Program > Keynotes, forums and special talks

EURODINAME will not only offer high quality keynote speakers, but also panel discussions and special talks.

Do not miss them!

Prof. Valder Steffen Jr. from the University of Uberlândia UFU (BR) will deliver a special keynote on rotordynamics. Come and meet a pioneer in the collaboration between Europe and Brazil!

EURODINAME will also host two forum sessions combining 3 keynotes and common discussions:

 - Prof. Elizabeth Cross from the University of Sheffield (UK), Prof. Alice Cicirello from Cambridge University (UK),  and Prof. Elisabetta Manconi from Univ. Parma (IT) will discuss the lastest advances and future trends in Structural Health Monitoring and Wave Propagation

 - Prof. Christophe Collette from the University of Liège (BE), Prof. Jean-François Deü from CNAM (FR) and Prof. Carlos De Marqui Junior from the Univ. of Sao Paulo (BR) will present state-of-the-art applications and perspectives on Passive and Active Control of Vibration

And do not miss the roundtables on Industrial challenges on structural dynamics managed by Scott Cogan from FEMTO-ST (FR)!

Find their bios below.

Prof. Valder Steffen Jr. - University of Uberlândia UFU, BR

Valder Steffen Jr obtained his Mechanical Engineering degree in 1976 from Campinas State University (UNICAMP), in Brazil. He received his Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering in 1979 from the University of Marie & Louis Pasteur, Besançon, France. In addition, he obtained his Habilitation (H.D.R) in 1991 from this same University. Prof. Steffen worked as a visiting scientist at INSA de Lyon (1986-87) and as Fulbright scholar at Virginia Tech, USA, 1999-2000. Prof. Steffen authored/co-authored about two hundred scientific papers in international journals and several conference papers and book chapters about dynamics of mechanical systems. Besides, Prof. Steffen co-organized two text books and co-authored a book on multi-objective optimization problems. Prof. Steffen has supervised 33 MSc students and 32 PhD students. He is Senior Editor of the Journal of Vibration and Control, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Aerospace Technology and Management. He has coordinated and participated of various national and international research projects and has been responsible for the organization of various national and international conferences. He is Member of the National Academy of Engineering and Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. Prof. Steffen occupied various administration positions at the Federal University of Uberlândia - UFU (Brazil) along his 49-year career. He has recently served as Rector of his university for two consecutive terms (2017-2024). He is currently a professor of mechanical engineering at UFU.

Prof. Alice Cicirello - Cambridge University, UK

Alice Cicirello is a University Assistant Professor in Applied Mechanics at the Cambridge University Engineering Department (UK) and a Fellow of Churchill College. She is the founder and head of the Data, Vibration and Uncertainty group (https://sites.google.com/view/dvugroup). Alice is currently an Alexander von Humboldt Experienced Research Fellow (2023- present), and Executive board member of the European Association of Structural Dynamics. Alice was the chair of the first three editions of the workshops on Physics-enhancing Machine Learning (PEML) in Applied Mechanics, and is currently chairing the first 3-day PEML event. Alice obtained her PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2013. She was a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher (2009-2012) and a Research Associate (2012-2014) at the same institution. Alice worked as a Senior Research Scientist at SLB (2014-2017) and returned to academia as a Lecturer at the University of Oxford (Engineering Science Department and Balliol College, 2017-2019), and then continued as an Associate Professor and Section Head at TU Delft (2020-2023). Her research interests include the development of Physics-Enhanced Machine Learning strategies for tackling challenges in Structural Health Monitoring, non-smooth nonlinearity identification, digital twins development and uncertainty quantification.

Prof. Christophe Collette - University of Liège, BE

Christophe Collette is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Liège (ULiège) and director of the Precision Mechatronics Laboratory. His research focuses on the design and control of high-precision mechatronic systems, particularly for applications in aerospace, particle physics, and gravitational wave detection. He specializes in active vibration isolation, structural dynamics, and the integration of piezoelectric and electromagnetic actuators into complex mechanical systems. In 2020, Professor Collette was awarded a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant for his project SILENT (Seismic IsoLation of Einstein Telescope). This project aims to develop an ultra-stable platform to isolate next-generation gravitational wave detectors from ground vibrations. The platform, controlled by an optical seismometer, a liquid inclinometer, and a gravimeter, is designed to allow the detector to virtually float in inertial space, enhancing the sensitivity of instruments like the Einstein Telescope. Beyond his research, Professor Collette is actively involved in teaching at ULiège and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), where he coordinates courses such as Active Structures and Mechatronics. His teaching emphasizes the modeling and control of electromechanical systems, integrating advanced concepts in structural dynamics and vibration control.

