Dr. Alberto Barontini graduated in Civil Engineering at the University of Florence (Italy) in 2015 and obtained the PhD from the University of Minho in 2021, for a project on the use of bio-inspired algorithms in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), carried out in collaboration with the University of Coimbra.  During his PhD, he focused on the implementation and improvement of soft computing techniques for real-time online automatic damage detection, based on vibration monitoring data. The PhD work involved visiting periods at the Technical University of Madrid, the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) of Zurich and the University of Coimbra. From 2021 to 2022, he joined the RESIST project (PTDC/ECI-EGC/30567/2017 RESIST), at the University of Minho, contributing to the experimental analysis in laboratory environment of mock-ups representing a typical historic mixed masonry walls-concrete slabs building typology. Besides the research activities, he has been involved in the inspection and diagnosis of relevant heritage buildings across six countries, in Europe and America.

His research interests lie primarily in the area of preventive conservation of historic buildings by combining SHM and risk assessment methods. His current research is focused on the design and execution of experimental programs involving shaking, tilting and settlement tables. His research domains also encompass the use of numerical optimisation and machine learning techniques for SHM and damage identification, vulnerability assessment, inspection, diagnosis and non-destructive testing of existing and heritage buildings.