Jean-Baptiste Mawulé Dassekpo

Dr. Jean-Baptiste Mawulé Dassekpo is a national of the Republic of Benin and currently serves as Assistant Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Institute for Ocean Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua-SIGS). He is also appointed as a Visiting Professor at the China Building Materials Academy. Dr. Dassekpo obtained his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology and completed his postdoctoral research at Tsinghua University, where he was recognized as an Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow. In recognition of his academic excellence, he has been selected as a Shenzhen Overseas High-Level Talent, Shenzhen Foreign High-Caliber Talent, and Longgang District Shenlong Talent (Category D). He was also honored as an Outstanding Doctoral Scholar by the China Scholarship Council and has received multiple Outstanding Student Awards from Harbin Institute of Technology and Northeast Normal University, demonstrating both outstanding academic achievement and strong cross-cultural competence.

Dr. Dassekpo has long been engaged in research on low-carbon building materials, high-performance concrete, solid waste recycling and valorization, and marine engineering materials, with particular emphasis on the innovation and application of environmentally functional materials. His research interests include marine radioactive substance treatment, heavy metal immobilization, ocean eco-floating structure design, and durability of offshore materials. As Principal Investigator, he leads a National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Young Scientists Fund project and multiple industry-sponsored research projects, while also serving as a core team member in 6 major high-level research programs, including the Shenzhen Sustainable Development Science and Technology Program and the Guangdong Industry–Education Integration Platform Project. To date, he has published over 20 SCI-indexed papers in leading international journals such as Cement and Concrete Composites, Cement and Concrete Research, Composites Part B: Engineering, and Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, and holds more than 10 invention patents. He is an active member of the Chinese Ceramic Society, the Guangdong Low-Carbon Building Materials and Solid Waste Utilization Committee, and the Shenzhen Construction Waste Recycling Association, and serves as a Young Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Green Mine. In addition, he is a reviewer for several authoritative international journals, including Construction and Building Materials, Engineering Structures, Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering (ASCE), Acta Geotechnica, Progress in Nuclear Energy, and Journal of Renewable Materials, establishing himself as an active young scholar in the field.

Beyond academic research, Dr. Dassekpo actively contributes to international technical and policy initiatives, serving as an Expert Member of the United Nations Committee on Mining Consultation, Mining Exploration and Testing Consultant for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Overseas Technical Advisor, providing professional support for resource development and material testing in African countries. In international engagement, Dr. Dassekpo represented the Republic of Benin at ECOMOF 2024 in February 2024, where he delivered a keynote presentation. In September 2024, he was invited to attend the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, participating together with high-level leaders from China and more than 50 African countries at major events held in the Great Hall of the People and the China National Convention Center in Beijing. In the same year, he received a Research Paper Award during the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Macao’s Return to the Motherland. Dedicated to cultivating globally minded innovative talents, Dr. Dassekpo has supervised students who received the Macao SAR Postgraduate Science and Technology Research and Development Award, the Provincial Third Prize and Bronze Prize in the “Challenge Cup” Research and Innovation Competition, among other honors. Through outstanding teamwork, scientific rigor, and interdisciplinary collaboration, he continues to contribute both Chinese expertise and a global perspective to sustainable development and infrastructure advancement worldwide.

2015-09 – 2019-01, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Structural Engineering, PhD

2012-09 – 2014-06, Harbin Institute of Technology, Highway and Railway Engineering, Master

2011-09 – 2012-06, Changchun Northeast Normal University, Chinese Language, HSK Proficiency

2008-10 – 2011-07, University of Science and Technology of Benin, Civil Engineering, Bachelor

2025-09 – Today, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Assistant Professor

2021-11 – 2025-07, Shenzhen University of Information Technology, Associate Professor

2019-10 – 2021-11, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Post-doctoral Fellow 

Academic and Professional Appointments:

· Visiting Professor, China Building Materials Academy

· Young Editorial Board Member, Journal of Green Mine

· Member, The Chinese Ceramic Society

· Committee Member, Low-Carbon Building Materials and Solid Waste Utilization Professional Committee of Guangdong Province

· Member, Shenzhen Construction Waste Resource Utilization Association

· Reviewer for international journals including Construction and Building Materials, Engineering Structures, Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering (ASCE), Acta Geotechnica (Springer Nature), Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, Progress in Nuclear Energy, and Journal of Renewable Materials

International Cooperation and Advisory Roles:

· Committee on Mining Consultation, United Nations (UN)

· Consultant on Mining Exploration and Testing for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Global pollution has become an increasingly critical challenge, with land-based solid waste posing persistent threats to marine ecosystems and human health. In response to this urgent issue, the Applied Solid Waste for Marine & Civil Infrastructure Laboratory (ASWI Lab) at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua-SIGS) was established. Led by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Mawulé Dassekpo, the laboratory is founded on the principles of the circular economy and integrates materials science, sustainable engineering, and environmental remediation. ASWI Lab is dedicated to overcoming barriers in solid waste valorization by transforming industrial and construction wastes, including aluminosilicate-rich waste, waste plastics, and waste glass, into high-value, low-carbon, and high-performance construction and functional materials. Through this approach, the lab aims to provide green and resilient infrastructure solutions for marine engineering, civil engineering, and environmental remediation.

