- Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Wollongong (since 2000)
- Head, School of Civil Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong (2006-2012).
- Research Director, Faculty of Engineering, UOW (since 2012)
- Founding Director, Centre for Geomechanics & Rail Engineering (since 1995).
- UOW Coordinator, CRC – Rail Engineering; CRC – Rail Innovation (since 2007)
- Chief Investigator and Program leader: ARC Centre of Excellence in Geotechnical Sciences and Engineering (since 2011)
- Honorary Professor, Uni. of Shanghai for Science & Technology, China (since 2009)
PROFESSIONAL LINKS
BIOGRAPHY
I have pioneered research on both rail geotechnics and road embankments on soft soil in Australian academia since early 1990s. I was instrumental in the successful bid for the first CRC for Railway Engineering in 1999 (Federal Government initiative) and became the founding Director of Centre for Geomechanics and Railway Engineering. My contributions through research to innovative design and construction practices in rail track engineering and problematic ground improvement for stabilising transport infrastructure and have made a significant impact worldwide. My career is characterized by research excellence, close collaboration with industry and the implementation of innovative research-based solutions. Over two decades, my research encompasses a wide spectrum of applications from theory to practice, particularly in transportation geomechanics. I have developed an international reputation for: [a] conceptualisation and design innovation for stabilising rail and road embankments built over soft foundations; [b] novel analytical techniques and design procedures for high speed rail tracks capturing the role of ballast degradation, track confinement and subgrade deformation; [c] dams and embankment design and associated filtration and drainage; [d] analysis of jointed and porous media and stability implications on transport infrastructure. The above contributions have been instrumental in changing the often conservative industry practices, including revisions to some Australian Standards.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
My key strength is the ability to work closely with industry in understanding and finding solutions to the real field problems and being able to disseminate the salient research outcomes to considerable and tangible industry benefits. I have consistently received major national competitive research grants through ARC-Discovery, ARC-Linkage and CRC-Rail over the past 15 years. This has enabled the Centre for Geomechanics and Railway Engineering (GRE) founded by me a decade ago, now being recognised as one of the world’s most active and largest Subgrade Stabilisation and Rail Geomechanics research groups (currently accommodating 38 PhD students and 9 full-time Post-doctoral Research Fellows) with an annual research income over $2.2 million/year. GRE is one of the 3 Geotechnical Centres forming the ARC Centre for Excellence in Geotechnical Science and Engineering funded in July 2010.
PUBLICATIONS
Over 500 scholarly publications including 200+ top ranked, peer-reviewed journals, 6 research-based books, 300+ peer-reviewed national and international conference papers including 45 invited Keynote papers and Special Guest Lectures.
