Grants to Support Knowledge Exchange - Donald Nwonu
Donald Nwonu, 2025 Grant to Support Knowledge Exchange recipient, shares his experience.
Thanks to the IOM3 Grants to support Knowledge Exchange, I had the opportunity to share findings from my doctoral research at the Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) Conference 2025 in Zurich. Although I could not attend in person, my supervisor presented my poster titled 'Lifecycle embodied carbon benchmarking of concrete considering carbonation exposure classes', a key output from my doctoral research. The work draws attention to the critical role of exposure conditions in refining lifecycle assessments of concrete and benchmarking carbon performance more accurately.
The conference provided an excellent platform for engaging with international researchers working on complementary research areas. The poster sessions ranged from carbonation process integration into dynamic LCA, to seismic carbon models, and EU building stock modelling. Our contribution stood out by addressing the decarbonisation potential of innovative cementitious materials across real-world exposure scenarios, offering a practical lens into lifecycle emissions. The conference not only helped establish academic visibility for the work I have developed as part of my doctoral research, but also connected the work with wider policy and industry discussions around Net Zero construction.
I am particularly grateful that the financial support from IOM3 played a central role in disseminating my doctoral research output. This support is a clear reflection of the remarkable efforts IOM3 makes to empower early career researchers dedicated to low-carbon materials science. The experience reaffirmed the importance of knowledge sharing in accelerating sustainable innovations across the built environment.
Donald Nwonu
PhD Student, School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds
