Numerical Research

Numerical researchers

Numerical Research

PhD students enjoying geotechnical finite element analysis

PhD and researchers Autumn 2017

PhD students

PhD students and researchers in geotechnics: Autumn 2017

laboratory research

Laboratory research

PhD students working in the Bishop lab

PhD students are engaged across all of the main research activities in the Geotechnics Section and enjoy many other oppotunities during their time here.  Our PhD alumni are spread across the world working in both industry and academia.

For  information on current research vacancies, please contact either Dr Stavroula Kontoe or Sue Feller. For more information about the PhD programme, please visit the  For more information about the PhD programme, please visit the Department's postgraduate research pages. This page includes details of fees, what to put into an application, and how to apply. 

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Geotechnics Academic and Teaching Staff A-Z
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Richard Jardine

Professor of Geomechanics, FREng, MSc, DIC, PhD, FICE, FCGI
Soil mechanics; Constitutive behaviour; Laboratory and field experiments; Instrumentation; Geotechnical design; Soft Ground engineering; Deep foundations; Offshore geotechnics; Geohazards; Cold region geotechnics.

James Lawrence

Reader in Geological Engineering, PhD
Undergraduate Year 1 Coordinator
Upper cretaceous carbonates (Chalk); Geological disposal of radioactive waste; Geomechanics; Structural geology; Petroleum reservoir characterisation; Modelling slope instability; Coastal recession related to the impact of climate change and weathering of rock.

Truong Le

Lecturer, PhD
Soil properties, advanced laboratory testing, soil characterisation, soft and stiff clayey soils, geotechnical instrumentation.
Email Truong

Catherine O'Sullivan

Professor of Particulate Soil Mechanics, PhD, MIEI
Head of Geotechnics Section
Discrete element modelling; Particulate soil mechanics; Micro-computed tomography; Internal erosion; Stress wave propagation; Cyclic soil response; Validation of discrete element models (DEM).
Dave Potts

Dave Potts 

GCG Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, PhD, FREng, CEng, FICE
Application of FEM to geotechnical problems; Geotechnical numerical analysis; Constitutive modelling; Soil-structure interaction.

David Solans Roa

Teaching Fellow in Geotechnics, PhD
Numerical modelling of geotechnical infrastructure under static and seismic loading conditions.
Jamie Standing

Jamie Standing

Professor of Ground Engineering, PhD, CEng, MICE
Chair of the Undergraduate Exam Board
Soil-structure interaction; Tunnelling and deep excavations; Field monitoring; Piles; Model testing; Partly saturated soils and residual soils.

David Taborda

Reader in Geomechanical Modelling,  DIC, PhD 
Department ICT Representative
Director of PhD programme

Computational geomechanics; Constitutive modelling of soils; Soil dynamics; Cyclic soil behaviour; Soil-Structure interaction; Geothermal energy systems; Thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of soils; Optimisation algorithms.

Katerina Tsiampousi

Senior Lecturer PhD
Director of the MSc Programme in Civil and Environmental Engineering
THM modelling of geo-materials; Behaviour of partially saturated media in deep nuclear repositories; Reliability and risk of geotechnical structures (excavations, tunnels, slopes, foundations); Behaviour of railway embankments under seasonal changes in suction.

Ken Vinck

Lecturer in Geotechnics, MSc, DIC, PhD
Director of MSc in Soil Mechanics

Advanced laboratory testing and field experiments, Soil and Site characterisation; Offshore geotechnics; Hydraulic fill; Soil improvement; Planetary geotechnics; Carbonate soils.

Lidija Zdravkovic

Professor of Computational Geomechanics, DIC, PhD 
Development and application of FEM in geotechnical engineering; Constitutive modelling; Unsaturated soils; THM modelling of geomaterials; Soil-structure interaction; Laboratory testing of soils.
Geotechnics Academics A-Z
Geotechnics Academics A-Z

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Geotechnics Research Students A-Z
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Stamatina Alexandropoulou

Started Oct 2021
Modelling the behaviour of compacted bentonite at high temperatures (up to 200°C)
Supervised by: Zdravkovic, L.Potts, D.M.
As part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Nuclear Energy Futures and Nuclear Waste Services (NWS)
Email Stamatina

