Doctoral School

Reading date: 02/03/2026

• SIFUENTES MUÑOZ, BLANCA CAROLINA: Transformación urbana y movilidad sostenible: construyendo una Barcelona car-free
  
  Author: SIFUENTES MUÑOZ, BLANCA CAROLINA
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN URBAN AND ARCHITECTURAL MANAGEMENT AND VALUATION
  Department: Department of Architectural Technology (TA)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 15/12/2025
  Reading date: 02/03/2026
  Reading time: 16:30
  Reading place: ETSAB - Pl. Baja - Sala GradosAv. Diagonal, 649-BCN(Enlace a videoconf: https://meet.google.com/uko-xgpp-byk - Inicio conexión: 16:00 hora Bcn)
  Thesis director: ROCA CLADERA, JOSE NICASIO | ARELLANO RAMOS, BLANCA ESMARAGDA
  Thesis abstract: The configuration of contemporary cities has been deeply shaped by the hegemony of the automobile as a structuring axis of territory, mobility, and public space. This model, consolidated since the mid-20th century, has led to dispersed, exclusionary, and unsustainable urban forms, limiting quality of life and hindering the creation of more equitable and resilient environments. In response, critical approaches have emerged advocating for a paradigm shift toward people-centered cities, the right to the city, and sustainable mobility.In this context, this doctoral thesis aims to construct prospective scenarios for a car-free Barcelona by 2050, through a structural and multiscalar analysis of its mobility system, urban planning, and use of public space. A mixed-methods approach is adopted, integrating six methodological lines: (1) collection and preprocessing of mobility data from the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB); (2) exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on a longitudinal AMB database; (3) trend analysis using regression and ARIMA models to project modal shifts; (4) comparative analysis of Amsterdam and Copenhagen as international car-free transition benchmarks; (5) expert consultation through a disaggregated Delphi method; and (6) construction of contrasted future scenarios.The results identify latent structures in the mobility system, tensions between urban policies and actual mobility practices, and institutional challenges linked to multilevel governance. The developed scenarios outline alternative urban futures, from continuity-based models to deep transformations, highlighting their implications in terms of equity, sustainability, and the right to the city.This research provides an original contribution by integrating approaches from sustainable mobility, prospective planning, and multiscalar analysis. Its findings guide the formulation of public policies and urban strategies toward more just, healthy, and sustainable post-car cities. Ultimately, it proposes conceptual and methodological tools to rethink urbanism through the lens of deep transformation in the face of climate, social, and territorial uncertainty.
  

Reading date: 04/03/2026

• IGLESIAS FERNÁNDEZ, MARC: Fundamentals of Calcium Phosphate Nanotopographies as Antibacterial Surfaces
  
