Geotechnical engineering educator with over 25 years of experience in analysis, design, and construction of foundations including teaching, research, and consulting.

Research Contributions: Recognized as the leader of two areas of geotechnical research: (1) modeling of soil structure interaction and flow using transparent soil surrogates, and (2) behavior of piling made of recycled polymers.  Additionally performed notable research on plugging of pipe piles, non-destructive testing of drilled shafts, seismic earth pressure, and soil structure interaction of rigidly framed structures.

Scholarship: Authored four books, edited nine books, and published over 130 papers and reports including over 50 refereed journal articles and 12 periodicals/special publications. Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI of over $9 million in funded grants and contracts.

Mentorship: Graduated 6 doctoral and 29 masters students.  Served on the doctoral committees of 17 graduates at three universities.  Currently advising 6 doctoral and one master’s students.
Teaching Interests: Geotechnical engineering; foundation engineering; urban excavation support systems; advanced foundation design; and instrumentation, monitoring, and condition assessment of civil engineering structures.

Awards: Recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and five highly regarded teaching awards.

K-12 Outreach: Employed sensors and robotics in K-12 classrooms to engage students and excite them about pursuing their STEM studies.  Supervised the activities of over 50 Fellows deployed as engineers in residence in a variety of schools.

 
Invited Speaker: Presented over 25 invited research presentations, 67 conference presentations, and 27 short courses to professional groups across the United States and Canada.