Professor Cise Unluer - Alumni Impact Award

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Our survival depends on the development of sustainable, robust, long-term strategies, combining growth in a world where resources are becoming continuously scarce. I completed my PhD at Lucy Cavendish College, under the Department of Engineering, where I developed sustainable cement systems. Since then, I held different academic positions in Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nanyang Technological University, University of Glasgow and University of Manchester, where I am currently a Chair Professor of Engineering Net Zero at the School of Engineering.
My research integrates environmental sustainability, structural engineering and design, and materials science with the goal of enhancing the sustainability, performance and functionality of the built environment towards Net Zero. My work contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the design, integration, use and disposal of innovative, sustainable and functional building components over their life-cycles. It targets and forms a crucial bridge between different UN Sustainable Development Goals. These include SDG9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive, sustainable industrialization and innovation; SDG11 (Sustainable cities and communities) on inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements; SDG12 (Responsible consumption and production) on sustainable consumption and production patterns; and SDG14 (Life below water) on conserving oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
This results in 10 main focus areas: (1) Development of carbon-neutral construction products involving CO2 sequestration (SDGs 9,11); (2) sustainable production of cement from locally available waste materials (SDGs 11,12,14); (3) advancement of alternative binders involving waste materials and industrial by-products with enhanced hydration and mechanical performance (SDGs 9,11,12); (4) development of fibre-reinforced composites with self-healing ability (SDGs 9,11,12); (5) use of 3D printing for the rapid production of sustainable construction components (SDGs 9,11,12); (6) application of machine learning algorithms for the discovery of functional relationship between key parameters and performance prediction of concrete mixes involving various binder systems (SDGs 11,12); (7) durability assessment of alternative binders with different reinforcement systems (SDGs 9,11,12); (8) recycling and reuse of constriction materials (SDGs 9,11); (9) life cycle assessment and cost analysis of construction materials (SDGs 9,11); and (10) transformation of vacant and derelict lands into usable spaces via simultaneous carbon sequestration and pollution remediation (SDGs 9,11,12).
Within these areas, I study reaction mechanisms, performance enhancement, property characterisation, microstructural development, influence of different additives, and environmental impacts of various innovative building components.
The main products of my research are smart and sustainable construction products that incorporate the synergistic combination of components with complementing capabilities ranging from novel binders, waste materials, industrial by-products, and fully recycled components to smart technologies that involve carbon sequestration, recycling, self-healing and 3D printing processes. These have led to various technology disclosures and patents on these products.
I adopt an interdisciplinary engineering approach that incorporates a combination of experimental and analytical techniques from different disciplines; and facilitate interaction between academia and industry. Several industrial collaborators have been involved in the scaling-up and testing of some of the products developed throughout my research to demonstrate validity of the proposed technology for commercial production.

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