**Elena Benvenuti**

Elena Benvenuti is an Associate Professor of Solid and Structural Mechanics at the Engineering Department of the University of Ferrara with consolidated expertise in nonlinear computational and theoretical mechanics and civil engineering risk assessment. She has authored and co-authored more than 150 scientific contributions published in international journals and conference proceedings. Prof. Benvenuti has also directed PMO-GATE, the Italy–Croatia Interreg project focusing on risk assessment and management that has inspired many of the papers published in the present Special Issue.