  Author: IGLESIAS FERNÁNDEZ, MARC
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Materials Science and Engineering (CEM)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 02/02/2026
  Reading date: 04/03/2026
  Reading time: 10:30
  Reading place: ESCOLA D'ENGINYERIA BARCELONA ESThttps://meet.google.com/hec-qtvx-euaAv.Eduard Maristany, 16Campus Diagonal BesòsEdifici A Planta 1 Aula A A1.02
  Thesis director: ESPAÑOL PONS, MONTSERRAT | GINEBRA MOLINS, MARIA PAU
  Thesis abstract: Bone defects exceeding a critical size require grafts that provide structural support while promoting bone regeneration. However, surgical implantation of these grafts carries a significant risk of infection, which can compromise graft integration and lead to host bone degradation. This challenge is exacerbated by the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance, underscoring the need for alternative antimicrobial strategies. Consequently, the development of synthetic bone grafts that combine osteogenic capacity with intrinsic antimicrobial functionality represents a major clinical and scientific priority.This thesis focuses on the development of synthetic calcium phosphate bone grafts featuring bactericidal nanotopographies effective against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, and on elucidating the mechanisms underlying their antimicrobial action.Chapter 1 introduces the clinical motivation and scientific background of the study, providing an overview of implant-associated infections and a critical review of bactericidal nanotopographies reported in the literature, with emphasis on their key design parameters.Chapter 2 focuses on the synthesis, physicochemical characterization, and antimicrobial evaluation of two calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) nanotopographies obtained by hydrolysis of α-tricalcium phosphate under biomimetic and hydrothermal conditions. Both surfaces exhibit nanopillar-like architectures but differ in pillar size and interpillar spacing. The hydrothermally synthesized nanotopography, characterized by larger interpillar spacing, demonstrated superior bactericidal activity against the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ionic-exchange experiments showed that the released ionic species were not toxic to planktonic bacteria, indicating that surface nanotopography, rather than ionic release, is the dominant factor driving bacterial mortality.Chapter 3 investigates the interaction between CDHA nanotopographies and the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis using synchrotron-based cryo–soft X-ray microscopy. Cryo-SXT revealed membrane rupture, cytosolic leakage, and multivesicular body formation in bacteria adhering to nanopillars. XANES spectromicroscopy identified a bacterial subpopulation with elevated intracellular calcium associated with substrate-derived ion release; however, this did not affect cell viability, consistent with the halotolerant nature of B. subtilis. Quantitative calcium estimation using linear absorption coefficients provided new insights into mechanochemical bacterial responses.Finally, Chapter 4 presents a time-resolved investigation of the bactericidal mechanisms exerted by CDHA nanotopographies against P. aeruginosa, integrating real-time multiplexed kinetic assays with sequential transcriptomic analyses. The kinetic data revealed four distinct phases: an initial adaptation period, metabolic activation without mortality, an abrupt metabolic collapse accompanied by a sharp increase in cell death, and a persistence phase in the surviving population. Transcriptomic profiling supported this progression, revealing early cell envelope stress and oxidative imbalance (2 h), followed by lipid peroxidation, glutathione depletion, iron dysregulation, and programmed cell death associated with mechanical membrane damage (5 h). At 7 h, global repression of metabolism and translation indicated entry into a persistence-like state, while at 24 h the surviving subpopulation showed partial metabolic reactivation and preparation for regrowth. Altogether, this chapter provides the first sequential genetic framework describing how calcium phosphate nanotopographies trigger mechano-induced oxidative damage leading to bacterial death and persistence.
  

Reading date: 05/03/2026

• LARROSA EXPÓSITO, MANEL: Viabilidad de un nuevo diseño de lentes de contacto de gran diámetro para ojos con queratocono. Estudio clínico.
  
  Author: LARROSA EXPÓSITO, MANEL
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN OPTICAL ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Optics and Optometry (OO)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 22/12/2025
  Reading date: 05/03/2026
  Reading time: 11:30
  Reading place: Auditori del Centre Universitari de la Visió
  Thesis director:
  Thesis abstract: Introduction:Keratoconus is an ocular disease that affects millions of people worldwide and represents a major cause of visual disability. Contact lens fitting is the most widely used strategy for correcting the refractive errors it induces, as it has proven to be an effective and safe option. However, no currently available lens design provides fully satisfactory results in all cases.Work performed:The main objective of this thesis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new large-diameter rigid corneal contact lens design, featuring peripheral corneal support and vaulting over the cone, while simultaneously optimizing the personalized lens fitting process.In an initial study, the suitability of the corneal periphery as a bearing zone was assessed. To this end, the symmetry of revolution of the cornea in eyes with keratoconus and in healthy eyes was analysed based on a sagittal height measurements. The results indicated that the symmetry of revolution in the peripheral corneal region was comparable between both groups, supporting the feasibility of the proposed design with regard to the lens bearing area.In a second study, a prospective clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the outcomes after one year of lens wear in eyes with keratoconus. The analysis showed efficacy and safety levels comparable to those of other designs, a high level of user satisfaction, and, ultimately, high fitting and retention rates.Finally, a trial lens set based on the new design was developed and preliminarily validated thorough simulated fittings in eyes with keratoconus of different severities.Conclusions:The results obtained in this thesis demonstrate that the new large-diameter corneal lens design is a safe and effective option for visual correction in eyes with keratoconus.
  

Reading date: 06/03/2026

• ALCAYDE ROMO, BARBARA: Numerical modelling of the fatigue behaviour of composites. Application to the automotive industry.
  
