About the centre
The Geotechnical Engineering Centre is funded by Platinum Industry Partner BHP, Gold Industry Partner MRM, and Silver Industry Partners AGA, AusIMM, Aurecon, BASF, KCB, Jellinbah, Mining3, ReoCo (formerly TEXO) and Wagstaff Piling, with matching funding from UQ, providing total funding of up to $0.9 million/year.
The Centre supports six academic positions covering Soil Mechanics, Rock Mechanics and Hydrogeology, and three Postdoctoral Research Fellows, in addition to providing Undergraduate Scholarships and Postgraduate Top-Up Scholarships, funding specialised geotechnical equipment and strategic initiatives in Geotechnical Engineering.
The academic positions add to the existing complement of academic and research staff in Soil and Rock Mechanics, and Geology at UQ, totalling over 10 staff. The highly successful Civil & Geotechnical Engineering and Mining & Geotechnical Engineering Dual Major Degree Programs offered by the Centre are unique in Australia, and are designed to meet the demands of Mining Companies, Geotechnical Consultants and Contractors for graduates with a specialisation in Geotechnical Engineering. Commenced in 2012, the Geotechnical Engineering Dual Major Programs have graduated up to 70 students per year.
The Centre is active in fundamental and applied research in a range of Geotechnical Engineering areas, which is well-supported by research grants, and engages up to 40 Postgraduate Research students. The Centre also manages the Large Open Pit Project (LOP II). The Centre comprises the expertise of a leading research team in geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering, and computational modelling, applied to Civil and Mining Engineering problems. This expertise is made available both to the scientific community, through cutting-edge fundamental and applied research projects, and to industry through collaborative applied research, and high-level consulting and testing services.
GEC is featured in the Endeavour Magazine (UK)
The Geotechnical Engineering Centre (GEC) is proudly featured in the February 2022 issue of the Endeavour Magazine, a global magazine published in the UK boasting over one million readers and viewed by most respected CEOs, Presidents and decision-makers.
The article highlights the pioneering research performed by GEC Researchers using world-leading facilities to help solve modern geotechnical, mining and infrastructure challenges, including the development of sustainable geomaterials to help conserve depleting natural aggregates and support the transition towards a circular economy. The article also highlights some state-of-the-art soil and rock testing and numerical modelling capabilities available at the GEC.
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Geotechnical Engineering Centre staff, researchers and students on mine visits
