Geotechnical/geoenvironmental specialty area


Geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineers are concerned with anything built on, in, or of the earth.  These concerns involve both the mechanical properties of geo materials and transport processes for fluids and gases through geo materials.  Geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering includes the analysis and design of foundation systems, slope stability analysis, design and construction of earthworks (including pavement subgrades, embankments, dams and levees, and earthfills), evaluation and control of seepage and flow through porous media, analysis and design of waste containment systems, and geotechnical aspects of earthquake engineering.

Geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering at ASU is focused upon unsaturated soil mechanics, waste mechanics, and geotechnical earthquake engineering.  ASU is a leader in unsaturated soil mechanics applied to the performance of pavement subgrades and the impact of expansive soil upon foundations.  ASU’s unsaturated soil mechanics laboratory is one of the finest in the world and has been responsible for many innovations in unsaturated soil testing.  ASU’s Enamul and Mahmuda Hoque laboratory has unique, large scale equipment for static and dynamic testing of waste materials.  Research on the seismic design of geosynthetic lined landfills being conducted at ASU combines our strengths in waste properties and seismic analysis and design.  Geotechnical research at ASU also includes groundbreaking work on microbially-induced carbonate precipitation for remediation of earthquake hazards in conjunction with the ASU Biodesign Institute’s Center for Environmental Biotechnology.  The work of the Geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering group at ASU on mitigation of geologic hazards (expansive soils, earthquake engineering) and environmental protection and remediation (landfill engineering) has many synergies with the School of Sustainable Engineering for the Built Environment and ASU’s emphasis on resilient and sustainable infrastructure.

Graduate student manuals


Geotechnical and geoenvironmental faculty