Clive Appleyard

Started 2019
Pile interceptions of Major Tunnelling projects
Supervised by: Standing, J.R.
Email Clive
Sinead Birks

Sinead Birks

Started Oct 2020
Geological and geomorphological characterisation of West Cumbria
Supervised by: Lawrence, J.A; Coleman, C. 
Email Sinead

Marina Schnaider Bortolotto

Started Nov 2019 
Investigation on the thermal behaviour of granular materials
Supervised by: O'Sullivan, C.Taborda, D.
Email Marina
Anthony Carpenter

Anthony Carpenter

Started Sep 2019
Long-term nuclear decommissioning InSAR monitoring
Supervised by: Lawrence, J.A; Ghail, R.C.
Email Anthony

Maria Ibrahim Rachwan

Started Mar 2023
TBC
Supervised by: Taborda, D.
Email Maria

Emilia Castillo Fuentes

Started June 2021
Foundation systems for offshore wind developments in deep waters
Supervised by: Zdravkovic, L.Potts, D.M.
Email Emilia

Han Ming Lai 

Started Oct 2023
Ground water composition in the design of nuclear waste disposal
Supervised by: Zdravkovic, L.Potts, D.M.
Email Han Ming

Hsuan-Yi Li

Started Oct 2022
SAR and multi-spectral integration for unsupervised crop type mapping to predict yield and biomass
Supervised by: Lawrence, J.A
Email Hsuan-Yi

Jiaming Liu

Started Oct 2022
Numerical study of tunnel-raft interaction in soft clays
Supervised by: Tsiampousi, A.Taborda, D.
Email Jiaming

Shengjie Ma

Started Mar 2022
Seismic response of structures within interbedded layers of distinct hydro-mechanical features
Supervised by: Kontoe, S.Taborda, D.
Email Shengjie

Alison Provost

Started Nov 2022
TBC
Supervised by: Taborda, D. 
Email Alison
 

Tony Maher

Started Sep 2019
Retardation of radionuclides and contaminants in weathered chalk
Supervised by: Lawrence, J.A.; Ghail, R.C.
Email Tony
 Christos Miltiadis

Christos Miltiadis 

Started Mar 2021
Effect of climate change projections on infrastructure assets  
Supervised by: Zdravkovic, L.Tsiampousi, A.Onof, C.
Email Christos
 Tokio Morimoto

Tokio Morimoto

Started Sep 2022
A DEM analysis of thermal effects on micromechanics of packed granular beds
Supervised by: 
Email Tokio

Yohei Nakamichi

Started Oct 2021
Particle-scale simulation of clay using moleculer dynamics
Supervised by: O'Sullivan, C.; Angioletti-Uberti, S.; Tangney, P. 
Email Yohei

Fabian Ortiz Wall

Started Sep 2023
Modeling foundations for Offshore Wind Turbines subjected to complex loading conditions
Supervised by: Taborda, D.Kontoe, S.
Email Fabian
 

 

Jose Salomon 

Started Apr 2021
Undrained instability in saturated sands: Coupled DEM-CFD Analyses
Supervised by: O'Sullivan, C.
Email Jose
Tara Sassel

Tara Sassel

Started Oct 2018
Simulating the build-up of soil pressures behind integral bridges
As part of the CDT in Sustainable Civil Engineering
Supervised by: O'Sullivan, C.
Email Tara
Hassan Abdullatif Sindi

Hassan Abdullatif Sindi

Started Oct 2021
Development of new sustainable geo-materials with a focus on desert soils and construction waste
Supervised by: Carraro, JAH.
Email Hassan

Pishun Tantivangphaisal

Started Mar 2022
Evaluation, development and practical application of constitutive models for sands under cyclic loading
Supervised by: Taborda, D.
Email Pishun

Yongxin Wang

Started Nov 2023
Particle-scale simulation of soil-polymer interaction in sand
Supervised by: O'Sullivan, C.
Email Yongxin

Ahmad Agus Widodo

Started Nov 2023
Flood embankment deterioration
Supervised by: Le, T.
Email Agus
 

Jamie Wills Sanin

Started Mar 2020
Influence of particle level variability in soil stochastic behaviour
Supervised by: Standing, J.R.O'Sullivan, C.
Email Jamie

