Mingzhu Chen Wins Best Research Paper Award for Structures Journal!

We are thrilled to announce that the paper titled "Experimental study on direct-shear behaviour of narrow joints in socket connections for precast pier-to-pile footing systems", authored by Mingzhu Chen, Wouter De Corte, Haibo Jiang, and Luc Taerwe, has been awarded the 'Best Research Paper' prize for 2025 by the Structures journal. 

Structures, the esteemed research journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers (UK), in partnership with Elsevier, recognized our work for its significant contribution to the field. The prize was judged by members of the Institution's Research Panel.

As part of this honor, our winning paper will be made freely accessible for three months, allowing a wider audience to benefit from our findings.

We are also delighted to share that we have been invited to attend the annual 'People and Papers Awards' ceremony in London on Friday, 16 May, where we will receive our certificates. We look forward to this prestigious event and the opportunity to connect with fellow researchers and professionals.