Advancing Geotechnical Engineering to Address Infrastructure, Natural Hazards and Climate Challenges
Geotechnical engineering focuses on understanding the behavior of soils, rocks and the systems built upon them. At UC Davis, geotechnics research brings together engineering and earth sciences to advance knowledge and develop solutions for evolving challenges in infrastructure, natural hazards and climate change. Research spans the development of tools to characterize challenging soils; advanced models for soil behavior and earthquake engineering; new foundation and anchorage systems; numerical simulation; bio-mediated and bio-inspired technologies; fractured rock mechanics; dam and levee performance and risk; and climate-driven hazards in cold regions. Faculty and students use experimental approaches, including laboratory, centrifuge and field testing, alongside numerical modeling and state-of-the-art remote sensing technologies to better understand complex geotechnical systems and inform engineering practice.