About Young Researchers' Symposium (YRS)
We are delighted to announce the PhD Symposium on Technologies for Low-Carbon & Lean Construction (TLC2) to be held (in-person) on Tuesday, 27th January 2026. The symposium will provide a premium forum for young researchers to present advances and research results in the construction materials and management sector, interact with peers and experts, and network during the event.
The best speaker will receive the Prof. Surendra P. Shah Award 2026 on Technologies for Low-Carbon and Lean Construction 2026 and will be given an opportunity to present his/her PhD work at The 5ᵗʰ International Workshop on Technologies for Low-Carbon and Lean Constructions 2026” to be held at IIT Madras, Chennai, during 28th-30ᵗʰ January 2026.
Travel grants of up to EUR 2000 (two thousand) could be available to selected speakers, preferably to speakers outside India (partial support towards the actual travel expenses).
Prestigious Prof. Surendra P. Shah Award
The best speaker will receive the Prof. Surendra P. Shah Award 2026 on TLC2 2026
Prof. Surendra P. Shah
Walter P. Murphy Professor of Civil Engineering (Emeritus), Center for Advanced Cement-Based Materials, Northwestern University, USA & Distinguished Professor, IIT Madras, India
About the honoree
Prof. Shah has been actively involved in concrete technology research for several decades. His research addresses a variety of topics in concrete materials science and engineering, including high-strength concrete, shrinkage measurement, nondestructive test methods to monitor properties ranging from setting time to the modulus of elasticity, and rheology of fresh concrete, self-consolidating concrete, and nanotechnology applications. He has made pioneering and groundbreaking contributions to understanding fiber-reinforced concrete, damage, and fracture and developing innovative experimental techniques. He served as a Professor of Civil Engineering, at Northwestern University and founded NSF-funded Center for Advanced Cement Based Materials (ACBM) including the academic partner universities of Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, and NIST. Currently, he is the Director of the Center of Advanced Construction Materials, Civil engineering department at the University of Texas at Arlington.
- Submit an abstract of 200 words and a 5-minute video on your PhD thesis by 10th November 2025.
- your submission will be evaluated and intimated if shortlisted.
- Best 10 submissions will be shortlisted based on the short videos and abstracts.
- The shortlisted candidates will be invited to YRS to give a 15-minute oral presentation followed by 5 minutes of Q&A.
- A jury of international experts will evaluate the presentations, and the best speaker will receive the prestigious Prof. Surendra P. Shah Award on Technologies for Low-Carbon and Lean Construction – 2026. The awardee will be given a slot at the 5th International Workshop on Technologies for Low Carbon and Lean Construction to be held on 28th January at ICSR, IIT Madras, Chennai, India.
- For students traveling from abroad, a travel grant may be given (partial support towards the actual travel expenses).
Participants should be senior Ph.D. students (in the final year of their thesis work) who have completed their qualifying/comprehensive exam, submitted research proposals, or recent PhD graduates who have defended their thesis in 2025. The shortlisted candidates (but not finalists) of YRS 2025 who satisfy the above criteria are also encouraged to apply for the YRS 2026.
YRS Poster Presentation on January 27, 2026
The poster presentation will be part of the 4th Young Researchers’ symposium 2026 on Technologies for Low-Carbon and Lean Construction (TLC2), providing a platform for young researchers to present advances and research results in the construction materials and management sector. The participants could interact with peers and experts and network during the event.
Please fill out the Google form in the submission section once you have registered for the 4th Young Researchers Symposium (YRS) 2026 and are presenting a poster. The deadline to complete the form is January 23rd, 2026.
Please bring your printed posters in advance with the following specifications –
- The best poster will be awarded the ‘Best Poster Award’ during the YRS 2026
- The poster template is attached to this email.
Themes Include (but not restricted to…)
- Supplementary/alternative cementitious materials – hydration, fresh, durability, hardened properties
- Identification, processing, and valorization of waste for use in concrete construction
- Service life and life cycle assessment, sustainability, and carbon footprint of the construction industry
- An Integrated Test-Bed for large-scale processes and visualization
- Organizational and policy research for large-scale and accelerated construction technology
- Implementing lean techniques in construction projects – research on organizational and stakeholder-linked implementation challenges
Eligibility
Participants should be MS/PhD students working on areas related to the above topics.Meet our previous YRS Winners
Dr. Payam Sadrolodabaee
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Barcelona, Spain
Winner of 1st YRS
Ms. Bipina Thaivalappil
IIT Madras, India
Dr. Purnima Dogra
Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, India
Dr. Payam Sadrolodabaee
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Rohit Prajapati
University of Cambridge, UK
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Ms. Bipina Thaivalappil
IIT Madras, India
Dr. Purnima Dogra
Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, India
Dr. Payam Sadrolodabaee
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Rohit Prajapati
University of Cambridge, UK
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Ms. Bipina Thaivalappil
IIT Madras, India
Dr. Purnima Dogra
Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, India
Dr. Payam Sadrolodabaee
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Rohit Prajapati
University of Cambridge, UK
Registration
Ravindra GETTU
Inaugural session
Welcome address by Prof. Ravindra Gettu
Amitkumar R. Chauhan
Extending the Service Life of Limestone Mines Through the Use of Low-Grade Limestone in Sustainable Concrete
Andrea Marcucci
An Advanced Tunnel Refurbishment Methodology Based on Slip forming Fast-Setting Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete
Ashirbad Satapathy
Mechanism of Flow Loss in Limestone Calcined Clay Cement Systems
Dor Simon Ben Gurion
Development of hollow constructive Textile-Reinforced Concrete structures
Keerthi V. Thalakkal
Electrochemical studies towards non-destructive testing of large-scale galvanic cathodic protection systems in reinforced concrete structures
Luiza Rodrigues Meira de Miranda Ghent
Concrete Printing through Lace Pressing: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Coffee/Tea Break
Nilakanmani Manimaran
Valorising Agro-based Biomass Ash for Chemically Activated Binders
Pratik Kumar Goyal
Experimental Study on Performance of Weathered BOF Slag as Coarse Aggregate in Fly Ash based Geopolymer Concrete
Ramakrishna Samanthula
Study of the Tensile Response of E-Glass Textil-Reinforced Concrete and it's Applications in Design
Ramya Anandhan
Monitoring Early Age Cement Hydration Using Statistical Approach through Rheological and Electrical Measurements
Lunch Break
Rubendran Loganathan
Codifiable Protocols for Recycled Aggregates and Tyre Steel Fibres in Semi-Structural Concrete
Sreelakshmi S
Electrochemical and mechanical characterization of steel in prestressed concrete exposed to chlorides
Suresh Bishnoi
Physics-Informed Graph Neural Networks For Accelerated Materials Modeling
Syed Bustan Fatima Warsi
Lean and Low-Carbon 3D Printed Concrete Mixtures with Strain-Hardening Ductile Be-havior for Seismic Applications
Veronica Bertolli
Shear strengthening of concrete structures with organic- and inorganic-matrix composites
Yogesh R
Experimental investigations into tensile properties and fracture behavior of large concrete specimens under direct tension
Event Organizers
Mr. Dipendra K. Das
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Alan Verghese Ittyeipe
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Vaageesan U
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Dipendra K. Das
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Alan Verghese Ittyeipe
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Vaageesan U
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Dipendra K. Das
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Vaageesan U
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Alan Verghese Ittyeipe
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Dipendra K. Das
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Alan Verghese Ittyeipe
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Mr. Vaageesan U
Research Scholar at BTCM, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras