ChE 2026 Spring Seminar Series – Christopher Alexander, PhD

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Title: Mitigating and predicting corrosion in complex material-environment systems

Abstract:
Corrosion remains one of the most pervasive and costly challenges facing engineered systems, with profound implications for materials performance and infrastructure durability. This seminar presents an overview of ongoing research aimed at understanding, controlling, and forecasting corrosion processes through electrochemical principles and multi-physics approaches. The first part of the talk provides a brief overview of current research at the USF Corrosion Laboratory.

The main focus of the seminar centers on work seeking to develop predictive tools and design strategies that extend service life and improve the sustainability of reinforced concrete infrastructure. The deterioration of the world’s civil infrastructure coupled with the imposed threat of climate change puts emphasis on the need for optimally sustainable yet increasingly durable construction materials. Novel concrete formulations capable of accelerated carbon dioxide sequestration have the potential to reverse negative effects of excessive carbon dioxide emissions. However, their widespread use depends on our ability to ensure their long-term durability especially regarding steel reinforcement corrosion.

Chloride-induced corrosion of steel in concrete initiates as localized pits that may either repassivate or continue to grow and evolve into more widespread damage. This work aims to uncover the mechanisms governing pit growth and repassivation in concrete using a combination of controlled experiments and physics-based computational modeling. Single pit experiments are employed to investigate the influence of concrete configuration on pit stability and repassivation behavior. Recent progress will be presented on characterizing corrosion damage evolution, quantifying pit stability, and integrating these observations into multi-scale corrosion damage evolution models. By coupling micro-scale pit behavior with macro-scale electrochemical transport and corrosion models, this research seeks to identify interfacial conditions that promote sustained passivity and limit damage accumulation.

Bio:
Dr. Christopher L. Alexander received his M.S. in Civil Engineering and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida in 2015 and 2017, respectively. He completed postdoctoral training at Sandia National Laboratories in the Materials Reliability Center from 2017 to 2018. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with an affiliate appointment in the Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering at the University of South Florida, where he directs the Corrosion Research Group.

Dr. Alexander’s research integrates electrochemistry, materials science, and transport modeling to address critical durability challenges in civil and environmental systems. His work focuses on uncovering the fundamental mechanisms governing corrosion initiation, propagation, and mitigation in reinforced concrete, post-tensioned structures, and metallic infrastructure components. His group employs advanced electrochemical characterization, controlled laboratory experimentation, and physics-based multi-scale modeling to investigate localized corrosion, coupled electrochemical processes, and damage evolution.

He is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award for his research on developing tailored steel–concrete interfaces to promote repassivation and perpetually limited corrosion damage. His research program has attracted support from the National Science Foundation, the Florida Department of Transportation, industry partners, the Florida High Tech Corridor, and international collaborators, and has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications and invited presentations.

Dr. Alexander is actively engaged in professional service and leadership through the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), the Electrochemical Society, and RILEM. He is committed to workforce development and broadening participation in engineering research, and annually leads an eight-week summer research experience for local high school students.