Han Yang

Started Oct 2022
Effect of ash cover in infrastructure embankments on their life cycle stability and serviceability
Supervised by: Standing, J.R.Zdravkovic, L.
Email Han

Isabella (Shihan) Zhang 

Started Feb 2023
Satellite Remote Sensing of Agriculture With Combined Multispectral and InSAR
Supervised by: Lawrence, J.A.
Email Shihan
Geotechnics Research Students A-Z
Geotechnics Academics A-Z

View completed PhD research titles

PhD Theses 1948-1959

1948

Name Title
Kolbuszewski, JJ Research on packing and density of sands

1950

Name Title
Hafiz, MA Shear strength of sands and gravels
Northey, RD An experimental study of the structural sensitivity of clays
Yassin, A Model studies on the bearing capacities of piles

1951

Name Title
Eldin, AKG Fundamental factors controlling shear properties of sands

1952

Name Title
Bishop, AW The stability of earth dams
Gibson, RE An investigation of the fundamental shear strength characteristics of clays

1954

Name Title
El Ramli, AR Shear strength of compacted materials
Gilbert, GD The basic shear strength properties of weald clay

1955

Name Title
Macdonald, DH The settlement of buildings

1957

Name Title
De Lory, FA Long-term stability of slopes in over-consolidated clays
Fraser, AM The influence of stress ratio on compressibility and pore pressure coefficients in compacted soils
Parry, RHG Strength and deformation of clays

1958

Name Title
Henkel, DJ The correlation between deformations, pore water pressure and strength characteristics of saturated clays
Wood, CC Shear strength and volume characteristics of compacted soil under conditions of plane strain

1959

Name Title
Alpan, I A Study of the principle of effective stress in partly saturated soils
Ambraseys, NN The seismic stability of earth dams

 

PhD Theses 1960-1969

1960

Name Title
La Rochelle, P The short term stability of slopes in London clay

1961

Name Title
Blight, GE Strength and consolidation characteristics of compacted soils
Cornforth, DH Plane strain failure characteristics of saturated sand
Donald, IB The mechanical properties of saturated and partly saturated soils with special reference to negative pore water pressures

1963

Name Title
El-Dujaila, AM The effect of free-surface percolation of misalignment of horizontal line sinks
Matyas, EL Compressibility and shear strength of compacted soils
Sowa, VA A comparison of the effects of isotropic and anisotropic consolidation on the shear behaviour of clay
Wade, NH Plane strain failure characteristics of a saturated clay

1964

Name Title
Morgenstern, NR The limit equilibrium method of slope stability analysis
Walker, BP Experiments on model pile foundations in sands

1965

Name Title
Lee, CM The geotechnical properties of a decomposed granite
Vaughan, PR Field measurements in earth dams

1966

Name Title
Petley, DJ The shear strength of soils at large strains
Webb, DL The mechanical properties of undisturbed samples of London clay and Pierre shale

1967

Name Title
Agarwal, KB The influence of size and orientation of sample on the undrained strength of London clay
Al-Dhahir, ZA Correlation between field and laboratory measurements in earth dams
Tchalenko, JS The influence of shear and consolidation on the microscopic structure of some clays

1968

Name Title
Phukan, AIT Non-linear deformation of rocks
Sarma, Sarada SK Response characteristics and stability of earth dams during earthquakes
Som, NN The effect of stress path on the deformation and consolidation of London clay
Tan, SB Consolidation of soft clays with special reference to sand drains

1969

Name Title
Green, GE Strength and compressibility of granular materials under generalised stress-strain conditions
Kumpaley, NK Triaxial tests on clays and silts at elevated cell pressures
Lovenbury, HT Creep characterstics of London clay
Pigeon, Y The compressibility of rockfill
Tombs, SG Strength and deformation characteristics of rockfill

 

PhD Theses 1970-1979

1970

Name Title
Garga, VK Residual shear strength under large strains and the effect of sample size on the consolidation of fissured clay
James, PM Time effects and progressive failure in clays slopes

1971

Name Title
Bhandari, R Mudflows in stiff-fissured clays
Laing, JM A finite element for investigating cracking in embankment dams
Papastamatiou, DJ Ground motions and response of earth structures subject to strong earthquakes
Pyrah, Ian IC The calculation of deformations in earth structures using numerical methods

