School of Civil Engineering

Dr Danish Kazmi

Adjunct Senior Lecturer
School of Civil Engineering
View researcher profile

Researcher Biography

Mr Danish Kazmi performed his PhD research at The University of Queensland (UQ). He investigated the potential use of crushed waste glass as a sustainable alternative to depleting natural and quarried (manufactured) sand in granular columns construction. He is one of the pioneers globally to research the potential use of crushed waste glass to backfill granular columns for ground improvement in clayey soil.

His research mainly focuses on developing sustainable geomaterials by recycling ever-increasing wastes as alternatives to diminishing and increasingly expensive natural aggregates in geotechnical construction, helping the transition towards a circular economy. His research interests include experimental soil mechanics, ground improvement, geocomposite testing and circular economy transitions in geotechnical construction. His research also draws on digital image analysis techniques to perform morphological characterisation of geomaterials through microscopic imaging.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danish-kazmi-1515a2205
ResearchGate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Danish-Kazmi 
Google Scholar: Danish Kazmi
ORCID: 0000-0001-6300-0460
Scopus Author ID: 57192989854
ResearcherID: B-1525-2018 

Non-traditional Research Outputs

High-definition UQ-branded Video Abstract# 1

High-definition UQ-branded Video Abstract# 2

Awards

  1. Awarded the prestigious Career Development Fellowship at The University of Queensland, funded by the Australian Government (2022).
  2. Future Leader Award (Class of 2021) awarded by The University of Queensland.
  3. Young Science Ambassador Award conferred by the Wonder of Science Program Australia for two years in a row (2021 and 2022) to help promote STEM culture in Queensland schools.
  4. Presented at the FameLab, a world-renowned live science competition, as a Queensland Semi-Finalist 2021. 
  5. Global Change Scholars Award conferred by The University of Queensland (2018).
  6. Double Award Winner at the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition at the UQ’s School of Civil Engineering level (First Prize and People Choice Award - 2019).
  7. Awarded participation at the Falling Walls Lab Queensland 2020, becoming one of the top ten researchers and innovators from Queensland selected to present at this event.  
  8. Won The University of Queensland Nomination for the 2021 Schmidt Science Fellowship, becoming one of the three most exceptional PhD students across UQ to apply for this fellowship.

Research impacts and media engagement

UQ News: One person’s waste glass becomes another person’s treasure
Endeavour Magazine (UK): Sustainable Glass
Quarry Magazine: Waste glass a superior alternative for ground improvement
Inside Waste Magazine: Queensland researcher finds replacement for sand in construction industry
Waste Management Review Magazine: PhD candidate develops glass waste construction columns
Sustainability Matters Magazine: Research could save our sand
Architecture and Design Magazine: New sustainable alternative to sand in construction  
Geotechnical Engineering Centre Newsletter 

Research collaborations and engagements

  1. University College London, United Kingdom
  2. Imperial College London, United Kingdom
  3. Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Australia
  4. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia
  5. Enviro Sand, Australia

International Research Journal Reviewer

  1. Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier)
  2. Environment, Development and Sustainability (Springer)
  3. Science of the Total Environment (Elsevier)
  4. Developments in the Built Environment (Elsevier)
  5. Acta Geotechnica (Springer)
  6. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering (Springer)
  7. Geomechanics and Engineering - An International Journal (Springer)
  8. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions (Springer)

Industry placement in Australia

Completed an approved six-week industry placement with Wagstaff Piling at a construction site in Queensland.

Volunteering and community work

  1. Certified Carbon Literate.
  2. UQ Volunteer 
  3. Mental Health First Aider accredited by Mental Health First Aid Australia.
  4. UQ Mental Health Champion
  5. UQ Respect Ambassador
  6. UQ Green Office Representative
  7. UQ Wellness Ambassador

Researcher biography

Dr Danish Kazmi completed his PhD in Geotechnical Engineering at The University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia. His PhD research investigated the potential use of crushed waste glass as a sustainable alternative to depleting traditional construction sands (natural and quarried) to backfill granular columns for in situ ground improvement. He is a pioneer globally in researching the potential use of crushed waste glass to backfill granular columns for ground improvement in clayey soil.

