Advanced Manufacturing of Cementitious Materials and Structures

Mo Li, PhD

Professor and Chair 

Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Eng.

Univeristy of California, Irvine

Friday, April 24 | 11 a.m. | 140 Ketter Hall

This talk presents advanced manufacturing approaches to address critical infrastructure challenges: decarbonizing cement production and enabling next-generation civil and energy infrastructure. A novel electrochemical pathway for synthesizing Portland cement is introduced, shifting production from a fossil-fuel-driven thermochemical process to a cleaner, lower-emissions route. The integration of high-performance cementitious materials with additive manufacturing is then discussed, enabling new structural systems such as ultra-tall wind turbine towers to support the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure.

In addition, advanced cementitious materials are explored as resilient connections for modular construction, particularly for accelerated bridge construction, improving construction efficiency, structural durability, and lifecycle performance. Together, these advances illustrate an integrated approach that links materials innovation with manufacturing processes and structural performance.

Mo Li is professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Tongji University in Shanghai.

She later received her master’s and PhD degrees in civil engineering, as well as a master’s degree in industrial and operations engineering, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Professor Li directs the AM3 lab at UCI.

Her research focuses on novel materials and advanced manufacturing methods for structural applications, aiming to improve the safety and resilience of civil, energy, and defense infrastructure. She has served on a variety of national and international committees, including the steering committee of the International Conference on Self-Healing Materials and on the Institutional Board of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center.