1972

Name Title
Reades, Dennys DW Stress-strain characteristics of a sand under three-dimensional loading
Sha’al, Ben Zion The behaviour of cohesionless soils in simple shear under triaxial cyclic loading

1973

Name Title
Atkinson, John H The deformation of undisturbed London clay
Ghaderi-Tafreshi, Mohammed Mehdi  Earthquake resistant design of reinforced concrete columns

1974

Name Title
Gostelow, TP Slope development in stiff over-consolidated clays
Werneck, Mauro Lucio Guedes Field observations of the behaviour of the Upper Lias clay at the Empingham dam site

1975

Name Title
Davies, Peter Creep characteristics of three undisturbed clays
El-Ruwayih, Ayad Ali Stress-strain characteristics of rockfill, and of clays under high pore water tension
SKinner, Angus E The effect of high pore water pressures on the mechanical behaviour of sediments
Wesley Laurence Daniel Influence of stress path and anisotropy on the behaviour of soft alluvial clay

1976

Name Title
Ergun, Mehmet Ufuk Study of the generalised strength characteristics of granular soils in a three-dimensional apparatus
Hamza, Mamdouh The analysis of embankment dams by non-linear finite element method
Lopez-Valadez, Gerardo Antonio Response of soil deposits to earthquakes : a time history approach
Maguire, William Malachy The undrained strength and stress-strain behaviour of brecciated upper lias clay
Sharma, Yogendra Kumar Particulate mechanics of granular soils
Walbancke, Jane Pore pressures in clay embankments

1977

Name Title
Apted, James Peter Effects of weathering on some geotechnical properties of London clay
Sandroni, Sandro Salvador The strength of London clay in total and effective stress terms
Truscott, Edward Glen Behaviour of embankment dams

1978

Name Title
Buri, Prasarn Bhiraj Influence of secondary consolidation and over-consolidation on the behaviour of soft alluvial clay
Daramola, Obisesan The influence of stress history on the deformation of sand
Davachi, Mir-Mohammad Finite element analysis of footings and embankment dam cores
Mardiross, Edward Response of soil deposition the deformable bed-rock during earthquakes and the consequent pore-water pressure dissipation
Pugh, Richard Stewart The strength and deformation characteristics of a soft alluvial clay under full scale loading conditions

1979

Name Title
El-Ghamrawy, Moustafa Kamel Ali Kamel A sandy-clay till – some properties measured during consolidation and shear
Lopes, Francisco de Rezende The undrained bearing capacity of piles and plates studied by the finite element method
Rocha Filho, Pedricto Behaviour in cone penetration tests in saturated sands

 

PhD Theses 1980-1989

1980

Name Title
Costa Filho, Leandro De Moura A laboratory investigation of the small strain behaviour of London clay
Eetamaadi-Idaahi, M Foundation effects in free field ground motions
Martins, Manuel Carlos Reis Large model footing tests on a sandy clay till

1981

Name Title
Egeli, Isfendiyar Pore pressures and volume changes in undrained saturated clays
Lupini, Juan Francisco The residual strength of cohesive soil
Takahashi, Masakazu Transient and cyclic behaviour of a sandy clay

1982

Name Title
Gens, Antonio Stress-strain and strength characteristics of a low plasticity clay
Tsatsanifos, Christos Effective stress method for dynamic response analysis of horizontally layered soils

1983

Name Title
Hight, David W Laboratory investigations of sea bed clays
Martins, John Paul Shaft resistance of axially loaded piles in clay
Symes, Matthew JPR Rotation of principal stresses in sand

1984

Name Title
Chandler, Martin Philip The coastal landslides forming the undercliff of the Isle of Wight
De Campos, Tacio MP Two low plasticity clays under montonic and cyclic loading
Fourie, Andy B The behaviour of retaining walls in stiff clay

1985

Name Title
Jardine, Richard J Investigations of pile-soil behaviour with special reference to the foundations of off-shore structures
Maswoswe, Justice Stress paths for a compacted soil during collapse due to wetting
Shibuya, Satoru Undrained behaviour of granular materials under principal stress rotation
Ziolkowski, Jose Carlos Numerical study of strain rate effects on stress-strain response of soils

