Neville Centre of Excellence in Cement and Concrete Engineering
About the Neville Centre
The Neville Centre facilitates solutions for both industry and academia in cement and concrete design engineering. It focuses on developing links between current material experts working at the nano- and micro-structure scale, and those focused on long-term macroscale design performance, enhancing both traditional and innovation-led design.
The Centre maximises industrial involvement and ensures a productive dialogue between fundamental research and practical application.
A tribute to Professor Adam Neville
The Centre, created on the 6 October 2017, takes its name from Adam Neville, former Professor and Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at University of Leeds from 1968 to 1978.
Professor Neville was recognised internationally as a world-leading expert in concrete and wrote the seminal textbook, ‘Properties of Concrete’ – known as the “concrete bible” by engineering students and graduates everywhere. The Centre commemorates his second-to-none contributions to the area of concrete.
Our team
At the heart of the Neville Centre are its people. Our members help us become a centre of excellence that channels diversity, interdisciplinarity, and project expertise. We pride ourselves on a comprehensive coverage of concrete, cement, and civil engineering across both industry and academia. Our members share a common passion for improving our understanding and capabilities in concrete and cement, advancing materials, sustainability, and best practices.
Key contacts
- Professor John Forth, Director
- Dr Michal Drewniok, Deputy Director
- Dr Michele W.T. Mak, Deputy Director
2024-2025 diary of Neville Centre events
The Neville Centre prides itself on being at the forefront of knowledge-sharing that encompasses both academia and industry. Alongside our annual National Symposium, we run regular spring and autumn webinars.
Upcoming events
- 26th September 2025 – Spring Seminar (3) – focusing on the theme of “Timber-Concrete Composites”. Reserve your place by booking on this link.
2025 events
- 13 June 2025 – Spring Seminar (2) – focusing on the theme of “Self-Healing”.
- 2 April 2025 – Spring Seminar (1) – focusing on the theme of “Closing the concrete loop”.
- 31 January 2025 – Autumn Seminar Series (3) – focusing on the theme of “Reinforced concrete and corrosion”.
2024 events
- 26 March – Spring Seminar Series (1), focusing on the theme of “Moving beyond Portland Cement”.
- 31 May – Spring Seminar Series (2), focusing on “The new Eurocode 2: Background, main changes, and introduction of new materials”.
- 5 July – Spring Seminar Series (3), focusing on “Lowering emboded carbon of concrete and concrete recycling”.
- 27 September – Autumn Seminar Series (1) – 14:00, focusing on “Fibre reinforcement - the key to improving the durability and leads to the dematerialisation of concrete”.
- 25 October – Our Annual Symposium was on the theme of ‘Cement – past, present and future’ and celebrated Joseph Aspdin and Portland Cement’s Patent Anniversary, John Smeaton, and our PhD Prize. This Symposium was a hybrid event.
- 22 November – Autumn Seminar Series (2) – focusing on ‘Materials re-use approach adopted by BG&E when delivering the Quay Quarter Tower project in Sydney’ from BG&E’s Managing Director, Paul Edwards.
*details to follow.
Please note that all Seminar Series events are free to attend, and CDP-accredited by the Institute of Concrete Technology.