Fields of Research

Civil geotechnical engineering
Computational methods in fluid flow, heat and mass transfer (incl. computational fluid dynamics)
Natural hazards
Ocean engineering
Timber, pulp and paper
Numerical modelling and mechanical characterisation
Environmentally sustainable engineering
Marine engineering
Forestry biomass and bioproducts
Food packaging, preservation and processing
Wood processing
Acoustics and noise control (excl. architectural acoustics)
Nanomaterials
Architectural science and technology

Research Objectives

Expanding knowledge in engineering
Civil construction design
Geological hazards (e.g. earthquakes, landslides and volcanic activity)
Soils
Coal mining and extraction
Rail safety
Wind energy
Oil and gas processing
Wood sawing and veneer
Emerging defence technologies
Management of gaseous waste from construction activities (excl. greenhouse gases)
Environmentally sustainable animal production
Oceanic processes (excl. in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean)
Reconstituted timber products
Wood products
Processed fruit and vegetable products (incl. juices)
Environmentally sustainable commercial services and tourism
Wave energy
Cement and concrete materials
Timber materials

Career Best Publications

Research Publications

A comprehensive method for analyzing the effect of geotextile layers on embankment stability; Geotextiles and Geomembranes
A mesoscopic model for thermal–solutal problems of power-law fluids through porous media; Physics of Fluids
A preliminary study of the effect of groundwater flow on the thermal front created by borehole heat exchangers; International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies
An investigation of correlation factors linking footing resistance on sand with cone penetration test results; Computers and Geotechnics
An investigation of cross-sectional spatial variation with random finite element method slope stability analysis; Geotechnical and Geological Engineering
Application of ground penetrating radar (GPR) to detect joints in organic soft rock; Geotechnical Testing Journal
Comparative approaches to probabilistic finite element methods for slope stability analysis; Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory
Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian simulation of a modified direct shear apparatus for the measurement of residual shear strengths; Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
Design and optimisation of drainage systems for fractured slopes using the XFEM and FEM; Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory
Effect of Cutter Soil Mixing (CSM) method and curing pressures on the tensile strength of a treated soft clay; Heliyon
Effect of rock mass permeability and rock fracture leak-off coefficient on the pore water pressure distribution in a fractured slope; Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory
Effect of sand content on the liquefaction potential and post-earthquake behaviour of Coode Island silt; Geotechnical and Geological Engineering
Field investigation of the axial resistance of helical piles in dense sand; Canadian Geotechnical Journal
Finite difference lattice Boltzmann method for modeling dam break debris flows; Physics of Fluids
Geophysical and geotechnical assessment of a railway embankment failure; Near Surface Geophysics
Investigating the elastoplasticity of an Australian soft rock based on laboratory test results; Engineering Geology
Investigation of an Australian soft rock permeability variation; Bulletin of Engineering Geology and The Environment
Long-term dynamic behaviour of Coode Island Silt (CIS) containing different sand content; Applied Ocean Research
Maximising the efficiency of Menard pressuremeter testing in cohesive materials by a cookie-cutter drilling technique; Engineering Geology
Measurement of the tensile strength of organic soft rock; Geotechnical Testing Journal
Modelling the Cone Penetration Test in sand using Cavity Expansion and Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian Finite Element Methods; Computers and Geotechnics
Numerical and analytical investigation of ground surface settlement due to subway excavation; Geosciences
Numerical and finite element analysis of heat transfer in a closed loop geothermal system; International Journal of Green Energy
Optimisation of strength reduction finite element method codes for slope stability analysis; Innovative Infrastructure Solutions
Performance of a geogrid reinforced soil wall on PVD drained multilayer soft soils; Geotextiles and Geomembranes
Post-long-term cyclic behaviour of Coode Island Silt (CIS) containing different sand content; Applied Ocean Research
Prediction and classification for finite element slope stability analysis by random field comparison; Computers and Geotechnics
Probabilistic investigation of RFEM topologies for slope stability analysis; Computers and Geotechnics
Sensitivity of the stability assessment of a deep excavation to the material characterisations and analysis methods; Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources
Simulation of debris flow-barrier interaction using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics and coupled Eulerian Lagrangian methods; Finite Elements in Analysis and Design
Slope stability analysis using deterministic and probabilistic approaches for poorly defined stratigraphies; Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources
Structural behaviour of an Australian silty clay (Coode Island silt) stabilised by treatment with slag lime; Applied Clay Science
The base resistance of non-displacement piles in sand. Part I: field tests; Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering
The base resistance of non-displacement piles in sand. Part II: finite-element analyses; Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering
The effect of geotechnical creep on the safety and reliability of rehabilitated mine pit-lake slopes; 20th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
The effect of instrumentation on the determination of the resilient modulus of unbound granular materials using advanced repeated load triaxial testing; Transportation Geotechnics
The effect of negative excess pore-water pressure on the stability of excavated slopes; Géotechnique Letters
The effect of the depth of cutter soil mixing on the compressive behavior of soft clay treated by alkali-activated slag; KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering
The mechanical behaviour of pre-existing transverse cracks in lignite under uniaxial compression; Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources
The potential of lime and grand granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) mixture for stabilisation of desert silty sands; Journal of Civil Engineering Research
The role of creep deformation in pit lake slope stability; Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources
Unconfined Expansion Test (UET) for measuring the tensile strength of organic soft rock; Computers and Geotechnics
Use of stochastic XFEM in the investigation of heterogeneity effects on the tensile strength of intermediate geotechnical materials; Finite Elements in Analysis and Design

Research Projects

Boosting research capability to develop value-added products for the food and wood industries in regional areas.; Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE)
Integrated numerical modelling approach for design of offshore aquaculture structures (PhD Scholarship); Blue Economy CRC Co (BECRC)
Managing timbers moisture content in the supply chain, construction and in service; FWPA - National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (FWPA - NIFPI)
Mount Wellington Debris Flow Risk Reduction and Mitigation Strategies; Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management [TAS] (DPFEM)
Robust salmon feed delivery systems; Blue Economy CRC Co (BECRC)
Bass Offshore Wind Energy (BOWE) Zone Reviews
Assessment of the performance of horizontal bore drains at the Yallourn mine
Identifying Sources and Surveying Information for Latrobe Valley Brown Coal Mines
Latrobe Valley Brown Coal Mine Batter Stability Research Project (BSP)
Research and Development in Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Engineering

Research Candidate Supervision