The laboratory’s main research directions include:

· Solid Waste Valorization and Smart Management: Geopolymer technology, low-carbon cementitious materials, self-sensing piezoresistive composites, and artificial intelligence applications in waste recycling systems and green city management;

· Marine Pollution Control and Environmental Remediation: Radionuclide treatment, heavy metal immobilization/adsorption, synergistic pollutant removal, and multiphysics simulation of adsorption mechanisms;

· Safety and Durability of Offshore Materials: Antifouling and anticorrosion materials for marine structures, salt-induced deterioration mechanisms, durability enhancement strategies, and intelligent prediction of material fracture;

· Design and Smart Operation of Eco-Floating Marine Structures: Floating marine structure design, hydrodynamic response analysis, operational serviceability assessment, and intelligent fatigue damage prediction.

ASWI Lab warmly welcomes outstanding students and researchers worldwide to join us in advancing innovation in green low-carbon materials and sustainable infrastructure development.

[1] National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Young Scientist Fund 52108233, Study of the dissolution kinetic mechanism of reactive silica under alkali-hydrothermal conditions, 2022-01 – 2024-12, (Lead).

[2] Shenzhen Sustainable Development Science and Technology Program KCXFZ20230731093902006, Municipal waste glass resource utilization technologies and applications, 2023-12 – 2026-11, (Key participant).

[3] Industry-sponsored Research Project 04351-2024-101530-140, Shenzhen Kunpeng Environmental Protection Technology Co Ltd, Research on the municipality powdery granitic waste resource utilization, 2024-10-2025-10, (Lead).

[4] Industry-sponsored Research Project, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) 03501-2023-020202-129, Steel-tube concrete cross-column performances laboratory analysis, 2023-11 – 2024-12, (Lead).

[5] Shenzhen Longgang District Science and Technology Innovation Bureau, Key Laboratory Project, Laboratory of Solid Waste Recycling, 2020-01 – 2022-12, (Participant).

[6] Guangdong Provincial Department of Education, Industry-Education Integration Platform 2020CJPT035, Innovation platform for the integration of industry and education in the utilization of alumina-silica solid waste, 2020-09 – 2020-12, (Participated).

[1] J.B. M. Dassekpo et al., Performance and characterization of nano-engineered silica waste concrete composite for efficient marine radionuclides remediation, Cement and Concrete Composites, 2025, 105914.

[2] J.B. M. Dassekpo et al., Waste glass as a source for green synthesis of mesoporous adsorbent for efficient removal of heavy metals, Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 2025, 113393.

[3] J.B. M. Dassekpo et al., Phase dissolution and improving properties of completely decomposed granite through alkali fusion method, Cement and Concrete Composites, Volume 127, 2022, 104407.

[4] J.B. M. Dassekpo et al., Alkali-activation of calcined granitic waste: Reaction mechanisms and environmental implication for waste minimization, Construction and Building Materials, Volume 327, 2022, 126976.

[5] J.B. M. Dassekpo et al., Synthesis and characterization of alkali-activated loess and its application as protective coating, Construction and Building Materials, Volume 282, 2021, 122631.

[6] Y. Fang, L-Y Li, J.B. M. Dassekpo, S-H. Jang, Heat transfer modelling of carbon nanotube reinforced composites, Composites Part B: Engineering, Volume 225, (2021) 109280.

[7] J.B. M. Dassekpo et al., Effect of alkali-activators on loess geopolymer: a potential waterproof repair material, Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 2021, 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0003784.

[8] J.B. M. Dassekpo et al., Potential solidification/stabilization of clay-waste using green geopolymer remediation technologies, Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 117 (2018) 684–693.

[9] J.B. M. Dassekpo et al., Compressive strength performance of geopolymer paste derived from Completely Decomposed Granite (CDG) and partial fly ash replacement Construction and Building Materials, 138 (2017) 195–203.

[10] J.B. M. Dassekpo et al., Synthesis reaction and compressive strength behavior of loess-fly ash based geopolymers for the development of sustainable green materials, Construction and Building Materials, 141C (2017) pp. 491-500.

[11] Bai. J. et al., Low-carbon remediation of contaminated marine mud sediment for efficient in-situ recycling and application, ENGINEERING Environment, 20, 22 (2026).

[12] W.P. Feng, et al., In-situ study on micromechanical behavior of alkali activated fly ash-slag at elevated temperatures, Materials Today Communications, 48, 2025, 113304.

[13] J.Q. Ning, et al., Calcium dissolution-induced porosity increase in cement-solidified MSWIFA: Implications for heavy metal leaching behavior, Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 201, Part A, 2025, 107493.

[1] Method for enhancing the reactivity of engineering granite waste via alkali-fusion treatment (2025)

[2] Method for improving the reaction degree of fly ash-based geopolymers (2024)

[3] Low-carbon alkali-activated marine mud composite and preparation method thereof (2024)

[4] Graphene-modified polyaniline coating, and its preparation method and application (2024)

[5] Method for preparing tobermorite refractory materials from waste glass via hydrothermal synthesis (2023)

[6] Auxiliary cementitious binder and its preparation method and application (2023)

[7] Geopolymer-based anti-cracking mortar and its preparation method and application (2022)

[8] Cement-free incineration slag-based unfired brick and its preparation method (2021)

· National Scholarship for Outstanding Students, Republic of Benin

· China Scholarship Council Outstanding Doctoral Scholarship

· Outstanding Student Award, Northeast Normal University

· Outstanding Student Award, Harbin Institute of Technology

· Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow, Tsinghua University

· Shenzhen Foreign High-Caliber Talent in Critical Demand Disciplines

· Longgang District Shenlong Talent Program (Category D)

· Research Paper Award, Commemorative Publication for the 25th Anniversary of Macao’s Return to the Motherland