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HomeAcademic staffDr Hector Ulises Levatti Lopez
Dr Hector Ulises Levatti Lopez

Dr Hector Ulises Levatti Lopez

levattih@lsbu.ac.uk

Civil and Building Services Engineering

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1296-2245

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I am Dr Hector U. Levatti and currently a Senior Lecturer in Structural Analysis, Design and Geotechnics/Fluids at London South Bank University. I have worked at the School of the Built Environment and Architecture since February 2017. I have been the Course Director of the BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering Course at BEA, LSBU since 2018.

I am EPSRC Peer Reviewer College Member and an EPSRC Engineering Early Career Forum member. I am a PhD, MSc, and Senior Fellow in Higher Education (SFHEA) and a graduate member of ICE.

I have received my degree in Construction Engineering from the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (UNNE), in Argentina, in 1999; my Master of Science in Numerical Methods from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Spain, in 2010; and my Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from UPC, in Spain, in 2015. I have recognized my degree in Construction Engineering from Argentina in Spain with the Technical Civil Engineering degree from 2005. I am a Civil Engineer in Spain after obtaining my degree in Civil Engineering from UPC in 2013. I have been recognized for my qualifications by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) in the UK.

I have worked in Argentina in a self-employment initiative, first in the 90s, doing architectural and structural design for buildings, as well as in Education at the UNNE, Faculty of Engineering (1999-2001) teaching structures, and later in the private sector (2000-2003) in Education and in the Construction Industry doing Structural Analysis and Designs.

After moving to Europe in 2004, I was working in research and teaching, mainly, in Geotechnical Engineering and Strength of Materials respectively, in the UPC, Spain (2004-2012). From 2012 until 2016, I was working as a project officer in the project ASTUTE (Advanced Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies) and ASTUTE 2020 at Swansea University doing Structural Analysis and Optimisation.

While I have been involved in several multidisciplinary research projects in my career, my research interests lie mainly in the areas of Geotechnical Engineering, Numerical Methods, Structural Analysis and Design, Structural Optimisation, Manufacturing Technologies, Education, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics in Construction.

Courses taught

BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering 2022/23

Civil Engineering - MSc

Structural Engineering - MSc

Postgraduate Research Supervision
Current
Thomas GoesslerPhD

Awarded in the last 5 years
Mr Yamen Mohamed Badawy Sayed BakhatyAdopting Modern Methods of Construction in Low-Income Housing Projects in EgyptPhD
PhD

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BARCELONATECH

2015
MSc

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BARCELONATECH

2010
Civil Engineering Degree

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BARCELONATECH

2013
Postgraduate in Structural Analysis and Design

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BARCELONATECH

UPC Foundation

2009
Technical Civil Engineering Degree

Ministry of Education and Science of Spain

2005
Construction Engineering Degree

Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (Resistencia, Chaco, Argentina)

1999
Project Officer
Swansea University

Industry-oriented R&D and knowledge transfer. Technical support to manufacturing industries in West Wales & the Valleys. Design, optimisation, stress analysis and structural optimization for industrial products and/or manufacturing engineering processes.

2012
2016
Education
Research Assistant
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-BARCELONATECH)

Formulation and implementation of a hydro-mechanical code in MATLAB including cracks simulation in clayey soils - 3D laboratory tests of desiccation cracks in soils in laboratory conditions and environmental chamber - Numerical analysis of desiccation, shrinkage, and cracking processes in soils.

2007
2012
Education
Teaching Associate
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-BARCELONATECH)

Lectures of problems in Elasticity and Mechanics of Material for undergraduate courses

Design and organisation of exams and student support

2011
2012
Education
AdvanceHE
2020
Centre for Civil and Building Services Engineering
2019
Institute of Civil Engineers
2016
Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction
2020
ASTUTE 2020 project
2012
2016
Mechanics and nanotechnology of engineering materials
2004
2015
Numerical Modeling of Infiltration Induced Fracture in Bentonite Clay
Geophysical and geological considerations for characterizing dam foundation during Memve’ele dam construction (Southern Cameroon): influence on the dam type retained.
Optimization of measuring points layout around a tunnel in the transversely isotropic rock mass
Water environment capacity estimation and pollutant reduction of Yanghe Reservoir Basin in Hebei province, China, via 0-D water quality model
Constitutive model of expansive clay based on the Modified Surface State Approach
Factors influencing the development of diagenetic shrinkage fracture of shale in marine-continental transitional facies
UPC-BarcelonaTECH
External examiner

I have acted as PhD External Examiner and Chair at UPC-BarcelonaTech last 9th September 2019.