1986

Name Title
Leal Lemos, Luís Joaquim The effect of rate on the residual strength of soil
Menu, JMH Engineering studies of near-field earthquake ground motions
Ovando-Shelley, Efrain Stress-strain behaviour of granular soils tested in the triaxial apparatus

1987

Name Title
Dounias, George Progressive failure in embankment dams
Maccarini, Marciano Laboratory studies of a weakly bonded artificial soil

1988

Name Title
Georgiannou, Vassiliki N The behaviour of clayey sands under monotonic and cyclic loading
Haeri, Seyed Mohsen Response of earth and rockfill dams including dam foundation interaction effects
Schreiner, Deneys H Volume changes of compacted and highly plastic African clays
Toll, David G The behaviour of unsaturated compacted naturally occurring gravel

1989

Name Title
Bond, Andrew J Behaviour of displacement piles in overconsolidated clays
Hellings, Jan E The strength and stiffness of soils associated with excavations
Nyaro, Dalmas L Finite element analysis of soil-structure interaction
Tika, Theodora The effect of rate of shear on the residual strength of soil
PhD Theses 1990-1999

1990

Name Title
Bressani, Luis A Experimental properties of bonded soils
Day, Rob A Finite element analysis of sheet-pile retaining walls
French, David J Investigation of a novel pile and anchorage system
Mahmoud, Mahmoud Aspects of the measurement of soil strength using rotating shear devices, with particular reference to the vane test

1991

Name Title
Bommer, Julian J The design and engineering application of an earthquake strong motion database

1992

Name Title
Lehane, Barry H Investigations of pile behaviour using instrumented field piles
Smith, Philip R The behaviour of natural high compressibility clays with special reference to construction on soft ground

1993

Name Title
Ridley, Andrew M The measurement of soil moisture suction

1994

Name Title
Ganendra, Dennis Finite element analysis of laterally loaded piles
Kovacevic, Nebojsa Nesha Numerical analyses of rockfill dams, cut slopes and road embankments
Mahabadi, SG Finite element analysis of earth dam layer systems subjected to strong earthquakes including radiation damping
Marinho, Fernando AM Shrinkage behaviour of some plastic soils
Menkiti, Chris O Behaviour of clay and clayey sand with particular reference to principal stress rotation
Sodeify, K Modelling for response analysis of earth dams subjected to travelling surface waves

1995

Name Title
Parathiras, Achilleas N Displacement rate effects on residual strength of soils
Porovic, Esad Investigation of soil behaviour using a resonant column torsional shear hollow cylinder apparatus
Skempas, Marinos Dam abutment stability with particular reference to the Thisavros Dam
Srbulov, Milutin The prediction of ground sliding induced by strong earthquakes

1996

Name Title
Addenbrooke, Trevor I Numerical analysis of tunnelling in stiff clay
Barakat, MA Measurements of ground settlement and building deformation due to tunnelling
Cottechia, Federica The effects of structure on the properties of an Italian Pleistocene clay
Free, Matthew W The attenuation of earthquake strong-motion in intraplate regions
Passas, N Petrophysical studies of penrith sandstone pertinent to its behaviour in extension
Simpson, KA Attenuation of strong ground motions incorporating near surface foundation conditions
Zdravkovic, Lidija Stress-strain-strength anisotropy of a granular medium under general stress

1997

Name Title
Al-Derbi, MS Evidence for the constant nature of tensile strength in Sadus limestone, Saudi Arabia
Chen, Yung Chieh Seismic bearing capacity of shallow and deep strip foundations
Chow, Fiona Investigations into the behaviour of displacement piles for offshore foundations
Dineen, Kieran The influence of soil suction on compressibility and swelling
Standing, Jamie R Studies of the interface resistance of soil nails
Yeo, LW Anisotropic hydraulic properties of a rock fracture under normal shear loading

1998

Name Title
Nyren, Rob Field measurements above twin tunnels in London clay
Zolfaghani, Mohammad R  GIS based seismic hazard assessment for Iran

1999

Name Title
England, Melvin A pile behaviour model
Kuwano, Reiko The stiffness and yielding anisotropy of sand
Martinez, A The characterisation of near-field earthquake ground motions for engineering design
PhD Theses 2000-2009

