Maria Migliazza

Maria Migliazza is an Associate Professor in the Department of Structural, Building and Geotechnical Engineering (DISEG) at Politecnico di Torino, Italy. She actively contributes to teaching and research in geotechnical and rock engineering, with affiliations extending to PhD programs at the University of Turin and University of Milan. She has served as a Contract Professor at the University of Parma and is a recognized expert in rock mechanics and numerical modeling.

Education and academic appointments include her current role at Politecnico di Torino and past teaching engagements at other Italian universities. She has served on the editorial board of Géotechnique Letters since 2019 and was an advisor to the Italian Geotechnical Association (2015–2022).

Her research interests center on rock mechanics, slope stability, rockfall protection systems, hybrid barriers, tunneling, and numerical modeling. She applies advanced 3D simulations to evaluate the performance of rockfall mitigation systems and supports sustainable infrastructure under SDGs 9, 13, and 15. Her work integrates field investigations, laboratory testing, and computational analysis.

The publication trends reveal a strong focus on rockfall risk assessment, numerical simulation of protective systems, non-contact surveying techniques, and reliability-based design. Her recent work emphasizes empirical classification methods for rockfall hazards and analytical modeling of rock block volumes, reflecting a blend of theoretical and applied geomechanics.

Scientific service and leadership include:

• Associate Editor, Géotechnique Letters (2019–present)
• Advisor, Italian Geotechnical Association (2015–2022)
• Co-chairman, EUROCK2021 organizing committee
• Member, organizing committee, 12th International Symposium on Landslides (2016)
• Reviewer, Eurock2014

Advising and grants: She supervises PhD student Maria Teresa Carriero and leads multiple funded research projects, including:

• MITRIAN project (2021–2022) on geo-hydrological risk mitigation
• Commercial contract with Incofil Tech Srl (2022–2025) on hybrid rockfall protection systems
• Research on marble quarry stability in Crevoladossola (2022–2023)
• Collaboration with regional unions on valley road stability (2022–2025)
• Development of non-contact geostructural survey methods (2018–2019)

Labs and teams: She is part of the research group within DISEG focusing on geomechanics and numerical modeling. She collaborates with industry partners and public agencies on infrastructure safety, rock engineering, and environmental risk mitigation. Her team conducts full-scale testing and virtual simulations to validate protective systems and develop design guidelines.