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Maria Pregnolato

I am a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Civil Engineering at the University of Bristol (UK). My work focuses on infrastructure resilience, in particular the impact of flooding to road networks and bridges. I hold a Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) fellowship to investigate the impact of extreme flooding on bridges and transport.

Beginning my academic career at Newcastle University (UK), I developed an integrated flood-transport model to explore the impact of flooding on road networks and urban resilience. In recent years, I have been focusing on hydrodynamic modelling of flooding impact to bridges, including scour risk management and structural health monitoring. Lately, I am working on smart bridges and Digital Twins, exploring the role of sensing and digitalisation within the infrastructural assets. 

I believe that engineers have a crucial role in developing solutions to current global challenges. My research interests include urban planning, climate adaptation and green infrastructure, in a long-term career vision to improve the resilience and the quality of urban infrastructure through applied research. I collaborate with a range on institutions worldwide (e.g. Highways England, Network Rail, Deloitte) and my work is a cross-disciplinary endeavour, with the ultimate aim to improve the liveability of our cities.

On the personal front, I like running, cycling, hiking, playing basketball (and any kind of sport!); cooking and reading fill my spare time too. I love travelling, and learning things I do not know.