This was for the PhD defence of Dr Josbel Cordero. Supervisors: Prof. Pere Prat and Prof. Alberto Ledesma

Experimental analysis of soils cracking due to environmental conditions

September 2019
September 2019
Evidence to public body

May 2019

COP24 - Retrofitting CO2 in the Built Environment in the UK at LSBU. Organised by LSBU & CIWEM metropolitan branch. 1/5/2019 – Chair: Dr Hector U. Levatti


Reach and Impact

Introduction to structures YouTube channel (Aug 2020)


Geotechnical Engineering YouTube channel (Aug 2020)


Disrupción tecnológica, Covid-19 y su influencia en la Ingeniería Civil en el próximo lustro”. 16th June 2020. Webinar for the “Colegio Público de Ingenieros de la Provincia de Formosa”, Argentina. Celebration of the 150th years of Engineering in Argentina. Special invitation (Jun 2020)


La educación virtual desde una perspectiva global” – Videoconferencia ISFD José Manuel Estrada, Corrientes, Argentina (Jul 2019)


Influence of Sewage Sludge Biochar on the Microbial Environment, Chinese Cabbage Growth, and Heavy Metals Availability of Soil
Levatti Lopez, H. and Yu, G (2018). Influence of Sewage Sludge Biochar on the Microbial Environment, Chinese Cabbage Growth, and Heavy Metals Availability of Soil. in: Lazinica, A and Kordic, V (ed.) Biochar - An Imperative Amendment for Soil and the Environment IntechOpen.

Computational Methodology for Optimal Design of Additive Layer Manufactured Turbine Bracket
Levatti, HU, Innocente, MS, Morgan, HD, Cherry, J, Lavery, NP, Mehmood, S, Cameron, I and Sienz, J (2014). Computational Methodology for Optimal Design of Additive Layer Manufactured Turbine Bracket. First International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing (SDM-14). Swansea, UK 28 - 30 Apr 2014 KES International.

GE Jet Engine Bracket Challenge: A Case Study in Sustainable Design
Levatti, HU, Morgan, HD, Bould, D, Gil, A and Sienz, J (2014). GE Jet Engine Bracket Challenge: A Case Study in Sustainable Design. First International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing (SDM-14). Cardiff, UK 28 - 30 Apr 2014 KES International.

A strategy to face the impact of Covid-19 and technology disruption on higher education in the 2020-2025 lustrum
Levatti Lopez, H., Leung, S., McGovern, D. and Kraincanic, I. (2021). A strategy to face the impact of Covid-19 and technology disruption on higher education in the 2020-2025 lustrum. Teaching and Learning Conference 2021: Teaching in the Spotlight: What is the Future for HE Curricula?. Online 06 - 08 Jul 2021

Blog: The role of Education in Civil Engineering to face Climate Change
Levatti Lopez, H. (2021). Blog: The role of Education in Civil Engineering to face Climate Change.

The role of Education in Civil Engineering to face Climate Change
Levatti Lopez, H. (2021). The role of Education in Civil Engineering to face Climate Change. Climate EXP0. A fusion of science and policy. Glasgow, UK 17 - 21 May 2021

The role of education in civil engineering to face the climate change
Levatti, H.U. (2021). The role of education in civil engineering to face the climate change. Climate EXP0. A fusion of science and policy. Glasgow, UK 17 - 21 May 2021

Pros & Contras del Covid-19 en la Educación Técnica
Levatti Lopez, H. (2020). Pros & Contras del Covid-19 en la Educación Técnica. Día de la Educación Técnica Argentina. Formosa, Argentina 11 Nov 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBT0eAUHLu0&t=9s

Channel 7, Formosa, Argentina interview. El programa de Liliana
Levatti Lopez, H. (2020). Channel 7, Formosa, Argentina interview. El programa de Liliana. YouTube

Pros & cons of Covid-19 pandemic in Technical Education
Levatti Lopez, H. (2020). Pros & cons of Covid-19 pandemic in Technical Education. Technical Education Day in Argentina. Formosa, Argentina 10 - 12 Nov 2020

A strategy to face the impact of Covid-19 and technology disruption on higher education in the 2020-2025 lustrum
Lopez, H.U.L. (2020). A strategy to face the impact of Covid-19 and technology disruption on higher education in the 2020-2025 lustrum. Online LinkedIn, Research Gate, Academia.

Disrupción tecnológica, Covid-19 y su influencia en la Ingeniería Civil en el próximo lustro
Levatti Lopez, H. (2020). Disrupción tecnológica, Covid-19 y su influencia en la Ingeniería Civil en el próximo lustro. Colegio Público de Ingenieros de la Provincia de Formosa.

Experiencias educativas virtuales desde un perspectiva global
Levatti Lopez, H. (2019). Experiencias educativas virtuales desde un perspectiva global. YouTube

Numerical and experimental study of initiation and propagation of desiccation cracks in clayey soils
Levatti, HU, Prat, PC and Ledesma, A (2019). Numerical and experimental study of initiation and propagation of desiccation cracks in clayey soils. Computers and Geotechnics. 105, pp. 155-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2018.09.015

Numerical Investigation into Dynamic Loading of Rubber Compound
Levatti, HU, Belblidia, F, Mehmood, S, Lee, CH, Sienz, J, Gethin, DT and Arnold, C (2015). Numerical Investigation into Dynamic Loading of Rubber Compound. 23rd UK Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering. Swansea, UK 08 - 10 Apr 2015 London South Bank University.

