (from 2010 to 2018) DPC- ReLuis, Research line on new masonry constructions; historic masonry constructions; reinforced concrete structures; infill walls; inventory of existing structural typologies; Implicit Risk; Provisional interventions (total of 242.800€)
-Progetto Ateneo 2008: Seismic performance, comfort and sustainability of innovative systems of load bearing masonry (64.000€)