Last week, the Institute of Geotechnics was visited by Assoc. Prof. Corrado Fidelibus, who delivered a series of expert lectures for our students and staff. In a total of three lectures for students and one for academic staff, Assoc. Prof. Fidelibus focused on key topics in geomechanics, including:

• fundamentals of rock mechanics,

• hydraulics of fractured rocks,

• stability of rock slopes,

• fracture mechanics of anisotropic geomaterials,

• rock damage caused by cyclic freezing.

Assoc. Prof. Fidelibus is affiliated with the University of Salento (UniSalento) in the field of geotechnical engineering. He has also served as a visiting scientist or Senior Research Assistant at prestigious institutions such as Golder Associates Inc. (USA), the University of Adelaide (Australia), and ETH Zürich (Switzerland).
He received the Italian Geotechnical Association (AGI) award for the best doctoral thesis. His research focuses on computational geomechanics and the hydrology of fractured rocks. He is the author of numerous publications and a member of the editorial boards of leading journals, including Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering and Engineering Geology.

For those who were unable to attend the lectures, we have good news: preparations are currently underway for another potential visit, tentatively planned for April 2026.

This visit also provided an opportunity to discuss a short-term stay at his home university for members of the Institute of Geotechnics. We look forward to continuing our collaboration and establishing new contacts.