News
Conferences, workshops and updates from the project.
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UKACM Autumn School 2026
As part of the career development supported by the host institution, the fellow served as a technical organiser of the UKACM Autumn School 2026, “Beyond Data-Driven Digital Twins: Integrating AI with Computational Mechanics”, gaining frontier insights about the digital twin and experience in teaching support.
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WCCM–ECCOMAS 2026 — Munich, Germany
The fellow gave a talk at WCCM–ECCOMAS 2026 in Munich (“A Deep Learning Surrogate for GPR Simulation to Enable Underground Structure Digital Twins”), and co-organised the mini-symposium “Advanced Numerical and Data-Driven Methods in Geotechnical Engineering”. The work was supported by Zehao Ye, Haibing Wu, Iraklis Giannakis, Brian Sheil and Jelena Ninić.
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GPR 2026 — Newcastle, UK
The fellow gave a talk at the 21st International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR 2026) in Newcastle (“Automated B-scan Simulations for C-scan Imaging of Leaking Water Pipelines”). Co-authors: Yimin Zhou, Feng Xiao, Jelena Ninić, Wallace Lai and Qianbing Zhang.
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International Women in Engineering Day 2026
The fellow took part in the International Women in Engineering Day (INWED 2026) celebration hosted by Newcastle University, sharing her career journey as a woman in engineering and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow.
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Championship — 2026 Underground Space Student Contest
The team won First Prize in the 2026 Underground Space Student Contest (theme: “Intelligent Multi-defect Detection for Tunnel Linings in Complex Environments”) with the project “Reliability-Gated Knowledge Distillation for Compact Defect Segmentation in Tunnel Lining Inspection”. The work was an international collaboration with Neng Wang, Zehao Ye, Jiachong Xie and Zhen Liu, spanning University College Cork, the University of Birmingham, Durham University, the National University of Singapore and Ruhr University Bochum. The contest is hosted by the Underground Space journal and the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering.
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UKACM 2026 — Liverpool, UK
The fellow gave a session keynote talk, “Predictive Maintenance of Underground Infrastructure with Ground Penetrating Radar: Integrating Hydro-Mechanical and Electro-Magnetic Modelling”, at the UKACM 2026 Conference, held at the University of Liverpool. The fellow also co-organised the mini-symposium “Advanced Numerical and Data-Driven Methods in Geotechnical Engineering” with fellow Marie Curie researchers from the Digital Engineering team, Dr Hoang-Giang Bui and Dr Hassan Liravi.
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TUST 40th Anniversary — Melbourne, Australia
The fellow gave an invited talk, “Digital Twin for Predictive Maintenance of Underground Infrastructure”, at the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the top journal Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology (TUST), held at Monash University in Melbourne.
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Sustainability Impact Award at UIDC 2026
At the 1st International Underground Infrastructure Digital Challenge (UIDC 2026) in Melbourne — held with the CTTU 2026 and TBM DiGs conferences — the fellow and team members Zehao Ye and Neng Wang submitted DOWSER and won the Sustainability Impact Award. The fellow presented the work, which was later published in the top journal Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology.
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Digital Engineering team end-of-year celebration
As part of the career development supported by the host institution, the fellow took part in the Digital Engineering team’s end-of-year away day and celebration at Durham University, together with the advisor, Jelena Ninić, and fellow Marie Skłodowska-Curie researchers. Alongside its research, the team offers training in teaching, leadership and professional development.
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EURO:TUN 2025 — Vienna, Austria
The fellow gave a talk, “Utilizing Digital Twins for Predictive Maintenance of Underground Infrastructure”, at EURO:TUN 2025 (Computational Methods and Information Models in Tunnelling) in Vienna. Co-authors: Amanda Huang, Qianbing Zhang and Jelena Ninić.
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IWAGPR 2025 — Thessaloniki, Greece
The fellow presented “Utilizing GPR to Develop Digital Twins Across Maturity Levels for Underground Infrastructure Maintenance” at the 13th International Workshop on Advanced Ground Penetrating Radar (IWAGPR), held at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
