Yujie Qi Author

Buddhima Indraratna is Distinguished Professor and Director at the Transport Research Centre, University of Technology Sydney (UTS). His pioneering work includes advancements in technical standards and practice guides, large-scale experimental modelling, computational design methods, and innovative design solutions for industry in the field of geotechnical and transportation engineering. For his significant contributions to Civil Engineering through infrastructure development, ground improvement and transportation geotechnics, Prof Indraratna was bestowed the prestigious state honour of Member of Order of Australia on the Australia Day (26 January 2024) by the Governor General. His salient research outcomes have attracted many other national and international awards, also recognising his pioneering efforts in the use of waste materials for transport infrastructure. For his service and contributions to industry and community, including engagement in numerous infrastructure projects worldwide, he was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Australian Geomechanics Society in 2023, International Civil Engineer Award by the Jose Entrecanales Ibarra Foundation (Madrid, Spain) in 2024, Sir John Holland Civil Engineer of the Year 2024 by the Institution of Engineers Australia, and numerous accolades from the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), Institution of Civil Engineers (UK), International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics (IACMAG) and the Canadian Geotechnical Society. He is a Fellow of the prestigious Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) and other professional organisations (FIEAust, FASCE, FGS), and an Honorary Professor of several international Institutions in Thailand, China and India. He has written over 1000 publications including over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles and 13 Books. He has supervised more than 80 PhD students and mentored over 40 postdoctoral fellows through many research grants in the past 3 decades in Australia.

Yujie Qi is currently a Senior Lecturer and a Program Leader at the Transport Research Centre (TRC), University of Technology Sydney (UTS). After receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil and Geotechnical Engineering at Zhengzhou University, China, She completed her PhD at the University of Wollongong (UOW), Australia in 2018 in Geotechnical Engineering. For this research on waste materials utilisation, her PhD thesis was awarded a special Commendation in conjunction with an Industry Engagement Award by UOW. Her current research involves various aspects of soil dynamics, granular mechanics, geo-mathematical modelling, large-scale process simulation dynamic testing, and more significantly, the use of waste and marginal materials in the design and construction of transport infrastructure with specific applications to railways. In this rapidly evolving strand of Sustainable Geotechnics, Dr Qi is placed within the best 10 cited globally in Google Scholar. She has received prestigious awards including an ISSMGE's Bright Spark Lecture Award (2018) for her contributions made to sustainable infrastructure as a Young Professional, and shared with the co-authors of this Book, the prestigious Sir M. Visvesvaraya Award by the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK) for outstanding overseas contribution through waste materials utilisation for rail infrastructure. She had also received the Best Paper Award for her outstanding research on waste materials at the Young Asian Geotechnical Engineering Conference (9th AYGEC-2019).

Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn obtained his PhD from the University of Wollongong, Australia, specialising on effective ground improvement solutions for low-lying floodplains and coastal terrains for designing robust transport infrastructure. Currently, he is a Professor of Geotechnical Engineering and a Program Leader of the UTS Transport Research Centre. He has been involved in real-life projects based on waste materials including reclamation works, highway maintenance and repairs, construction of access roads and railways using granular waste materials derived from local coal mining sites and steel manufacturing plants. He has published nearly 300 articles in international journals and conferences. Through numerous external grants over the years, he had supervised many PhD students in the emerging fields of ground improvement and transport geotechnics, including the characterisation of waste materials such as coal wash, steel slag, shredded rubber and crushed glass. For his outstanding contributions to the field of geotechnical engineering, he received the prestigious ISSMGE's Young Member Award in 2013, IACMAG's regional contribution medal in 2017, and Hugh Trollope Medal by the Australian Geomechanics Society (AGS) in 2012. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, and currently holds the Chair of AGS Sydney Chapter.