This journey would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of my supervisors Dr. Francisco Ramos and Dr. Sergio Trilles. I am extremely grateful for their patience, motivation, constructive feedback and guidance that led me to accomplish this dissertation and become an independent researcher. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Joaquín Huerta for his continued support, encouragement and willingness to resolve any issues that arise.Special thanks to Estefania Aguilar for her assistance during her tenure at GEOTEC, especially her endless patience and support during the PhD application and post-admission processes.My sincere appreciation goes out to Prof. Silvana Di Sabatino and her research group, especially Dr. Erika Brattich, Dr. Francesca Di Nicola and Dr. Leonardo Arag ão, for their immense knowledge, insightful comments, and encouragement throughout my stay in Bologna.Also, I would like to thank the staff and all the colleagues in the GEOTEC research group for the amazing working environment and the interesting discussions.Big thanks to my friends for their encouragement, invaluable advice and support during challenging situations.Finally, I would like to express my love and gratitude to my parents, Nikolay Iskandaryan and Svetlana Khachaturyan, my brother Davit, and my sisters Lusine and Mariam for their trust, motivation, encouragement and love.