This thesis presents a simultaneous investigation of the autogenous and total drying shrinkage behavior of Alkali-activated slag (AAS) as a binder. AAS binders are receiving global interest as a potentially sustainable alternative binding material due to their environmental benefits, impressive mechanical properties performance, and non-heat curing requirement. However, high shrinkage and cracking tendencies are hindering the effectiveness of AAS binders and are the main obstacles that must be addressed before widespread use.  
This dissertation addresses the substantial shrinkage in the AAS system by simultaneously investigating the autogenous and total drying shrinkage behavior of AAS. Applying three main mitigation strategies, this research presents novel findings to which show significant reductions in AAS’s shrinkage. Firstly, the effect of activator nature on shrinkage was studied, which highlighted the sensitivity of AAS systems to various levels of silicate modulus (Ms) and sodium oxide (Na2O%). 
The findings highlighted the critical interactions between AAS pore solution compositions and shrinkage-reducing admixture (SRA) efficiencies as a shrinkage mitigation technique.  Overall, a 62% and 41% reduction in the measured autogenous and total drying shrinkage were acheived, respectively. 
The second mitigation strategy is the internal curing of AAS by superabsorbent polymers (SAPs). Specifically, the influence of SAPs on reaction kinetics, pore structure, and microstructure of AAS was studied based upon the SAPs desorption kinetics (i.e., concentrations and release timing). SAPs significantly mitigated the autogenous and total drying shrinkage up to 90% and 30%, respectively.
Finally, the third strategy combines the benefits of both SRAs and SAPs to address the shrinkage behavior of AAS. At the time of submission, this combination approach has not been investigated to the best of our knowledge. This novel approach investigated the potential interactions between SRA molecules and SAPs networks, yielding enhancement in mitigation of the total drying shrinkage by around 69%. This effect is attributed to the comprehensive influence of both the surface tension and internal relative humidity.