Matteo Spada

Dr. Matteo Spada is a Senior Researcher in Risk and Resilience at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) School of Engineering, where he focuses on Technology Assessment. His research spans multiple institutions including the Paul Scherrer Institute, Swiss Seismological Service, and Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia in Italy.

His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from ETH Zurich (2006-2011) and an MSc in Physics from the University of Bologna (1999-2005).

Dr. Spada's research focuses on risk and resilience assessment of critical infrastructure systems, with particular expertise in energy systems, natural hazards, and multi-criteria decision analysis. His work integrates quantitative methods with practical applications to inform policy and decision-making processes related to infrastructure safety and security. He has developed innovative approaches for probabilistic risk assessment, uncertainty quantification, and decision support systems that have been applied across multiple sectors including energy, water resources, and transportation.

His recent work has particularly emphasized the energy transition, analyzing comparative accident risks across different energy technologies and developing frameworks for assessing resilience of electricity supply systems. Through his research, he has contributed to understanding the societal implications of energy infrastructure failures and developing methodologies for more robust risk assessment.

Dr. Spada is an active member of several professional networks including the European Safety and Reliability Association (ESRA), the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), and the Special Activity Group - Sustainable Concrete Structures of the International Federation for Structural Concrete.

He leads several research projects including 'Innovative Spatio-Temporal multi-criteria decision analysis Interface to support informed decision-Making for real-world applications' and contributes to initiatives focused on urban energy transition, resilient supply chains, and building decarbonization. His work often involves interdisciplinary collaboration with engineers, economists, and policy experts to address complex infrastructure challenges.

Dr. Spada maintains an active research laboratory focused on risk and resilience assessment, where his team develops and applies advanced analytical methods to real-world infrastructure challenges. The lab utilizes a combination of statistical modeling, simulation techniques, and decision analysis tools to support evidence-based policy making.