Franck SCHOEFS

Franck SCHOEFS is a Professor at the University of Nantes, specializing in Civil Engineering and Materials Science. He leads the Master of Science in Civil Engineering program, directs the TRUST Group (40 members) at GeM, and oversees the Sea and Litoral Research Institute (IUML) with 600+ researchers. His research focuses on stochastic modeling of material degradation, structural reliability, risk assessment, and marine infrastructure maintenance. He has authored 50+ journal papers, co-edited 8 books, and developed 3 commercial software tools.

Education & Career: ENS Cachan alumnus, PhD in Civil Engineering (1996), HDR accreditation (2007), promoted to Professor (2010), 1st Class (2013), and Exceptional Class (2015). He advises the President of the University on Marine Renewable Energy.

Research Contributions: Key projects include the French PPP MAREO (2008–2012), EU MEDACHS (2000–2006), and DURATINET (2007–2013). His work spans biofouling effects on offshore structures, corrosion modeling, and reliability analysis of marine systems. Notable innovations include patents for BIOCOLMAR (biofouling monitoring) and Chlordetect (chloride content measurement).

Awards: Valedictorian (1992), TRB AFF40 Award (2013), Knight of the French Order of the Academic Palms (2011), and IMdR Research & Industry Award. He reviews for 30+ journals and chairs international conference committees.

Advising & Leadership: Directed 20 PhD theses, oversees IUML as Director since 2017, and chairs the French Scientific Network for Risk Management in Civil Engineering. His expertise includes advising French ministries, ANR, and international bodies.

Labs & Teams: Heads the TRUST Group and the IUML’s ‘Material and Structure’ group. Collaborates on floating offshore wind turbines, marine growth impacts, and climate change effects on infrastructure durability.