Doctoral School

Reading date: 22/09/2026

• ORTEGA SÁNCHEZ COLOMER, MIQUEL: Arithmetic patterns in unstructured sets
  
  Author: ORTEGA SÁNCHEZ COLOMER, MIQUEL
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS
  Department: School of Mathematics and Statistics (FME)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 17/07/2026
  Reading date: 22/09/2026
  Reading time: 17:00
  Reading place: Sala d'Actes de l'FME, Edifici U, Campus SudEnllaç de la videotrucada: https://meet.google.com/jbq-uiua-zbi
  Thesis director: SERRA ALBO, ORIOL | RUE PERNA, JUAN JOSÉ
  Thesis abstract: The main goal of this thesis is to present a number of extremal results in additive combinatorics. In lay terms, we study questions related to the appearance of a certain arithmetic pattern in a set based on its size. We focus on two patterns, products and arithmetic progressions. In the first case, we solve the density problem for product-free sets in the free group, and study several quantitative questions regarding a multiplicative analogue of Schur's theorem. In the second case, we prove a canonical van der Waerden theorem in random sets of integers, and improve existing counting results for the number of sets of integers free of arithmetic progressions of a given length. Two recurrent themes are the use of probabilistic arguments and the hypergraph container method.
  

Reading date: 23/09/2026

• CASAPINO ESPINOZA, CARLOS ALBERTO: Estudio de eficiencia térmica de bloques de tierra (adobe), y propuesta de desarrollo de prototipo para clima frío. Caso de estudio altoandino Perú.
  
  Author: CASAPINO ESPINOZA, CARLOS ALBERTO
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURAL, BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND URBANISM TECHNOLOGY
  Department: Department of Architectural Technology (TA)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Deposit date: 28/07/2026
  Reading date: pending
  Reading time: pending
  Reading place: pending
  Thesis director: GOMEZ SOBERON, JOSE MANUEL VICENTE | GOMEZ SOBERON, MARIA CONSOLACION
  Thesis abstract: Buildings that use earth as a component of their construction systems represent between 30 and 50% worldwide, with most of these structures being residential and located in rural areas or developing countries. Earth is an economical and sustainable solution with excellent hygrothermal regulation. However, it presents limitations such as lower mechanical resistance and reduced durability in humid conditions. To mitigate these limitations, chemical stabilization (using lime or cement) or compression is commonly employed, which increases production costs, embodied energy, and CO2 emissions.At the same time, the generation of different types of waste, such as construction and demolition waste, mineral waste, and other materials like used tires, represents a serious environmental problem. Incorporating this waste as second-generation raw materials in unfired earth blocks emerges as a circular economy alternative to improve their properties without additives or stabilization methods. Therefore, the objective is to evaluate the technical feasibility and compatibility of incorporating different types of recycled aggregates, such as crushed ceramics (CCB), powdered soapstone (PSR), and end-of-life tires (CTW), by analyzing their effects on the various properties of earth blocks manufactured using traditional methods, without stabilizers or firing.The experimental methodology was structured in three stages: The first stage involved characterizing the soil and the different aggregates. The second stage focused on the mix design and manufacturing process, defining the replacement and curing percentages. The third stage consisted of the experimental campaign, evaluating, under standardized tests, density, porosity, hygroscopic expansion, compressive and flexural strength, elastic modulus, thermogravimetric analysis, thermal tests, and durability tests; these tests are addressed in the articles that comprise this thesis.The results obtained from the recycled aggregates studied demonstrate the possibility of their use through incorporation into soil matrices under regulatory standards, representing alternatives for reducing energy demand, reducing production costs, improving the insulating capacity for CCB and CTW cases, and in the case of PSR it was presented as an alternative mineral stabilizer with the potential to increase mechanical resistance and optimize thermal behavior for energy absorption, thus presenting themselves as construction alternatives for cold climates, also representing alternatives for the management of these wastes.
  

