Profile
![Photo:](/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/pic-150x150.jpg)
Andrea Franchini
Curriculum Vitae
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Education:
Marchi Primary School (Verona, Italy); Medi High School (Verona, Italy); BSc and MSc, University of Trento (Trento, Italy); MSc, Tongji University (Shanghai, China).
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Qualifications:
Diploma di Maturità, BSc Civil Engineering, MSc Structural Engineering, MSc Architectural and Civil Engineering (Double Degree)
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Work History:
Waiter (until 2012); Summer Internship in 华东建筑设计研究总院 ECADI (2018); Structural Engineer, Studio Tecnico Turrina (2018); Research assistant, University of Trento (2019); Private Tutor of Structural Mechanics (end 2019)
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Current Job:
PhD Student
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Employer:
Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (University College London)
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About Me
I am passionate and enthusiastic about the things I do. Sport has always been an important part of my life; moreover, I love travelling and meeting people from different cultures.
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Read more
I am a PhD student at University College London since February 2020, and I moved to the UK after spending 2.5 years in China. My favourite foods are Pizza (I am from Italy) and Chinese Noodles. In my free time, I play field hockey and football, hang out with friends in London and have long video calls with other friends who are not living in the UK.
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My Work
I look for innovative ways to design bridges that can withstand earthquakes, strong winds and blasts.
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Read more
I am a PhD student at University College London, and I spend most of my working hours doing research in the field of Bridge Engineering. This is my office:
My research is about cable-stayed bridges, like this one:
I look for innovative ways to make sure that this type of bridge can withstand earthquakes, strong winds and blasts. These events happen few times during the service life of the bridge, which is about 100 years. Sometimes they actually don’t happen, but we must make sure the bridge is safe in case any of them occurs. For example, this picture shows Hanshin Expressway Bridge after Kobe Earthquake (Japan 1995).
Usually, Engineers design a bridge to withstand several hazards separately. For instance, they first calculate the dimensions of towers and cables which make the bridge safe against wind; then they do the same for earthquake and eventually, for important bridges, they make calculations for blast.
Such calculations can result in very different elements dimensions, and engineers should make a choice among them. Here comes my research: I am trying to define a procedure able to select optimal parameters for all the hazards I mentioned, saving as much material as possible. My final aim is to design safer, cheaper and more sustainable bridges.
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My Typical Day: I wake up at 7am, get to gym at 7.30am, train for about one hour, take a shower and go to office. There, I read papers, use a computer software to study how of bridges respond to hazards (earthquake, wind, blast), and analyse my results. At 1pm I have lunch with friends, then go back to office and continue my research. I summarize my results with graphs and tables, prepare reports and presentations, attend lectures and have meetings with my professor. In the evening, I play sport or meet friends, return home, have dinner, watch TV and go to sleep.
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Read more
I wake up at 7am, have breakfast and take my bike:
Then I head to the gym, I spend there about one hour, take shower and go to office. This is the main campus of UCL, and my office is in one of these buildings:
In office, I start reading papers, which look like this:
Then I use a computer software to study the response of bridges to earthquake, wind and blast. I try to summarize results in graphs and write reports for my professors. This is an example of graph:
At 1pm, I have lunch with friends. I usually cook my lunch the evening before and bring it to school. In the afternoon, I go back to office and continue my research. I attend lectures given by professors that are visiting my university. Here’s an example:
In the evening, I play sport (hockey, football or running) or meet friends. Then I go back home, cook and go to sleep.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Passionate, enthusiastic, friendly.
What's the best thing you've done in your career?
Studying in Shanghai and speaking at an important conference.
What or who inspired you to follow your career?
At the beginning, I was inspired by the main character of a TV series (Michael Scofield).
What was your favourite subject at school?
Mathematics.
What did you want to be after you left school?
A Civil Engineer.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, I was. During the first year of high school, I really struggled with Latin language.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I would be working in a Civil Engineering company.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Blink-182
What's your favourite food?
Pizza.
What is the most fun thing you've done?
Playing the Under-16 Field Hockey European Cup.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Happiness, success, make an impact.
Tell us a joke.
Can a leopard hide anywhere? No, he is always spotted!
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