Manuel Alejandro Fernandez Ruiz

Manuel Alejandro Fernandez Ruiz is a civil and structural engineer currently active as a Researcher within the Department of Industrial and Civil Engineering at the University of Granada (Spain). His research spans from advanced tensegrity form-finding to sustainable construction materials and corrosion mechanics of reinforced concrete.

Education:

• PhD in Civil Engineering, University of Granada, 2017.
  Thesis: “Asymmetric piles for earth retaining structures: study and analysis of their short- and long-term structural behaviour”
  Supervisor: Dr. Enrique Hernández Montes.

Research Interests:

• Tensegrity structures – geometric design, stability, and form-finding of Octahedron, X-Octahedron and Z-Octahedron families.
• Sustainable materials – volcanic ash mortars, UHPFRC with slag, concrete incorporating electric-arc-furnace dust and ground tyre rubber.
• Durability & heritage – corrosion of RC D-regions, mechanical characterisation of historic stone and rammed-earth materials.
• Engineering education – development of Moodle plugins (FastTest) for remote and hybrid learning environments.

Scientific Output & Trends:
Since 2018 his publications reveal an intensified focus on topological synthesis of tensegrity structures and recycling industrial by-products into concrete, while maintaining contributions to structural assessment of corroded RC elements and educational technology. The 2025 volcanic-ash mortar paper signals a new line on eco-friendly binders.

Awards & Recognition:
No specific awards are mentioned in the provided text.

Advising & Grants:
No student names or funded projects are listed in the source materials.

Laboratory & Teams:
While no dedicated laboratory is explicitly named, his affiliation with the Department of Industrial and Civil Engineering implies access to structural testing, materials and educational technology facilities at the University of Granada.