Reading date: 24/09/2026

• ACEVEDO ROCHA, ALFONSO DARÍO: Modelo de gestión para la restauración del suelo dedicados a la actividad ganadera en el departamento de Córdoba, Colombia. Un aporte de la ganadería regenerativa al desarrollo sostenible del territorio- estudios de casos comparativos
  
  Author: ACEVEDO ROCHA, ALFONSO DARÍO
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN SUSTAINABILITY
  Department: University Research Institute for Sustainability Science and Technology (IS.UPC)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 04/06/2026
  Reading date: 24/09/2026
  Reading time: 16:00
  Reading place: Sala de Conferències, Campus ESEIAAT C/ Colom 1. Edifici TR1 Planta 0 Porta 085. 08222. Terrassa.
  Thesis director: MORATO FARRERAS, JORDI
  Thesis abstract: The impact of livestock farming on soil degradation has been widely discussed, with cattle production being attributed a significant impact both globally and locally. This research, entitled "Management model for the restoration of land used for livestock farming in the department of Córdoba, Colombia. A contribution of regenerative livestock farming to the sustainable development of the territory - Comparative case studies," analyzes the evolution of regenerative livestock farming, especially in Latin America, and adapts a methodology to evaluate the efficiency of this model on the soil using biological and spatial indicators, comparing it with a conventional model on farms in Córdoba. It also evaluates the contribution of these models to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and proposes a conceptual model for the sustainable management and restoration of livestock soils.An analysis was carried out on the progress of regenerative livestock farming worldwide and in Latin America, finding a significant increase in its adoption since 2018, especially in 2019, when the preservation of biodiversity, water, and soil health began to be valued.Macro indicators of soil condition were defined and 12 farms were selected to analyze conventional and regenerative production models. Edaphic macro and mesofauna were evaluated, satellite images were analyzed, and information on vegetation cover was collected, using biological and spatial indicators to measure the restorative capacity of the models. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis was also conducted, concluding that the regenerative model is more efficient in grazing practices, profitability, and biodiversity, allowing for passive restoration of the ecosystem.A methodology was developed to analyze the efficiency of regenerative livestock farming, establishing methods for collecting biotic and spatial data, which facilitates continuous soil diagnosis and monitoring. The study area, the duration of the analysis, the phases of the process, the indicators, and the multitemporal analysis of the plant component were defined using remote sensing and GIS technologies, providing the necessary data for a detailed analysis. It was concluded that regenerative livestock farming is an economical and sustainable low-cost model that improves productivity without agrochemicals and prevents erosion, promoting soil restoration through sustainable practices.This model also contributes to the fulfillment of the SDGs, especially in food security, climate action, and ecosystem restoration, promoting greater biological biodiversity and vegetation cover in the study areas. The results show a positive impact on soil health, vegetation development, and macrofauna, with notable root growth and no degraded soils. Regenerative livestock farming works in harmony with nature, improving the living conditions and health of livestock.Regenerative livestock farming is presented as a key tool for addressing the environmental, social, and productive challenges of livestock farming, restoring soils and ecosystems, and reversing the damage caused by overgrazing and the use of agrochemicals in conventional models. It restores soil fertility, promotes a natural cycle of regeneration, and facilitates the recovery of native species of flora and fauna, increasing the ecosystem's resistance to external disturbances.In terms of species abundance, a total of 763 individuals were quantified between both systems, distributed across 19 taxonomic orders, with 630 individuals in the regenerative model and 133 in the conventional model. The Shannon-Wiener Index (H') under the regenerative model was 2.06, reflecting high biological diversity and efficiency in restoration and long-term sustainability.
  

