PhDTalks

PhDtalks is a series of seminars and discussions organized by and for PhD students. The events are self-managed by the doctoral candidates of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Speakers are voluntarily selected from among the candidates enrolled in the PhD programs in Structural, Seismic, and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSG) and Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering (IAI).

The events take place every two weeks in the late afternoon and are followed by a small refreshment funded by the DICA Department. The initiative aims to provide an informal and relaxed setting for PhD students to discuss ongoing research projects, share knowledge and skills, and enhance networking with fellow candidates.

02.

Rules and Awards

Prizes are planned for each seminar cycle, one for the IAI PhD program and one for the ISSG PhD program.

Participation is free each participant may submit only one presentation every two seminar cycles. The best presentation for each course will be awarded with the “PhDTalks” Prize from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which consists of a budget of €1,000.00 available to the winner for conference participation or open-access scientific publications.

For more information and to download the registration form, please refer to the PhDTalks Regulations.

03.

Event Calendar

04.

Presentations

Ashfeen Ubaid Khan – Multiscale Investigation of Iodinated Contrast Media Agent Removal Using Engineered Montmorillonite Clay

Iodinated contrast media agents (ICMs) are pharmaceutical compounds essential for medical imaging that escape into water systems, resist conventional treatment, and generate toxic byproducts. We present an engineered clay for targeted removal of these pharmaceutical contaminants, investigated through multiscale experiments spanning batch studies to continuous flow columns simulating real world conditions. Coupling experimental data with Bayesian modeling of adsorption dynamics reveals how the amphiphilic porous architecture of engineered clay achieves over 93% removal efficiency. This integrated approach of experimentation and modeling reveals both performance and the underlying mechanisms essential for deployable water treatment systems.