2000

Name Title
Cunningham, Mark The mechanical behaviour of a reconstituted, unsaturated soil
Scott, S Definition of hazard-consistent earthquake ground-motions for engineering design and analysis
Sharif, Ather Khaja Dynamic performance investigation of base isolated structures
Shin, Jeong Han Numerical analysis of tunnelling in decomposed granite soil

2001

Name Title
Colmenares-Montañez, Julio Esteban Suction and volume changes of compacted sand-bentonite mixtures
Douglas, John A critical reappraisal of some problems in engineering seismology
Rodriguez Pineda, Carlos Eduardo Hazard assessment of earthquake-induced landslides on natural slopes

2002

Name Title
Hamm, T The response of a porous stone to water vapour
Pellew, Adam Field investigations into pile behaviour in clay
Saldivar Moguel, Emilio Investigation into the behaviour of displacements piles under cyclic and seismic loads

2003

Name Title
Franzius, Jan Behaviour of buildings due to tunnel induced subsidence
Georgiadis, Konstantinos Development, implementation and application of partially saturated soil models in finite element analysis
Hardy, Stuart The implementation and application of dynamic finite element analysis to geotechnical problems
Nyambayo, Vincent P Numerical analysis of evapotranspiration and its influence on embankments
Roberts, JM Creep and soil structure interaction of integral bridges
Rolo, Reinaldo The anisotropic stress-strain-strength behaviour of brittle sediments
Schroeder, Felix The influence of bored piles on existing tunnels
Smith, Phil GC Numerical analysis of infiltration into partially saturated soil slopes

2004

Name Title
Bourne-Webb, Peter Ultimate limit state analysis for embedded retaining walls
Grammatikopoulou, Angeliki Development, implementation and application of kinematic hardening models for overconsolidated clays
Melgarejo, Monica Lucia Laboratory and numerical investigations of soil-water retention curves
Tromans, Iain Behaviour of buried water supply pipelines in earthquake zones

2005

Name Title
Gasparre, Apollonia Advanced laboratory characterisations of London clay
Jotisankasa, Apivat Collapse behaviour of a compacted silty clay
Qadimi, A The cyclic response of a carbonate sand through critical state soil mechanics
Ventouras, K Engineering behaviour of Thanet sand

2006

Name Title
Foundoukos, Michael Investigation of soil anisotropy using a hollow cylinder apparatus and numerical analysis
Kontoe, Stavroula Development of time integration schemes and advanced boundary conditions for dynamic geotechnical analysis
Monroy, Rafael The influence of load and suction changes on the volumetric behaviour of compacted London clay
Nguyen, Anh Minh An investigation of the anisotropic stress-strain-strength characteristics of an Eocene clay
Nishimura, Satoshi Laboratory study on anisotropy of natural London clay

2007

Name Title
Alvarado, Giovanny Influence of late cementation on the behaviour of reservoir sands
Edwards, David Numerical analysis of spudcan foundations
Potts, Vicky Geosynthetic reinforced fill as a load transfer platform to bridge voids
Bodas Freitas, Teresa Numerical modelling of the time dependent behaviour of clays
Zabidi, H Studies of karst in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2008

Name Title
Bodas Freitas, Teresa Numerical modelling of the time dependent behaviour of clays
Zabidi, H Studies of karst in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2009

Name Title
Abela, Jeanette Blinding struts in cut and cover excavations
Aldama Bustos, Guillermo An exploratory study of parameter sensitivity, representation of results and extensions of PSHA: Case study – United Arab Emirates
Zolghadr Zadeh, Hamed Nonlinear soil-structure interaction
PhD Theses 2010-2019

2010

Name Title
Arango Gaviria, Christina Ground-motion prediction for subduction-zone earthquakes: Insights from South and Central American data
Barreto Gonzales, Daniel Numerical and experimental investigation into the behaviour of granular materials under generalised stress states
Cavarretta, Ignazio The influence of particles characteristics on the engineering behaviour of granular materials
Cheung, Geraldine Micromechanics of sand production in oil wells
Papaspillou, Myrto On the incorporation of site response in probabilistic seismic hazard analyses
Schutz, Reinhard Numerical modelling of shotcrete for tunnelling
Shipton, Barbara The mechanics of transitional soils

