Rate My Professor Susan Bernal Lopez

Susan Bernal Lopez is Professor of Sustainable Construction Materials in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at the University of Bath. A materials engineer from Colombia, she earned her Bachelor of Engineering in Materials Engineering in 2004 and Doctor of Engineering in 2009 from Universidad del Valle, with her PhD thesis on the carbonation performance of alkali-activated blended metakaolin and blast furnace slag concretes. Following her doctorate, she conducted postdoctoral research at the iNANO Instrument Center, University of Aarhus. She then held research fellowships at the University of Melbourne from 2010 and the University of Sheffield from 2012, advancing to lecturer at Sheffield in 2015. From 2018, she was Academic Fellow at the University of Leeds, promoted to Professor in 2019, before relocating to Bath in 2024. She also serves as Visiting Professor at ETH Zü rich since September 2023.

Her research focuses on the design, characterisation, and performance assessment of cementitious materials for construction and energy sectors, emphasizing low-carbon cements including blended Portland and alkali-activated materials. Key areas include phase assemblage evolution and stability, mechanisms of structural modifications in aggressive environments, sustainability through CO₂ uptake, waste valorisation, and circular economy principles. She applies advanced techniques such as solid-state NMR spectroscopy and X-ray computed microtomography. Notable contributions include developing manufacturing routes for low-carbon cements and validating testing methods for supplementary cementitious materials. Professor Bernal Lopez leads international efforts as Convener of RILEM Technical Activities Committee Cluster A: Materials Processing and Characterisation since 2024 and Deputy-Chair of RILEM TC CUC on carbon dioxide uptake by concrete. Her accolades include RILEM Fellow (2024), IoM3 Sustainable Future Award (2023), IOM3 Rosenhain Medal and Prize (2020), IOM3 Fellow (2018), and Kavli Foundation Early Career Lectureship (2020). Key publications encompass "Impact of the mineralogy of low-purity clays on their suitability as supplementary cementitious materials" (Tole et al., 2026, Cement and Concrete Research), "Structural features of thermally or mechano-chemically treated montmorillonite" (Marsh et al., 2024), and chapters in RILEM reports on alkali-activated materials (2026). With over 140 peer-reviewed articles, her work advances decarbonisation and durability in construction materials.