His research mainly focuses on developing sustainable geomaterials by recycling ever-increasing wastes as alternatives to diminishing and increasingly expensive natural aggregates in geotechnical construction, helping the transition to a circular economy.

Danish is a TEDx Speaker and delivered a TEDx Talk at TEDxBrisbane. He is also one of the youngest researchers ever from his centre at UQ to receive a PhD.

Danish won the prestigious Career Development Fellowship at UQ, funded by the Australian Government. He received the coveted UQ Global Change Scholar Award and Future Leader Award. He won the Young Science Ambassador Award for the Wonder of Science Program in Australia to help promote a STEM culture in Queensland schools. He is a passionate science communicator and a double award winner at the Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®) at the UQ's School of Civil Engineering level. His PhD research has been featured in several Australian magazines and has led him to win several scholarships, alongside his selection to present at well-reputed live science communication events. Danish has published three high-definition UQ-branded Video Abstracts to communicate his research to the broader society and help maximise science outreach. Danish was interviewed by Inspiring Australia as part of Australia's National Science Week celebrations to help spark the interest of students in STEM education. He successfully initiated cross-institutional research collaborations with world-leading organisations and is an invited reviewer for various top-ranking scientific journals.

Danish currently works full-time as a Geotechnical Engineer in the Tunnels & Geotechnics Team (South Queensland Region) at GHD in the Australian industry. Previously, he worked as a full-time Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering at UQ. He is passionate about helping to develop transformative civil and geotechnical engineering solutions through leading-edge research leveraging university-industry collaborations.

Danish is a UQ Global Change Scholar and Green Office Representative. He is an accredited Mental Health First Aider and a UQ Mental Health Champion. He is also a certified Carbon Literate. Danish cares deeply about the environment and believes planet Earth is our most valuable asset. Outside work, he enjoys volunteering for sustainability and social initiatives, connecting with nature, and spending time at the beach.

Australian Geotechnical Industry Experience Highlights

  • Asset management, site inspections, construction quality assurance and compliance
  • Dam inspections, monitoring, regulatory compliance and high-level reporting
  • Geotechnical site investigations (including sonic drilling, auger drilling, etc.)
  • Borehole and test pit logging
  • In situ sampling of soils and rocks
  • Standard Penetration Test (SPT)
  • Dynamic Cone Penetration Test (DCP) and PANDA® Lightweight Dynamic Cone Penetration Test
  • Packer Test (to determine the average hydraulic conductivity of underground rock formations)
  • Geotechnical instrumentation (standpipe and vibrating wire piezometers, data loggers, telemetry, etc.)
  • Geotechnical cost estimation, report writing and proposal development

Publications

Journal Articles (11)
Conference Papers (6)
Thesis (1)

