The University of Cantabria Promotes Four Leading Researchers from LADICIM
The Laboratory celebrates the appointments of José Antonio Casado, Diego Ferreño, Federico Gutiérrez-Solana, and Carlos Thomas, as well as the permanent hiring of young talents.
The University of Cantabria (UC) has promoted several professors conducting their research activities at the Laboratory of the Division of Materials Science and Engineering (LADICIM) in the latest public employment call.
Researchers José Antonio Casado and Diego Ferreño have been promoted to the rank of full professor, the highest academic rank and a significant recognition of their dedication and contributions in their respective fields. Carlos Thomas, a member of the LADICIM team since 2006, has also been promoted to associate professor.
Additionally, the founder and first director of LADICIM, Professor Federico Gutiérrez-Solana, has been honored by the UC Governing Council as an emeritus professor—a special recognition awarded to retired professors who have demonstrated exceptional performance throughout their academic careers and who have made significant contributions to their field of expertise and the academic institution where they have served.
Gutiérrez-Solana, Emeritus Professor
Gutiérrez-Solana began his professional career in engineering consulting firms such as Typsa and Construcciones Colomina. In 1978, he started his academic career at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, earning his PhD in 1981 with the Extraordinary Award. After serving as an associate researcher at Carnegie Mellon University in 1983, he joined the University of Cantabria as head of the Materials Science area at the Higher Technical School of Civil Engineering. In 1989, he was appointed full professor in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering. He served as director of the School of Civil Engineering from 1986 to 1994 and later held leadership roles at the University of Cantabria, including Vice-Rector of Faculty and Vice-Rector of Planning and Development.
In 2002, following the death of Rector Juan José Jordá, he was appointed acting rector of the University of Cantabria, a position he held until 2012 after winning two electoral processes. During his tenure, he notably launched the International Excellence Campus, which enabled the creation of several research institutes. Since May 2009, he also served as president of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE).
As a researcher, Gutiérrez-Solana has supervised 16 doctoral theses and led numerous European and national research programs. He has worked on contracts with organizations and companies both internationally and nationally, focusing on Structural Integrity and the modeling of the mechanical behavior of materials and components. He is the author of more than 300 articles in specialized journals and numerous monographs and has lectured at various American and European universities. He has been a visiting professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Tufts University, and Université Paris-Saclay. His work has been recognized with awards for LADICIM such as the University of Cantabria Social Council Award and the University-Business Foundation Network Award.
Casado and Ferreño, New Full Professors at LADICIM
José Antonio Casado has been a professor in the field of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering since 2003, accumulating three decades of teaching experience in the mechanical and microstructural characterization of materials. His research and knowledge transfer activities are focused on materials and components of railway superstructure.
He currently serves as the director of the Laboratory of the Division of Materials Science and Engineering and represents LADICIM on the European Committee for Track Standardization. Between 2017 and 2021, he headed the Department of Geotechnical and Materials Engineering.
Diego Ferreño holds a PhD in Civil Engineering, a master’s degree in Numerical Methods Applied to Engineering, a degree in Physics, and a master’s in Data Science. As a researcher, he has participated in more than 60 national and European research and transfer projects that have enabled the Laboratory and the University of Cantabria to secure over 18 million euros in research funding. In 2009, he received the Research Award from the Social Council of the University of Cantabria in the field of Engineering. He served as Deputy Director of International Relations and Coordinator of Exchange Programs at the School of Civil Engineering between 2011 and 2014. To date, he has published over 60 research articles in JCR-indexed journals and four books, and has participated in more than 30 national and international scientific conferences.
His main research lines include the structural integrity of components, modeling of neutron embrittlement in nuclear reactor pressure vessels, finite element numerical simulation of mechanical, thermomechanical, and fracture processes, modeling of biological material behavior, and the development of machine learning and deep learning models in the field of structural analysis of manufacturing processes and prediction of neutron embrittlement in nuclear vessels.
Carlos Thomas, New Associate Professor
Carlos Thomas holds a PhD with Extraordinary Award and International Doctorate Mention. He has a degree in Physical Sciences and is a specialist in Building Rehabilitation from the University of Cantabria (UC), where he serves as professor in the Materials area and coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Heritage and Rehabilitation of Existing Constructions. His research focuses on the valorization of construction, demolition, and industrial waste for the production of recycled materials. He has participated in over 40 R&D&i projects, securing more than €8.5 million in research funding in the field of recycled materials. His work has resulted in over 80 articles published in JCR-indexed international journals and 2 Highly Cited Papers.
Thomas is also Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Building Engineering (Q1, Elsevier). Throughout his academic career, he has undertaken research stays in France (Socrates-Erasmus program), Germany (Leonardo program), Brazil (Banco Santander program), and Portugal (José Castillejo program).
Permanent Research Staff
The latest call for the hiring of permanent research staff has also allowed the Laboratory to consolidate the positions of three young scientists. Two of them, Pablo Tamayo and Samuel Gutiérrez, are researchers linked to the line focused on characterization and modeling of the physical and mechanical behavior of mortars and concretes. Both are working on the Isobara project, funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The third researcher hired in this call is mining engineer Isaac Rivas, who is part of the line dedicated to characterization and modeling of the mechanical behavior of railway superstructure components. Rivas will conduct his doctoral thesis within the framework of the Smart Algorithms project, awarded under the 2021 Knowledge Generation Projects call and also funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
These new additions reflect LADICIM’s commitment to expanding its research capabilities and advancing knowledge and innovation, contributing to the development of cutting-edge solutions and technologies.