Reading date: 25/09/2026

• FARAHPOOR, MOHAMMADALI: Secure and Auditable Data Management for IoT-Driven Smart Transportation
  
  Author: FARAHPOOR, MOHAMMADALI
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN NETWORK ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Network Engineering (ENTEL)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 28/07/2026
  Reading date: 25/09/2026
  Reading time: 11:00
  Reading place: Aula de Teleensenyament, edifici B3, campus nordhttps://meet.google.com/spx-zvbe-tbw
  Thesis director: ESPARZA MARTIN, OSCAR
  Thesis abstract: The increasing adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) in industrial transportation has enabled continuous monitoring, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision-making in environments such as mining, construction, and other heavy-duty operations. However, the same systems also generate large volumes of critical data whose value extends beyond real-time use. Once these data are shared among multiple stakeholders, challenges related to trust, integrity, confidentiality, recoverability, and auditability become central. This thesis addresses that problem through two connected research directions.First, it presents TrackTruck, an IoT-driven fleet-management infrastructure for industrial vehicles. TrackTruck demonstrates how embedded sensing, flexible communication, cloud-based analytics, and operational decision support can be integrated into a practical smart-transportation platform for heterogeneous fleets in demanding field conditions. The results show that such an architecture can improve operational visibility, maintenance support, dispatching efficiency, and overall productivity.Second, this thesis presents FileTrust, a blockchain-based auditable backup framework designed for low-trust multi-stakeholder IoT environments. FileTrust combines an Information Dispersal Algorithm (IDA), the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), blockchain smart contracts, verifiable secret sharing, distributed key generation, and threshold encryption to protect access-enabling metadata and support verifiable, policy-driven recovery of critical data. Its design preserves off-chain storage efficiency while adding on-chain auditability and threshold-governed access control.Taken together, these contributions show that trustworthy industrial IoT requires more than efficient telemetry and analytics. It also requires secure long-term data governance. This thesis therefore proposes a broader perspective in which IoT-driven smart transportation is studied as a complete data lifecycle, spanning generation, transmission, operational use, preservation, controlled access, and recovery. The results provide both an applied industrial IoT case study and a secure decentralized backup framework, establishing a foundation for future trustworthy smart-transportation architectures.
  

• SOLER CAMPRECIÓS, JORDI: AVALUACIÓ DELS REQUERIMENTS REPRODUCTIUS I DEL CONTROL QUÍMIC DE L’AILANT (AILANTHUS ALTISSIMA), COM A ESPÈCIE INVASORA D’ESPAIS NATURALS
  
  Author: SOLER CAMPRECIÓS, JORDI
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN AGRI-FOOD TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
  Department: Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology (DEAB)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 13/07/2026
  Reading date: 25/09/2026
  Reading time: 10:00
  Reading place: Sala Syngenta de l'EEABB. Edifici D4, Campus del Baix Llobregat de la UPC. C. Esteve Terradas 8, Castelldefels
  Thesis director: IZQUIERDO FIGAROLA, JORDI
  Thesis abstract: Invasive plants, such as Ailanthus altissima, cause damage to biodiversity due to their high capacity for expansion and establishment. A thorough understanding of the reproductive traits of this species is essential to define eradication strategies based on effective control methods.During the literature review, insufficient information was found regarding chemical methods to break seed dormancy, resulting in low germination rates. Conversely, other studies have shown that alternating temperature regimes promote germination. However, this method involves temperature accumulation that is not compatible with base temperature experiments. The base temperature for seeds or roots has never been determined, and only a few studies have addressed the base water potential of seeds, all conducted outside our region. From the base temperature, predictive germination models can be developed—a task we included in this study to create tools that assist in planning future management actions for this invasive species.The results showed a low response in dormancy release across different treatments, with the best germination achieved through cold stratification at 10 °C for 21 days. The base temperature for seeds and roots was very similar, and under water stress conditions, both seed germination and root sprouting decreased.We focused on evaluating the effectiveness of commercially available herbicides at the time of this study. Different application periods, herbicides, and techniques were tested. Herbicide application provided better control compared to untreated trees. The most effective technique was cut-stump injection, and the most efficient herbicides were triclopyr combined with 2,4-D and/or aminopyralid. The effect of flazasulfuron on Ailanthus altissima was evaluated for the first time, showing satisfactory results.We also identified, for the first time in Catalonia, the eriophyid mite Aculus taihagensis, a species already reported in other countries as a potential biological control agent.In conclusion, Ailanthus altissima can be eradicated if the correct methods are used, while predictive models will assist managers in the management of eradication efforts.