Rubén Rodríguez Elizalde

Rubén Rodríguez Elizalde holds a PhD in Architecture and Heritage from the Alfonso X El Sabio University, with a specialism at the intersection of civil engineering, building construction, applied geology, occupational risk prevention and the conservation of built heritage. He holds a degree in Technical Public Works Engineering and a degree in Geological Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, a degree in Civil Engineering from UCAM, a degree in Building Construction from Camilo José Cela University and a degree in Humanities from UNIR, as well as having undertaken postgraduate training in building pathology and intervention, occupational risk prevention, historic structures, railway infrastructure, project management, big data and applied artificial intelligence.

Teaching and academic management career

He has built an extensive teaching career at Spanish and international universities (including the European University of Madrid, the Open University of Catalonia, the International University of La Rioja, Camilo José Cela University, Alfonso X El Sabio University, the Catholic University of Ávila, the European University of the Canary Islands and the SEK International University of Ecuador), teaching undergraduate degrees, official master’s degrees and university-specific qualifications in occupational risk prevention, industrial hygiene, ergonomics and applied psycho-sociology, structural rehabilitation, cultural heritage and team management. He has served as Director of the Master’s Degree in Occupational Risk Prevention at several universities (2019–2026) and of the Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management at the European University of Madrid. He is accredited by ANECA as a Contracted Doctoral Lecturer and a Private University Lecturer, as well as by other university quality agencies within the REACU (ACSUCYL, AQU, AVAP and ACCUEE).

Professional experience

His technical career includes roles such as Production Manager, Site Manager and Health and Safety Officer at Geotecnia y Cimientos S.A. (GEOCISA), working on heritage restoration projects, as well as drafting refurbishment projects, carrying out technical structural inspections, providing project management and coordinating health and safety for public authorities and private organisations (various local councils, regional and national bodies, amongst others).

Research and areas of specialisation

His doctoral thesis, on management models and risk maps for stone heritage monuments, defines his main areas of research: inspection, diagnosis and conservation of historic structures; non-invasive methodologies (drones, thermography, sensors) applied to heritage; and the study of bridges, towers and stone masonry. He has published numerous articles in indexed journals (Buildings, Heritage, Eng, Construction Materials, Journal of Rehabilitation in Civil Engineering, Laws, amongst others) on case studies such as Beauvais Cathedral, the Tower of Hercules, the Giralda, El Escorial, Murcia Cathedral, Palma Cathedral and the underwater inspection of historic bridges using drones.

Awards

Among other awards, he has received the 2021 Best Paper Award from the *Journal of Management and Business Education* and the 2025 UICM Award for Student Talent, for his work on the underwater inspection of masonry bridges using drones. He is a member of the Spanish National Association for the Technical Inspection of Structures, the Spanish Association of Geology Applied to Engineering and the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment.