Dr. Mirian Velay-Lizancos has been awarded the Young Investigator Betancourt Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineering of Spain. This great honor is given to up to eight outstanding researchers under 40 from any engineering field worldwide, with a connection to Spain, who deserve special recognition for their contributions to engineering.

Dr. Velay-Lizancos is a Bowen Scholar of Excellence Assistant Professor in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, and the Associate Director of the Pankow Lab at Purdue University. She is also an Associate Editor for Materials and Structures (Springer), the flagship journal of the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems, and Structures (RILEM).

Dr. Velay-Lizancos specializes in sustainable advanced cementitious composites, CO2 capture, waste valorization, and the durability and resilience of construction materials. Her work also focuses on creating proactive multifunctional materials, including those with depollution, self-cleaning, bio-receptive abilities, and capabilities for energy storage and thermal management. She has pioneered the use of nano-additives to accelerate the natural CO2 uptake of hardened cementitious composites and has developed a self-cleaning, low-carbon cementitious material with minimal nano-TiO2 addition. Additionally, Dr. Velay-Lizancos has developed a CO2 liquid filter for point-source capture and a precast production method to produce high-thermal-inertia panels with enhanced mechanical performance and durability, among other innovations.

Her research has led to numerous publications in top journals and the filing of seven patents, two of which have been already optioned by venture capitalists. Dr. Velay-Lizancos’ research is funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDoT), INDOT, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and industry partners. She has received multiple awards, including among others, the “Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Engineering Graduate Students 2021” from the College of Engineering, the “Roy E. & Myrna G. Wansik Teaching Award 2020,” and the “Young Investigator Betancourt Medal” from the Royal Academy of Engineering (Spain). Dr. Velay-Lizancos has also served as a panelist for NSF (U.S.), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and Swiss NSF. She is a member of ACI, ASCE, RILEM, and ACERS.