Rate My Professor Rackel San Nicolas

Rackel San Nicolas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Infrastructure Engineering at the University of Melbourne. She serves as the manager and research leader of the Geopolymer and Mineral Processing Group, roles she has held since 2012 after joining the group as a research fellow in 2011. Her academic background includes a PhD in Civil Engineering from Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III), a Masters by Research from Université des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc (Montpellier II), and a Bachelors Degree. San Nicolas's research focuses on concrete technologies and sustainable materials for construction, including the study of formation, molecular structure, and performance properties of novel advanced materials such as alkali-activated materials, geopolymers for cement-type and ceramic-type applications, calcined clays, and slag for durable low-carbon concrete production.

Her investigations cover the design and development of construction materials, macrostructure analysis, and durability assessments involving permeability, porosity, carbonation, chloride migration, and corrosion. She has developed multiple techniques to evaluate and predict the durability of current and future construction materials in various environments. The group under her leadership also engages in consulting projects. San Nicolas has authored numerous publications, including 'Effect of calcined clay reactivity on the risk of restrained shrinkage-induced early-age concrete cracking' (2025), 'Investigating Australian Calcined Clays as Supplementary Cementitious Materials' (2025), 'Autogenous and Chemical Shrinkage of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) Pastes' (2025), 'The Interfacial Transition Zone in Alkali-Activated Slag Mortars' (2015), and 'The Cross-Linked Substituted Tobermorite Model' (2013). Her scholarly output has received over 7,500 citations, underscoring her influence in advancing sustainable civil engineering materials.