Sheffield hosts UK debut of world’s leading structural control and monitoring conference 

World-leading experts, academics, and industry pioneers in structural engineering gathered in Sheffield from 19th - 22nd July 2026 for the 9th World Conference on Structural Control and Monitoring (9WCSCM). 

The high-profile, three-day event welcomed 200 delegates from around the globe to explore breakthrough technologies in structural control and monitoring for a variety of civil, mechanical, aerospace and energy systems.

Organised by the University of Sheffield’s Dynamics Research Group (DRG), one of the leading research groups of its type in the world specialising in research associated with structural dynamics, acoustics and health monitoring, the event commenced with a welcome reception at the historic Sheffield City Hall, which also served as a backdrop for Monday’s keynote addresses.

Delegates heard from keynotes Professor Hui Li from Harbin Institute of Technology China, Professor Jerry Lynch from Duke University, North Carolina and Geert Lombaert from KU Leuven, Belgium. Top insights showcased how advanced sensing, AI, and digital twins are transforming structural engineering. Highlights included using multimodal AI models for structural health monitoring and maintenance, applying smart structure technologies to track human interactions across urban areas, and applying real-world sensor data from an aging structures to refine data fusion and develop predictive digital twinning. 

After the speeches, the Faculty of Engineering’s flagship facility, The Diamond Building, known for its state-of-the-art learning environment and distinctive diamond-patterned facade, accommodated five parallel technical sessions showcasing advancements in monitoring, computer vision and graphics, structural health, real-time hybrid simulation, context-aware twinning, and experimental performance assessment of structural control devices. 

Beyond the lecture halls, delegates experienced Sheffield’s rich industrial heritage and modern scientific capabilities through a series of dedicated social and technical events with visits to Kelham Island Museum for an evening reception; Cutlers’ Hall for a conference dinner, giving delegates an insight into the historical importance of Sheffield as an industrial city - a legacy that continues to this day. Finishing with a technical tour to the University’s Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV), located at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham. The tour offered a first hand look at full-scale experimental testing rigs designed to validate structural models under dynamic environments. 

Conference Chair, Professor David Wagg, said: “This was a fantastic event which brought together leading world experts on structural control and also showcased the state-of-the art work being carried out here in Sheffield.” 

What is WCSCM? The World Conference on Structural Control and Monitoring (WCSCM) is a major international event, under the auspices of the International Association for Structural Control and Monitoring (IACSM), focusing on various technologies used to monitor and improve the performance of buildings and other civil infrastructure in response to stresses like earthquakes, wind, and human activity. Previous conferences have been held in Pasadena, USA (1994); Kyoto, Japan (1998); Como, Italy (2002); La Jolla, USA (2006); Tokyo, Japan (2010); Barcelona, Spain (2014); Qingdao City, China (2018) and Orlando, USA (2022).