Maddalena Marchelli

Maddalena Marchelli is a Researcher at the Department of Environmental, Land and Infrastructure Engineering (DIATI) at the Polytechnic University of Turin, serving as an External Collaborator and External Lecturer for the Doctoral School. She is a key component of the SISCON Interdepartmental Center focused on Safety of Infrastructures and Constructions. Currently holding a prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant, she conducts research at both the Polytechnic University of Turin and the Centre for Geotechnical Science and Engineering at Newcastle University.

Education:

• PhD in Environmental Engineering (specializing in debris flows)

Maddalena Marchelli specializes in natural hazards, with particular expertise in rockfall phenomena, landslide hazard assessment, and risk mitigation strategies. Her research integrates advanced probabilistic methods with practical engineering solutions to address geological risks in mountainous and mining environments. She has developed innovative frameworks for rockfall risk quantification and protection system design, emphasizing reliability-based approaches that balance safety requirements with economic considerations. Her work bridges theoretical analysis with real-world applications, contributing significantly to infrastructure safety in hazard-prone regions.

Analysis of Marchelli's recent publications reveals a strong focus on quantitative risk assessment methodologies, particularly probabilistic frameworks for calculating residual rockfall risk in the presence of mitigation measures. Her research increasingly incorporates advanced numerical modeling techniques to simulate rockfall dynamics and protection system performance, with particular attention to energy dissipation mechanisms and structural response under impact loading. There's a clear trend toward developing practical engineering tools for risk management, with emphasis on reliability-based design approaches applicable to both mountain trails and mining operations.

Scientific Recognition:

• Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01)
• Italian scientific qualification as associate professor in sector ING-28
• Editorial board member for a peer-reviewed journal on Environmental and Mining Geoengineering

Maddalena Marchelli has tutored 13 master's theses and currently co-tutors two doctoral students (Francesco Pimpinella and Stefano Vigna). She has actively participated in 22 research projects funded by the European Union, national and local authorities, and industry partners. Her grant portfolio demonstrates strong international collaboration and recognition of her expertise in geohazard risk management, with current projects extending through 2027 focused on developing methodologies for rockfall risk quantification and management.

She is an active member of the Rockfall Protection Engineering Research Center and the multidisciplinary SISCON interdepartmental center at the Polytechnic University of Turin. Her research activities are closely connected with the Tunneling & Rock Engineering (TRE) laboratory within DIATI, where experimental and numerical studies on rockfall phenomena are conducted, contributing to the development of practical engineering solutions for infrastructure protection.