PhD graduate awarded top UK prize for thesis in Computational Mechanics

Dr Evzen Korec has received a prize for his PhD thesis developing the first mechanistic model capable of predicting concrete corrosion.

Dr Evzen Korec has been awarded the Roger Owen Prize for the best PhD thesis in Computational Mechanics in the UK by the UK Association for Computational Mechanics (UKACM).

The Roger Owen Prize recognises outstanding doctoral research in computational mechanics. Dr Korec’s thesis will now compete for the prize of the best European PhD thesis in the field.

Dr Korec’s doctoral research, supervised by Dr Emilio Martinez-Paneda and Professor Hong Wong, focused on developing the first mechanistic model capable of predicting concrete corrosion—a phenomenon responsible for 80% of failures in reinforced concrete structures.

Developing this model is crucial for improving the longevity and safety of reinforced concrete structures, which are integral to infrastructure worldwide. By better predicting corrosion, the model can help engineers make more accurate durability assessments, potentially preventing costly repairs and failures that could endanger public safety.

His model has provided new insights into why accelerated laboratory tests can produce overly optimistic durability predictions, solving a long-standing challenge in the field. It can also describe conditions in which corrosion in highly porous concrete remains hidden, without visible surface cracks. This has important implications for structures such as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels.

Dr Korec is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, contributing to the SR3U project, which supports the reconstruction of Ukraine. The project involves collaboration with Imperial College London through Dr Rupert Myers, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.