Journal Articles

Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Olaya, Sebastian Quintero, Qasim, Sadaf, Cheng, Yi Pik, Grizi, Athina and Javadi, Akbar A. (2024). Correction: Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 42 (5), 3633-3634. doi: 10.1007/s10706-024-02786-5
Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Quintero Olaya, Sebastian, Qasim, Sadaf, Cheng, Yi Pik, Grizi, Athina and Javadi, Akbar A. (2024). Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 42 (5), 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s10706-024-02748-x
Flottmann, Sophie, Williams, David and Kazmi, Danish (2023). Cost-effectiveness of tailings dewatering and stacking. Australian Geomechanics Journal, 58 (1), 81-88. doi: 10.56295/agj5814
Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Quintero Olaya, Sebastian, Qasim, Sadaf, Cheng, Yi Pik and Carraro, J. Antonio H. (2022). Kaolin clay reinforced with a granular column containing crushed waste glass or traditional construction sands. International Journal of Geomechanics, 22 (4) 04022030. doi: 10.1061/(asce)gm.1943-5622.0002322
Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Qasim, Sadaf and Cheng, Yi Pik (2021). The potential use of crushed waste glass as a sustainable alternative to natural and manufactured sand in geotechnical applications. Journal of Cleaner Production, 284 124762, 124762. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124762
Kazmi, Danish, Williams, David J. and Serati, Mehdi (2020). Waste glass in civil engineering applications – a review. International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, 17 (2) ijac.13434, 529-554. doi: 10.1111/ijac.13434
Kazmi, Danish, Qasim, Sadaf, Harahap, I. S.H. and Baharom, Syed (2017). A probabilistic study for the analysis of the risks of slope failure by applying HEART technique. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 35 (6), 2991-3003. doi: 10.1007/s10706-017-0297-6
Kazmi, Danish, Qasim, Sadaf, Harahap, I. S.H. and Vu, Thu Hang (2017). Analytical study of the causes of the major landslide of Bukit Antarabangsa in 2008 using fault tree analysis. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, 2 (1) 55. doi: 10.1007/s41062-017-0105-4
Kazmi, Danish, Qasim, Sadaf, Harahap, I. S.H. and Baharom, Syed (2017). Landslide of Highland Towers 1993: a case study of Malaysia. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, 2 (1) 21. doi: 10.1007/s41062-017-0069-4
Kazmi, Danish, Qasim, Sadaf, Harahap, I. S. H., Baharom, Syed, Mehmood, Mudassir, Siddiqui, Fahad Irfan and Imran, Muhammad (2017). Slope remediation techniques and overview of landslide risk management. Civil Engineering Journal, 3 (3), 180-189. doi: 10.28991/cej-2017-00000084
Kazmi, Danish, Qasim, Sadaf, Harahap, I. S. H., Baharom, Syed, Imran, Muhammad and Moin, Sadia (2016). A Study on the Contributing Factors of Major Landslides in Malaysia. Civil Engineering Journal, 2 (12), 669-678. doi: 10.28991/cej-2016-00000066

Conference Papers

Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Qasim, Sadaf, Cheng, Yi Pik and Olaya, Sebastian Quintero (2020). A comparative study on shear strength of crushed waste glass with natural and manufactured sand. 54th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, United States, 28 June - 1 July 2020. American Rock Mechanics Association.
Kazmi, Danish, Williams, David J. and Serati, Mehdi (2019). Comparison of basic geotechnical parameters of crushed waste glass with natural and manufactured sands. 53rd US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, New York, NY, United States, 23-26 June 2019. Alexandria, VA, United States: American Rock Mechanics Association.
Qasim, Sadaf, Kazmi, Danish, Harahap, Indra S. H., Imran, Muhammad and Sandhu, Abdul Razzaque (2018). Probabilistic assessment of bored pile wall: a slope stabilisation technique. International Conference on Civil, Offshore & Environmental Engineering 2018 (ICCOEE 2018), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 13-14 August 2018. Les Ulis, France: EDP Sciences. doi: 10.1051/matecconf/201820304006
Kazmi, Danish, Qasim, Sadaf and Harahap, I. S.H. (2017). Evaluation of the causes of Bukit Antarabangsa 2008 landslide by using fault tree analysis. 6th International Conference of Euro Asia Civil Engineering Forum (EACEF 2017), Seoul, South Korea , 22-25 August 2017. Les Ulis, France: EDP Sciences. doi: 10.1051/matecconf/201713804009
Kazmi, Danish, Qasim, Sadaf, Harahap, I. S.H., Baharom, Syed, Masood, Arjumend and Imran, Muhammad (2017). A study on landslide risk management by applying fault tree logics. 3rd International Conference on Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering (ICMME 2016), Shanghai, China, 21-23 October 2016. Les Ulis, France: EDP Sciences. doi: 10.1051/matecconf/20179517009
Qasim, Sadaf, Harahap, I. S.H., Baharom, Syed, Imran, Muhammad and Kazmi, Danish (2016). Investigating the potential of soil-nail retaining structures as a slope strengthening remedy by capitalizing on reliability analysis technique. 3rd International Conference on Civil, offshore and Environmental Engineering, ICCOEE 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 15-17 August 2016. London, United Kingdom: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/b21942-7

Thesis

Kazmi, Danish (2022). Geotechnical Behaviour of Soil Reinforced with Granular Columns Backfilled with Alternative Sand Sources. PhD Thesis, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/441e153