Topic：Advances in Bio-inspired Cement and Concrete Technology in the Built Environment

Lecturer: Prof. Wil V. Srubar III

Time: November 11th, 2025, 8:00-9:00, UTC+8

Venue: Teams Online Meeting, Meeting ID: 938 728 828 194 5, Passcode: eq3kh3

Biography: Dr. Wil V. Srubar III is a professor of civil, architectural, and materials science engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he leads the Living Materials Laboratory. His interdisciplinary research combines biology with polymer science and cement chemistry to develop low-carbon, biomimetic, and active materials technologies for the built environment. The laboratory has received over $12 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Department of Energy (DOE), and DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office. His research and commercialization work have been reported by The New York Times, Time, and The Economist. Dr. Srubar has received the 2023 Early Career Award from the Cement Branch of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) and the 2020 NSF CAREER Award. He has also been named one of the top 25 news figures in Engineering News-Record for 2022. He is a co-founder of three startups: Prometheus Materials, Minus Materials, and Aureus Earth.

Abstract: Advances in bioengineering are driving new frontiers in sustainable cement and concrete technologies. Dr. Srubar will share his interdisciplinary research results, which integrate biology, materials science, and structural engineering, aiming to develop biomimetic, bio-based, and active cementitious materials to enhance the sustainability of the built environment. He will demonstrate a case of synthetic ice-binding molecules (based on the antifreeze protein model) protecting concrete from freeze-thaw damage without air-entraining agents. In addition, he will discuss the development of low-carbon admixtures for conventional and alternative cements, and the bio-pathway of CaCO₃ to eliminate calcination emissions. Finally, he will propose the application potential of diatom shell, a new type of supplementary cementitious material (SCM) that is naturally renewable and rich in active silica. He will summarize the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of biology and building materials and highlight the transformative role of interdisciplinary collaboration in reshaping the future of sustainable construction.

Rewritten by: Lin Qiaochu

Edited by: Li Huihui, Li Tiantian

Source: State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, School of Materials Science and Engineering