Experimental analysis of 3D cracking in drying soils using Ground Penetrating Radar
Levatti, HU (2017). Experimental analysis of 3D cracking in drying soils using Ground Penetrating Radar. Geotechnical Testing Journal. 40 (2). https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ20160066

Numerical analysis of desiccation, shrinkage and cracking in low plasticity clayey soils
Prat, P, Levatti, HU and Ledesma, A (2017). Numerical analysis of desiccation, shrinkage and cracking in low plasticity clayey soils. XIV International Conference on Computational Plasticity. Fundamentals and Applications. Barcelona, Spain 05 - 07 Sep 2017

GE Jet Engine Bracket Challenge: A Case Study in Sustainable Design
Levatti, HU and Morgan, HD (2016). GE Jet Engine Bracket Challenge: A Case Study in Sustainable Design. InImpact: The Journal of Innovation Impact. 7 (2), pp. 95-107.

Computational Methodology for Optimal Design of Additive Layer Manufactured Turbine Bracket
Levatti, HU, Innocente, MS, Morgan, HD, Cherry, J, Lavery, NP, Mehmood, S, Cameron, I and Sienz, J (2016). Computational Methodology for Optimal Design of Additive Layer Manufactured Turbine Bracket. InImpact: The Journal of Innovation Impact. 7 (2), pp. 641-652.

Ground penetrating radar system for detection of desiccation cracks in soils
Levatti, HU, Prat, P, Ledesma, A and Cuadrado, A (2013). Ground penetrating radar system for detection of desiccation cracks in soils. Third International Symposium on Computational Geomechanics (COMGEO III). Krakow, Poland 21 - 23 Aug 2013 International Centre for Computational Engineering.

Numerical Modelling of desiccation processes in clayey soils
Levatti, HU, Prat, P and Ledesma, A (2009). Numerical Modelling of desiccation processes in clayey soils. 1st International Symposium on Computational Geomechanics (ComGeo I). Juan-les-Pins, France 29 Apr - 01 May 2009 The International Centre for Computational Engineering (IC2E).

Desecación y deformación de suelos arcillosos
Levatti, HU, Ledesma, A and Prat, P (2009). Desecación y deformación de suelos arcillosos. Congreso de Métodos Numéricos en Ingeniería 2009. Barcelona, Spain 29 Jun - 02 Jul 2009 International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE).

Influence of cracking in the desiccation process of clay soils
Levatti, HU, Prat, P and Ledesma, A (2009). Influence of cracking in the desiccation process of clay soils. X International Conference on Computational Plasticity (COMPLAS X). Barcelona, Spain 02 - 04 Sep 2009 European Community on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences (ECCOMAS).

Fracture mechanics for crack propagation in drying soils
Prat, P, Ledesma, A, Lakshmikhanta, MR, Levatti, HU and Tapia, J (2008). Fracture mechanics for crack propagation in drying soils. 12th International Conference on Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics 2008. Goa, India 01 - 06 Oct 2008 Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology University Library (TIB).

Numerical modelling of formation and propagation of drying cracks in soils
Levatti, HU, Prat, P and Ledesma, A (2007). Numerical modelling of formation and propagation of drying cracks in soils. IX International Conference on Computational Plasticity (COMPLAS 2007). Barcelona 05 - 07 Sep 2007 European Community on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences (ECCOMAS).

Numerical Investigations into Dynamic Loading of Rubber Compound
Belblidia, F., Mehmood, S., Lee, C.H., Levatti Lopez, H., Sienz, J., Gethin, D.T. and Arnold, C. (2015). Numerical Investigations into Dynamic Loading of Rubber Compound. 23rd UK Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering. Swansea, UK 08 - 10 Apr 2015 Swansea University - ACME UK.

Review of Methods to Solve Desiccation Cracks in Clayey Soils
Levatti Lopez, H. (2023). Review of Methods to Solve Desiccation Cracks in Clayey Soils. Geotechnics. 3 (3), pp. 808-828. https://doi.org/10.3390/geotechnics3030044

Non-attendance-proof blended teaching Structures & Construction Technology A
Levatti Lopez, H. (2022). Non-attendance-proof blended teaching Structures & Construction Technology A.

Numerical Solution of Desiccation Cracks in Clayey Soils
Levatti Lopez, H. (2022). Numerical Solution of Desiccation Cracks in Clayey Soils. Encyclopedia. 2 (2), pp. 1036-1060. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2020068

Experimental Analysis of 3D Cracking in Drying Soils Using Ground-Penetrating Radar
Levatti Lopez, H. (2017). Experimental Analysis of 3D Cracking in Drying Soils Using Ground-Penetrating Radar. Geotechnical Testing Journal. 40 (2). https://doi.org/10.1520/gtj20160066