2023 RILEM L'Hermite medallist

Each year, RILEM assigns the Robert L’Hermite Medal to a researcher under 40 years old who has performed high level scientific research in the field of construction materials and structures. For this medal, already being a member of the Association is not a requirement.

The medal jury was composed by Prof. Enrico Sassoni (University of Bologna, Italy) as TAC Chair, Prof. Alexandra Bertron (INSA Toulouse, France) as Editor-in-Chief of RILEM Technical Letters, Prof. Josée Duchesne (Université Laval, Canada) and Prof. Daniel Oliveira (University of Minho, Portugal) as Experts appointed by TAC.

The 2023 RILEM Robert L’Hermite Medal was awarded to Prof. Gaurav Sant, who is Full Professor in Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he is Director of UCLA’s Institute for Carbon Management. The Robert L’Hermite medal was awarded to Prof. Sant in recognition of his activity aimed at developing new technologies for carbon dioxide management and improving the service life of modern construction materials. In particular, he has played a significant role in development of carbonate-cemented composites and data-driven concrete optimization by application of machine learning. His remarkable research activity, testified by numerous indicators such as highly cited publications and patents, has reached beyond the borders of the academic community, leading to the creation of award-winning companies and industrial consortia. Moreover, he has also been active in communicating research results to legislators, to illustrate pathways for technological carbon management. In 2017, Prof. Sant received one of the Gustavo Colonnetti medals for his previous work on silicate dissolution in cementitious environments. Since then, his research activity has diversified and accelerated, bringing him to the leadership position in CO₂ management that is today acknowledged by the Robert L’Hermite Medal 2023.