Alessandro Sabato

Alessandro Sabato is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell's Francis College of Engineering. He leads the Structural Dynamics & Acoustic Systems Laboratory (SDASL) and the Sports Collaborative for Open Research and Education (SCORE), focusing on innovative sensing and data analytics for structural evaluation.

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Calabria, Italy (with joint appointment at Columbia University)
• M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of Calabria
• B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of Calabria

Dr. Sabato's research spans structural health monitoring, non-destructive evaluation, and structural dynamics, with emphasis on computer vision techniques, unmanned aerial vehicles, and MEMS devices. His work addresses resilience, sustainability, and safety issues of engineering structures and infrastructure through advanced sensing technologies. He combines UAVs, MEMS-based systems, and wireless sensor networks with non-contact measurement techniques to solve real-world engineering problems.

His 15 most recent publications demonstrate strong focus on structural health monitoring applications using digital image correlation, UAV-based inspection systems, and wireless sensor networks for bridges, wind turbine blades, and railroad infrastructure. The research shows consistent advancement in non-contact measurement techniques for structural assessment.

• Exceeding Excellence in Teaching award presented by the Student Government Association (SGA)

Dr. Sabato has secured over $1.5 million in research funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Federal Highway Administration and Department of Transportation (FHWA/DOT), and numerous private companies. He mentors multiple Ph.D. and M.S. students who work on various aspects of structural health monitoring, including railroad track assessment, bridge inspection using UAVs, and wind turbine blade monitoring. His research group has developed innovative systems like the wireless calibration system for 3D-DIC measurements and novel approaches for detecting subsurface voids in roadways.

His laboratory, the Structural Dynamics & Acoustic Systems Laboratory, conducts research in acoustics, environmental and workplace noise, non-destructive evaluation, sensors development, structural dynamics, and structural health monitoring. Current projects include thermal loss detection using UAV and Structure from Motion approaches, wireless MEMS-based accelerometer development, and 3D-DIC system design for bridges inspection using UAVs.