Prof. Elizabeth Cross - University of Sheffield, UK

Lizzy Cross is a Professor in the Dynamics Research Group at the University of Sheffield. Before starting her lectureship in 2012, she completed a Bachelors in Mathematics (1st class), and Masters and PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
She currently holds an EPRSC Innovation Fellowship on the development of grey-box models for assessing the health of structures in operation (grey-box models combine physics-based models with machine learning technology). Lizzy is a co-director of the Laboratory for Verification and Validation, a state-of-the-art dynamic testing facility. Lizzy’s main research interests span the fields of structural health monitoring (SHM), machine learning and nonlinear system identification. Most of her research projects focus on the analysis of large datasets from monitored structures, where she employs data-driven algorithms to extract useful information. For SHM, these efforts attempt to address the problem of confounding influences - where benign changes in the measurements of structural parameters caused by the environment mask the detectability of damage.

Prof. Jean-François Deü - CNAM, FR

Jean-François Deü received his M.S. degree from Sorbonne University and his Ph.D. in Computational Mechanics from ENS Cachan (now ENS Paris-Saclay) in 1997. He has been a Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) in Paris since 2009 and served as head of the Structural Mechanics and Coupled Systems Laboratory (LMSSC) from 2010 to 2024. He is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in international journals and has supervised 25 Ph.D. students. His research interests focus on computational mechanics, structural dynamics, smart structures, and fluid-structure interaction.

Prof. Elisabetta Manconi - Univ. Parma, IT

Elisabetta Manconi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering and Architecture at the University of Parma, Italy. She earned her Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Parma, followed by a European Doctorate in Sound and Vibration from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), University of Southampton (UK), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering from the University of Parma. Under the mentorship of Professor Brian Mace, she contributed to the development of the Wave and Finite Element (WFE) method, an advanced modelling technique for dispersion curves and wave modes in various waveguide configurations. Over the years, she has collaborated with several international institutions through invited research visits and teaching positions, including the University of Auckland (New Zealand), ISVR – University of Southampton (UK), UNESP (Brazil), and Aalborg University (Denmark). Her research focuses on vibroacoustics and structural dynamics. She has worked extensively on wave-based modelling, band gap formation in periodic and composite structures, prediction of wave propagation in-vacuo and fluid-loaded media, and the design of lightweight structures with enhanced vibration and damping properties.

Prof. Carlos De Marqui Junior - Univ. of Sao Paulo, BR

Carlos De Marqui Junior is a professor in the Department of Aeronautical Engineering at Sao Carlos School of Engineering  (EESC), University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil. He leads the Laboratory of Aeroelasticity and Smart Structures at EESC/USP, where he conducts both fundamental and applied research in aeroelasticity, vibrations, metamaterials, and phononic crystals. His work emphasizes the integration of smart materials to impart multifunctionality to elastic and aeroelastic structures, enabling capabilities such as vibration attenuation, energy harvesting, and adaptive properties. He coordinates the FAPESP-funded Thematic Project ENVIBRO, which focuses on the design and optimization of periodic structures for enhanced vibroacoustic performance. Beyond his research endeavors, Professor De Marqui has held visiting positions at the Center for Intelligent Materials Systems and Structures (CIMSS) at Virginia Tech and the Smart Structures and Dynamical Systems Laboratory (SSDSL) at Georgia Tech.  

Dr. Scott Cogan - FEMTO-ST, FR

Scott Cogan has just retired from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) after having led the Model Validation and Uncertainty Quantification group within the Department of Applied Mechanics at the FEMTO-ST Institute in Besançon, France. Since joining CNRS in 1991, he has focused on experimental model validation and robust decision-making under conditions of limited knowledge. His work is particularly relevant to industries where structural reliability is critical, such as aerospace, automotive, and energy sectors. Throughout his career, he has co-advised 34 Ph.D. candidates and led over 40 research projects in collaboration with industrial partners including PSA, Renault, EDF, SAFRAN, ARIANE GROUP, ALSTOM, CNES, and the Paris Philharmonic. His contributions encompass over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 200 technical reports. He has also developed specialized MATLAB-based software tools designed for integration with commercial simulation codes, facilitating practical applications of his research in industrial settings. Dr. Cogan earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1984 and 1985, respectively. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Franche-Comté in 1990 under the supervision of Professor Gérard Lallement. An active member of the international structural dynamics community, he has been a longstanding participant in the International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC) and served on its advisory board from 2014 to 2017.