Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
77 Massachusetts Ave, Room 1-347
(617)253-1972
masic@mit.edu
Website: https://www.masicgroup.mit.edu/
Profile
Admir Masic is an Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT, where he has been since 2015. In 2018, he was named a DMSE Faculty Fellow in Archaeological Materials at the MIT Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology (CMRAE). Prof. Masic earned a master’s degree in inorganic chemistry and a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Turin in Italy.
The Masic Lab @ MIT investigates the chemomechanics of out-of-equilibrium phase transformations in man-made archaeological and other engineered materials from molecular to macroscopic length scales. At the core of the lab’s expertise are in situ and operando Raman spectroscopy techniques. With research projects that span from ancient Roman concrete to modern Portland cement, from natural pearls to kidney stones, from ancient pigments to Dead Sea scrolls, the goal of the Masic Lab is to translate the fundamental knowledge gained in the lab into real-world applications for a sustainable future. Prof. Masic is a pioneer in the field of paleo- or antiquity-inspired design. Paleo-inspiration is a paradigm shift that leads to scientists and designers to draw inspiration from ancient materials (from art, archaeology, natural history or paleo-environments) to develop new systems or processes, particularly with a view to sustainability. Prof. Masic is leading a program on Materials in Art, Archaeology and Architecture (ONE-MA3), in which MIT undergraduates conduct three weeks of fieldwork in Sermoneta, Pompeii and Turin as a prerequisite for the MIT course, 1.057 Heritage Science and Technology. The program focuses on teaching ways to improve future sustainability through the study of successful ancient practices, and it includes real-world examinations of ancient infrastructures and materials.
Selected Publications
M. Nicola, R. Gobetto, and A. Masic, “Egyptian blue, Chinese blue, and related two-dimensional silicates: from antiquity to future technologies. Part A: general properties and historical uses, ” Rendiconti Lincei Sci. Fis. E Nat. (2023).
L. M. Seymour, J. March, P. Sabatini, M. Di Tommaso, J.C. Weaver, and A. Masic, “Hot mixing: Mechanistic insights into the durability of ancient Roman concrete,” Sci. Adv. 9, eadd 1602 (2023).
L.M. Seymour, D. Keenan-Jones, G. L. Zanzi, J. C. Weaver, and A. Masic, “Reactive ceramic aggregates in mortars from ancient water infrastructure serving Rome and Pompeii”, Cell Rep. Pays. Sci. 3, 101024 (2022).
L. M. Seymour, N.Tamura, M.D. Jackson, and A. Masic, “Reactice binder and aggregate interfacial zones in the mortar of Tomb of Caecilia Metella concrete, 1C BCE, Rome, ” J.Am. Ceram . Soc. 105, 1503-1518 (2022).
K. T. Faber, F. Casadio, A. Masic, L. Robbiola, and M. Walton, “Looking Back, Looking Foward: Materials Science in Art, Archaeology, and Art Conservation, ” Anne. Rev. Mater. Res. 51, 435-460 (2021).