  Author: ALCAYDE ROMO, BARBARA
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
  Department: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DECA)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 19/12/2025
  Reading date: 06/03/2026
  Reading time: 11:00
  Reading place: Sala Zienkiewich (CIMNE) Building C1, UPC - Campus North Gran Capitan S/N 08034 Barcelona
  Thesis director: BARBU, LUCIA GRATIELA | CORNEJO VELÁZQUEZ, ALEJANDRO
  Thesis abstract: In an engineering landscape increasingly focused on optimized design, lightweight materials, and multifunctional performance, accurately predicting the fatigue behaviour of composite materials under realistic service conditions is essential. Traditional approaches to fatigue analysis in Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) often rely on simplified extrapolations of laboratory data or homogenized models that neglect the complex interactions between constituent materials and environmental influences. Moreover, these approaches typically fail to account for temperature variations. Such reductionist perspectives limit the ability to capture the coupled mechanical and thermal degradation mechanisms inherent to advanced materials. This thesis proposes a unified numerical framework grounded in the Finite Element Method (FEM), integrating a phenomenological homogenization strategy, the Serial Parallel Rule of Mixtures Law (SP-RoM), with a High Cycle Fatigue (HCF) Constituive Law (CL). This approach enables the simultaneous representation of the distinct fatigue responses of fibres and matrix within layered composite laminates, accounting for variations in stacking sequence and fibre orientation. A key innovation is a calibration methodology that infers fatigue parameters at constituent level from experimental data at laminate scale, thus overcoming the challenges of direct testing of individual components. Furthermore, the work presents a thermomechanically coupled fatigue model incorporating temperature dependent material properties and thermal expansion, generalizing classical fatigue life prediction curves to fluctuating and spatially varying temperature fields. To address the significant computational demands of fatigue simulations, an Advance in Time Strategy (AITS) Cycle Jump (CJ) is developed, enabling efficient simulation of long-term fatigue damage evolution without sacrificing accuracy. Validated against experimental benchmarks and literature data, the proposed methodology advances fatigue life prediction in composite materials by delivering a flexible, robust, and computationally efficient tool. Additionally, the fatigue formulation has been enhanced to capture complex thermomechanical effects. This work lays the foundation for future research on integrated modelling of fatigue and multiphysics deterioration phenomena in advanced composite structures.
  

• CARRIZOSA RENDÓN, ÁLVARO: Advances in Set-Based Motion Planning for Safe Interaction of Autonomous Vehicles
  
  Author: CARRIZOSA RENDÓN, ÁLVARO
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN AUTOMATIC CONTROL, ROBOTICS AND VISION
  Department: Department of Automatic Control (ESAII)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 11/02/2026
  Reading date: 06/03/2026
  Reading time: 10:00
  Reading place: Aula Capella de l'Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyeria Industrial de Barcelona (ETSEIB), Campus Diagonal Sud, . Av. Diagonal, 647, 08028 Barcelona
  Thesis director: PUIG CAYUELA, VICENÇ | NEJJARI AKHI-ELARAB, FATIHA
  Thesis abstract: This thesis presents several contributions in the field of safe driving of autonomous vehicles, focusing on motion planning and prediction of environmental agents based on their behaviour. The methodologies combine set-based techniques, LPV models and optimisation, seeking to ensure safety with low computational cost in realistic scenarios.First, a comprehensive review of the literature on the use of set-based methods to address safety in autonomous driving is presented. The study focuses on three main families of techniques: reachability analysis, invariant sets, and feasibility theory, describing how they have been applied to different planning, control, and supervision problems. Their advantages, disadvantages, differences and similarities are analysed. With this review, a unified framework for interpreting the existing literature is proposed, which serves as a basis for justifying the design decisions adopted in the subsequent contributions of the thesis.The following contribution consists of a safe motion planner designed for structured convex scenarios with complete knowledge of the environment and the actions of the agents surrounding it. To this end, a formulation based on LPV models and reachability analysis using zonotopes with constraints is proposed, which is integrated into a predictive control scheme formulated as a quadratic problem. This approach allows explicit safety constraints to be imposed on the optimiser, ensuring collision avoidance and achieving safe trajectories with lower computational cost and less conservatism than classical robust approaches.Subsequently, an efficient prediction method is proposed to estimate the future occupancy of surrounding vehicles online, based solely on their observed actions. The approach is based on optimisation and zonotopic propagation techniques to construct occupancy sets that adapt dynamically without the need for trained models or prior assumptions. The result is a refined and computationally lightweight estimator, designed to be integrated into real-time planners.Finally, a motion planner capable of working in complex urban scenarios is presented, extending the two previous contributions. Based on the first safe planner, a new structure is formulated that maintains the QP problem but now employs a purely zonotopic reachability analysis combined with constraints, allowing it to work in non-convex environments and with partial knowledge of the intentions of surrounding vehicles. The prediction module is proposed as an evolution of the previous one, taking advantage of the known geometry of the road to obtain more refined occupancy sets.