> Team _

Dr Nicola Grillanda received his MSc degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Ferrara (Ferrara, Italy) in 2016. He spent almost two years as Research Fellow at the University of Ferrara before starting a PhD in Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano (Milan, Italy). He obtained the PhD during March 2022, and after that he worked as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the same university. In January 2023 he moved to the University of Sheffield, UK, where he worked as a Research Associate in Bridge Engineering within the EPSRC-funded project “Exploiting the resilience of masonry arch bridge infrastructure: a 3D multi-level modelling framework” until end 2023. Since end 2023 he is a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Ferrara.
During the years, he spent visiting periods at the University of Minho (Guimaraes, Portugal), University of Cagliari (Cagliari, Italy), and University of Seville (Seville, Spain). Finally, since 2024 he is a member of the scientific committee of ISI-Ingegneria Sismica Italiana.
His research interests include computational methods for historical masonry structures, numerical strategies for masonry bridges, NURBS-based geometrical models, optimization methods, seismic protection via active mass damper, auxetic meta-materials. Within these topics, he is author of more than 30 journal papers, 4 book chapter and several conference proceedings.

Dr. Riccardo Giacometti received his MSc degree in Architecture from the University of Ferrara (Ferrara, Italy) in 2023. Shortly after graduation, he started a PhD in "Defense against natural risks and ecological transition of built environment" at the University of Catania and Ferrara, where he has been conducting research.
His research activity focuses on structural dynamics, with particular emphasis on the application of Active Mass Dampers (AMD) for vibration control and seismic mitigation in both framed and masonry structures. His interests also include the dynamic behaviour of historical constructions and advanced strategies for structural monitoring and protection.
During his doctoral studies, he has been developing analytical and numerical approaches for the study of structural response under dynamic loading, combining architectural and engineering perspectives in the field of structural resilience and heritage preservation.