The geotechnical group’s interests range from fundamental to applied research in broad areas: constitutive and numerical modelling of static and cyclic saturated and unsaturated soil behaviour at various temperatures; multi-phase flow in soil; mechanical behaviour of granular soil; physico-chemical soil behaviour of clayey soil; soil testing techniques; dynamic soil properties; wave-based characterization of geomaterials; development of innovative geomaterials; geo-energy issues including energy pile foundation and off- shore foundation engineering, geo-environmental problems such as innovative membrane-free landfill covers and green slope engineering; onshore soil-structure interaction involving piles, tunnels, and deep excavation; and the risk and reliability modelling of geotechnical performance. The research is facilitated by the advanced HKUST geotechnical engineering laboratory as well as the state-of-the-art Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility (GCF) at HKUST, which is one of a kind in Hong Kong.

Faculty

Prof. Charles W.W. NG: Slope stability; soil-structure interaction ; unsaturated soil mechanics; centrifuge modeling and field monitoring.

Prof. Limin ZHANG: Pile foundation; quality assurance; slope stability; geotechnical hazards and reliability based design codes.

Prof. Yu-Hsing WANG: Wave-based characterization of geomaterials; dynamic property; micro-sensors; physico-chemical soil behaviour; attenuation mechanisms and measurements.

Prof. Jidong ZHAO: Computational geomechanics; landslide; debris flow, soil liquefaction in foundation; slope and pavement engineering; borehole stability and hydraulic fracturing

Prof. Gang WANG: Geotechnical earthquake engineering; soil dynamics; computational geomechanics and micromechanics.

Prof. Anthony Kwan LEUNG: Fundamental Behaviour; experimental unsaturated soil mechanics; soil water retention and hydraulic conductivity; plant root biomechanics and anchorage mechanism; plant transpiration effects on unsaturated soil properties; Climate-change Adaptive Measures of Geotechnical Systems: slope bioengineering and stabilisation using vegetation; wind-induced tree instability and uprooting; soil-vegetation-structure interaction and its impact on building subsidence.

Representative Research Projects

Understanding Debris Flow Mechanisms and mitigating Risks for a Sustainable Hong Kong (Theme-based Research Scheme Project funded by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, T22-603-15/N)

Coping with landslide risks in Hong Kong under extreme storms: Storm scenarios, cascading landslide hazards and multi-hazard risk assessment (RGC Collaborative Research Project No. C6012-15G)

Green Slope Engineering for Hong Kong (RGC Collaborative Research Fund Project HKUST9/CRF/09)

Green Slope Engineering: Bioengineered, Live Cover Systems for Man-made Fill Slopes and Landfill Capillary Barriers in Hong Kong (RGC Collaborative Research Fund Project HKUST6/CRF/12R)