Jie Cao

About me

I am currently a PhD candidate at Luleå University of Technology (LTU), Sweden, where I began my doctoral studies in December 2022. I hold a master’s degree from Southeast University, China. My research focuses on the mechanism of bond deterioration in reinforced concrete under corrosion, aiming to advance the development of more durable and sustainable civil infrastructure. As of June 2025, I have published two conference papers and two journal articles on this topic, and have successfully completed my Licentiate defense.

I believe that deep and critical thinking is essential to scientific advancement, and I aspire for my research to generate tangible, real-world impact. Outside of my academic pursuits, I enjoy reading, cooking, and watching films. I also cherish the opportunity to spend quality vacation time with my wife and parents.

Research interests

Usually, civil engineering is not a cutting-edge discipline, and the adoption of many new advanced technologies in civil engineering lags. My aim is to apply many of the techniques that have been developed in other disciplines to the field of civil engineering. For example, molecular dynamics and microphysical characterization methods. Concurrently, advancements in science and technology enable the exploration of concrete's mechanical properties and durability from various perspectives and scales. My interest lies in applying these methods comprehensively to analyze the bond deterioration mechanism of reinforced concrete under the influence of corrosion. This will enable better design of concrete structures and enhance their mechanical and durability properties.

My objectives are to

• Determine the scale characteristics and methods applied on various scales;
• Develop models for cement hydrates and corrosion products and optimize the mechanical models at the nanoscale;
• Achieve the accelerated corrosion process on RC tie specimens and acquire the information of strain, bond stress and slip by means of DFOS.

Professional expertise

• Research on corrosion-induced bond deterioration
• Multiscale analysis of structures & materials
• Molecular dynamics simulation
• Distributed fiber optic sensing