2011

Name Title
Fonseca, Joana The evolution of morphology and fabric of a sand during shearing
Giannopoulos, Konstantinos Numerical analysis of the re-use of piled roughed foundations
Taborda, David MG Development of constitutive models for application in soil dynamics
Tsiampousi, Katerina Numerical analysis of slopes in unsaturated soils
Wilkinson, Steve The microstructure of UK mudrocks

2012

Name Title
Brosse, Amandine Study of the anisotropy of three British mudrocks using a hollow cylinder apparatus
Hosseini Kamal, Ramtin Experimental study of the geotechnical properties of UK mudrocks
Shen, Chin-Kang A micro-mechanical investigation of drained simple shear tests on dense sand using discrete element simulations

2013

Name Title
Pedro, Antonio MG Geotechnical investigation of Ivens shaft in Lisbon
Rimoy, Siya Ageing and axial cyclic loading studies of displacement piles in sands

2014

Name Title
Alhaj Abdalla, Khalid Mechanical response of two plastic clay soils from Sudan
Avgerinos, Vasilis Numerical investigation of tunnelling beneath existing tunnels
Han, Bo Hydro-mechanical coupling in numerical analysis of geotechnical structures under multi directional seismic loading
Huang, Xin Exploring critical-state behaviour using DEM
Newman, Tim Confined space hypoxia in the Thames Tideway tunnel
Ni Bhreasail, Aine An investigation of the micromechanical response of soil to one dimensional compression in varied thermal conditions
O’Donovan, John Micromechanics of wave propagation through granular material
Pelecanos, Loizos Seismic performance, analysis and design of earthfill dams
Shire, Tom Micromechanical study of suffusion in soils
Wan, Siu Pong Field investigation on effect of tunnelling in London clay
Yu, Jessica Assessing ground interaction effects and potential damage on existing tunnels before and after new excavation work

2015

Name Title
Aghakouchak, Amin Advanced laboratory studies to explore the axial cyclic behaviour of driven piles
Cui, Wenjie Development, Implementation and Application of Thermo-hydro-mechanical Coupling for Soils in Finite Element Analysis
Lessi, Angeliki Seismic engineering: consistent representation of ground motion
Summersgill, Freya Numerical modelling of stiff clay cut slopes with non local strain regularisation

2016

Name Title
Taylor, Howard Assessing the potential for suffusion in sands using x-ray micro-CT images

2017

Name Title
Gawecka, Klementyna Numerical analysis of geothermal piles
Martinez Calonge, Daniel Experimental investigation of the thermo-mechanical behaviour and thermal properties of london clay
Tsaparli, Vasiliki Numerical modelling of earthquake induced liquefaction under irregular and multi-directional loading

2018

Name Title
Buckley, Roisin The axial behaviour of displacement piles in chalk
Knight, Chris Fluid flow and drag in polydisperse granular materials subject to laminar seepage flow
Liu, Tingfa Advanced laboratory testing for offshore pile foundations under monotonic and cyclic loading
Skiada, Evangelia Consistent Incorporation of topography effects into ground motion prediction equations
Ushev, Emil Laboratory investigation of the mechanical properties of Cowden Till under static and cyclic conditions

2019

Name Title
Abadias Gomez, David Constitutive modelling of cyclically loaded soils for application in offshore engineering
Ghiadistri, Giulia Constitutive modelling of compacted clays for applications in nuclear waste disposal
Mantikos, Vasileios Development of novel apparatus for establishing swelling and water retention characteristics of bentonite
PhD Theses 2020-2023

2020

Name Title
Hendarto Assessing local and global displacements from tunnelling and water extraction in Jakarta
Kirkham, Andrew  Development of a new temperature-controlled oedometer
Sailer, Eleonora Numerical modelling of thermo-active retaining walls

2021

Name Title
Morgan, Tom Major faulting in London: Relating tectonic-scale processes to site-scale engineering geology
Scoular, Jennifer Using InSAR to identify potential geotechnical hazards for Tideway East and other tunnelling projects in London
Vinck, Ken Advanced geotechnical characterisation to support driven pile design at chalk sites

