Projects & Engineering Portfolio
Selected geotechnical, tailings, civil infrastructure, numerical modelling and construction-phase work across Australia and New Zealand. Descriptions omit confidential client information, exact design parameters, internal model results and dam safety-sensitive details.
Featured Project Case Studies
Tailings, Dams & Mining Infrastructure Support
Context
Operating tailings storage facilities, dams and water management assets requiring ongoing engineering support: seepage assessment, slope stability review, water balance checks and input to dam safety reviews under regulatory and operational constraints.
Technical Contribution
Provided geotechnical and modelling-informed input to design review and risk interpretation: building and reviewing seepage and slope stability models, interpreting ground and phreatic conditions from monitoring data, and comparing design options on a risk and constructability basis.
Methods & Tools
GeoStudio (SLOPE/W, SEEP/W), PLAXIS, water balance review, ground model interpretation, sensitivity checks on key material and phreatic assumptions.
Deliverables
Technical memoranda, model review comments, risk interpretation input to dam safety review documentation and design decision support.
Outcome
Supported risk-informed design and review decisions for tailings and water management infrastructure while maintaining confidentiality of facility-specific details.
Medallion Metals — Mine Site Pads & Access Road Design
Context
A mine site development requiring geotechnical design of infrastructure pads, access roads and supporting earthworks over variable near-surface ground, with limited investigation data and a construction-driven programme.
Technical Contribution
Prepared the geotechnical design inputs: DCP interpretation, bearing capacity assessment, settlement review, subgrade parameter selection and pavement support recommendations, plus constructability review with the civil design team.
Methods & Tools
DCP-based subgrade evaluation, bearing capacity and settlement calculations, pavement design references, ground condition review against proposed loading.
Deliverables
Geotechnical design parameters and reporting suitable for design development and construction-phase decision-making.
Outcome
Practical pad and access road designs that balanced conservatism against limited ground data, cost and site implementation constraints.
Water Infrastructure — Settlement & Deformation Assessment
Context
Watermain construction and rehabilitation works — including micro-TBM trenchless crossings and slip-lining of existing mains — beneath and adjacent to roads, buried services and sensitive infrastructure, where construction-induced ground movement had to be quantified before work could proceed.
Technical Contribution
Assessed ground movement, pavement settlement and pipe deformation risks: built and interpreted numerical models of trenchless crossings and open excavations, ran serviceability checks for affected assets, and reviewed construction sequencing against predicted movements.
Methods & Tools
PLAXIS 2D/3D, empirical and closed-form settlement methods as independent checks, ground-structure interaction interpretation, sensitivity assessment on stiffness and cover assumptions.
Deliverables
Settlement and deformation assessment memoranda, construction risk advice and on-call support for site decision-making during construction.
Outcome
Enabled construction planning with quantified movement expectations and clearly communicated model limitations, supporting safe delivery around existing assets.
Transport Infrastructure — Bridge Abutments, Retaining Structures & Ground-Structure Interaction
Context
Major transport infrastructure works including bridge abutments, permanent and temporary retaining systems and piled foundations adjacent to operating rail and road corridors, requiring tight deformation control and close geotechnical-structural coordination.
Technical Contribution
Provided geotechnical design input for pile foundations and retaining wall systems: lateral earth pressure and wall deformation analysis, pile capacity and lateral response assessment, constructability review and direct coordination with structural engineers on design interfaces.
Methods & Tools
WALLAP, PLAXIS, L-Pile, RocScience, ground model interpretation from investigation data, staged-construction deformation checks.
Deliverables
Design memoranda, retaining wall and foundation design inputs, markups on design drawings and interface documentation with structural teams.
Outcome
Integrated geotechnical-structural designs for infrastructure adjacent to sensitive assets, with deformation performance verified through design review.
Tunnelling & Underground Works
Context
Tunnel design for a pumped hydro scheme and smaller-diameter trenchless drives, involving excavation stability, ground support requirements and deformation response under uncertain geological conditions.
Technical Contribution
Contributed numerical modelling and engineering assessment of tunnel behaviour: excavation stability analysis, ground support option review, interpretation of geological data into model inputs and sensitivity checks on rock mass parameters.
Methods & Tools
PLAXIS 2D/3D, RS2/RS3, RocScience toolset, geological interpretation, staged excavation modelling.
Deliverables
Tunnel stability assessment inputs, ground support review comments and technical reporting for design development.
Outcome
Supported design development and risk management with clearly bounded modelling conclusions, explicit about geological uncertainty and support assumptions.
Landslip & Slope Remediation
Context
Cyclone- and rainfall-induced landslips damaging council road assets, requiring remediation design under constrained budgets, difficult access and continuing rainfall exposure.
Technical Contribution
Supported slope stability assessment and remediation design: back-analysis of failure mechanisms, stability modelling of remediation options, risk-based prioritisation across multiple sites and constructability review of the preferred options.
Methods & Tools
SLOPE/W, GeoStudio, RocScience, site inspection records, rainfall-sensitivity interpretation.
Deliverables
Remediation option assessments, stability analysis reporting and prioritisation input for council asset management decisions.
Outcome
Practical remediation strategies restoring safe road access, matched to each site’s residual risk and the council’s funding constraints.
Pavement, Hardstand & Road Infrastructure Design
Context
Pavement and hardstand design for a Tier-1 alliance project and local government road upgrade programmes, over subgrades ranging from soft alluvium to reactive clays.
Technical Contribution
Prepared pavement and hardstand design inputs: pavement investigations, DCP and CBR interpretation, subgrade assessment, design traffic review and construction-phase verification, coordinating directly with contractors and councils.
Methods & Tools
Pavement investigation and design methods (Austroads-based), DCP interpretation, material assessment, AutoCAD / Civil 3D coordination.
Deliverables
Pavement design reports, subgrade assessment memoranda, inspection records and compliance verification documentation.
Outcome
Constructible, lifecycle-conscious pavement designs delivered to programme across multiple concurrent sites.
Quarry, Fill Monitoring & Geo-Environmental Ground Risk
Context
Quarry backfilling and earthworks over variable and waste-affected fill, where placement quality, material variability and compliance documentation determine the future development potential of the land.
Technical Contribution
Supported fill monitoring and certification: earthworks inspection, compaction compliance verification, coordination of electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) geophysical surveys to map fill variability, and interpretation of ground risk for future use.
Methods & