Franz-Josef Ulm

Franz-Josef Ulm is the Class of 1958 Professor at MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, part of the School of Engineering. He leads the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub), focusing on sustainable infrastructure materials. His research spans nano- and micro-mechanics of porous materials (concrete, rocks, bones), durability mechanics, computational mechanics, and bio-chemo-poromechanics. He holds a Diplom Ingenieur (M.Sc.) from TU Munich (1990), a Docteur-Ingenieur (Ph.D.) from ENPC Paris (1994), and a Habilitation from ENS de Cachan (1998).

Key research areas include: 1) Conductive Concrete for energy storage applications, 2) Carbon Sequestration in cement, and 3) Urban Resilience through statistical physics models. His work bridges material science with civil engineering, emphasizing sustainability and infrastructure longevity.

• Teaching: Continuum Mechanics (1.033/1.57), Durability Mechanics (1.570), and Engineering Mechanics (1.050)
• Awards: Theodore von Karman Medal (2012), National Academy of Engineering membership (2022), Paul Gray Public Service Award (2024)

Recent projects include a 5-year Japanese industry partnership for conductive concrete and pioneering carbon-neutral cement technologies. His publications (15 most recent shown) address material physics, urban systems, and energy storage innovations.