2022

Name Title
Adesina, Peter The effects of particle shape and sample grading on the behaviour of granular materials
Bandera, Sara Fundamental analysis of the influence of structure on clay behaviour
Chen, Sihua Thermo-hydro-mechanical characterisation of London clay
Dominquez Quintans, Camelia Static and cyclic characterisation of sandy and silty soils deposited underwater
Edgar, Justyna Addressing infrastructure challenges posed by the Harwich Formation through understanding its geological origins
Elhusain, Luai Experimental study of collapse mechanisms in gravelly soils
Guo, Benjamin Reuse and Sustainability of Flood Defences
Liu, Ryan Yin Wai Numerical modelling of complex thermo-hydro-mechanical interactions in thermo-active pile foundations
Liu, Deyun The influence of particle size distribution on measures of states for granular materials and implications for small strain stiffness
Mider, Malgorzata Understanding geological evolution of chalk cliffs and coastal processes using InSAR
Möller, Julia Katharina Seismic response of monopile foundations for offshore wind turbines in liquefiable deposits
Quinteros, Santiago On the initial fabric and the monotonic triaxial behaviour of an undisturbed fluvial sand and its reconstituted counterparts
Ruiz López, Agustin Development of advanced numerical models for grey cast iron tunnel linings
Solans Roa, David Seismic performance of tailings sand dams
Zhou, Ding Numerical analysis of double-O-tube shield tunnelling

 

2023

Name Title
Koronides, Marios Numerical and field investigation of dynamic soil-structure interaction at full-scale
Morimoto, Tokio Particle-scale numerical study on thermal behaviour of granular materials
Sassel, Tara DEM study of the behaviour of granular materials during drained cyclic loading
Wang, Zixiao An Investigation of ongoing displacements of active faults in the Gobi Desert using persistent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar technique to support the permanent disposal of high-level waste in Beishan, China
Wen, Kai Dynamic and monotonic axial loading responses of piles driven for offshore wind turbines
Xue, Shuai Transient ground response during and after tunnelling

 

 

 

Our academic standing

Accreditation

MEng Accredited CEng (Full)

Our degrees are accredited as fully satisfying the educational base for a Chartered Engineer (CEng). 
See www.jbm.org.uk for further information.

League table rankings

National Student Survey

  • Overall Satisfaction, 90.2 (2022), 89.9 (2021); 78.1 (2020); 88% (2019)

QS World Universities rankings

  • Subject Ranking. Civil Engineering = 6th (2022); 6th (2021); 5th (2020); 6th (2019)
  • Overall, Imperial was voted 7th best university in the world in the 2022 rankings.

Guardian University Guide (UK)

  • Subject Ranking. Engineering: Civil = 3rd (2022); 4th (2021); 1st (2020); 1st (2019)
  • Overall, Imperial was ranked 7th in this year's Guardian university guide. 

The Times Higher Education world ranking

  • Subject Ranking. Engineering and Technology = 14th (2021); 11th (2020); 12th (2019)
  • Overall, Imperial was ranked 11th best university in this year's rankings.

The Sunday Times Good University Guide (UK)

  • Subject Ranking. Civil Engineering = 1st (2022); 4th (2021); 4th (2020); 3rd (2019); 1st (2018)

Complete University Guide

  • Subject Ranking. Civil Engineering = 2nd (2023), 8th (2022); 7th (2021); 6th (2020); 2nd (2019); 1st (2018)
  • Overall, Imperial ranked 5th best university in this year's rankings. 

View the ranking across the Faculty of Engineering

Research assessments
  • REF 2021. 75% of our research was considered 4* (highest rating), and the remaining 25% at 3* (unit of assessment: engineering).
  • REF 2014. 47% of our research assessed to be 4* (highest rating), 48% assessed to be 3* and 5% assessed as 2*  (unit of assessment: civil and construction engineering).
  • RAE 2008. 40% of our research assessed to be 4* (highest rating), 55% assessed to be 3* and 3% assessed as 2* (unit of assessment: civil engineering).

Contact Geotechnics

Geotechnics
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Skempton Building
Imperial College London
South Kensington Campus
London, SW7 2AZ

Telephone:
+44 (0)20 7594 6077
Email: j.otoole@imperial.ac.uk
Alternatively, view our people lists

Follow us on Twitter: @GeotechnicsICL

We are located in the Skempton Building (building number 27 on the South Kensington Campus Map). How to find us