My journey as a researcher

1.  
Eva Lantsoght, Ph.D.
10/5/2016
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2.  A bit about working in a Concrete Structures lab
 Consider graduate school
o Research is a lot of fun
 As explained with my story
10/5/2016 2

3. 10/5/2016 3

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5.  1992: Dirk Frimout
 First Belgian in space
 Electrical Engineering and
applied physics
 Engineering studies!
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 Regina Pacis Hove
 Studies: Latin-Mathematics (8)
 Lacking science education
 Graduation Project: History –
Politics:
 Analyzing the Lebanese Civil War
 Part-time music and spoken
word/theater

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9.  2003: Entrance exam (math)
 Only 6 universities in BE
 General Engineering, BSc
level, 2 years
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10.  2005: Civil & Environmental Engineering
(specialization)
 2006: Reinforced Concrete Design
o Only 1 semester
o RC I & II, Eurocodes
o Difficult material behavior
o … but so interesting once it “clicks”
 2007: Internship at Establis
o Steel design & calculation spreadsheets
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11.  2007: summer job at
Ney & Partners
o Bridges
o Spreadsheets for
concrete structures
 2008: MSc Thesis on
buckling of concrete
column
o Purely analytical work
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13.  2008-2009: M.S. in
Structural Engineering
 Research Project:
Punching of RC slabs
o Slabs!
o Punching!
 More analytical work
 Funding: BAEF + Fulbright
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15.  2009-2013: PhD in Civil
Engineering
 Concrete Structures research
group
 Research-based PhD
 Teaching assistant + guest
lecturer
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16.  Experimental work
 2,5 years of breaking slabs of 10
ton
 156 experiments
 Analytical work
 Plasticity-based model
 Relability analysis of test data
 Practical application
 Quick Scan with Rijkswaterstaat
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17.  Stevin II Laboratory
o Max load 10 MN (1000
ton)
o Bridge crane of 12 ton
capacity
o Structures up to 40 m x
20 m x 8,5 m
o 10 climate rooms
o Casting room
o Drilling and sawing
workshop
o ….
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18.  Many surprises
 Seeing, feeling,
understanding the behavior
of slabs
 Connection between
experiments and theory and
practice (Ministry)
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19.  Testing big things = team
work
 Planning
 Start analyzing and writing
early on
 Course-correct where
needed
 Automate processes
o E.g. data processing in Matlab
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20.  5 PhD students on
shear at the same time
 Great discussions
 Helping out in the lab
 Significant progress on
shear in existing
structures
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2010: UK, Denmark
2011: USA (2x), Czech
Republic
2012: Italy, Germany, USA
2013: USA (2x), Israel,
Netherlands, Japan, South
Africa, Australia

22.  Building up a network
o Concrete world
o fib, ACI, IABMAS, TRB
o Academic network
across disciplines
• Blog
• Twitter
 Independence in
research
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23.  Science = fun
 “The Pleasure of
Finding Things Out”
 Go where no one has
gone before
 Autonomy
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25.  2013 – present
 First years: developing courses
 Working on publications from
PhD Thesis
 2013 – 2016: Starting USFQ
ICV-Laboratory
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26.  Setting up own research lines:
o Existing Bridges
o Difficulties:
• contact with Ministry of
Transportation?
• Information is missing
• No awareness
• Laboratory and tools: limited
• No “research group”
o Solution:
• Desk research
• Presentations to raise awareness
about existing structures
• Service: international committees
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27.  2013 – present: 0,2 fte
 Short projects -> Research
line
 Summer 2013:
o Revision of QS spreadsheets
for Ministry
 Summer 2014:
o Fatigue of HSC for new code
o Ruytenschildt Bridge test
 Breaking bridges
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29.  Summer 2015:
o Study of ASR effect on
existing bridges
o Proof load test of
viaduct Zijlweg
o Support in proof loading
research
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30.  Summer 2016
o Definition of research line: proof
loading
o Beam tests + analysis
o Analysis of viaduct De Beek proof
load test
o Thorough literature review
o Overview of proof loading research
in NL
o Draft guidelines
o Vechtbrug: Fall 2016
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32.  Pageviews > 1,5 million
 673 published posts
 Mostly aimed at PhD students
 Most popular post: 20 Tips for
Surviving your PhD
 http://phdtalk.blogspot.com/2013
/09/20-tips-for-surviving-your-
phd.html
 Guest writer for other blogs
o Recently: Wiley and QS
 Support from M&C, TU Delft
 Sponsorship AcademicTransfer
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33.  16 journal papers (published and in press)
o all as first author
 5 special publications (published and in press)
 31 conference papers
 33 research reports
 1 essay
 1 book
 25 journal and conference papers in Scopus
 Reviewer for 9 journals
 4 ACI Committees, 2 TRB committees, IABMAS, IALCCE
 Scientific Committee IABSE 2017
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34.  A bit about working in a Concrete Structures lab
 Consider graduate school
o Research is a lot of fun
 As explained with my story
10/5/2016 34

35. Contact:
Eva Lantsoght
elantsoght@usfq.edu.ec // E.O.L.Lantsoght@tudelft.nl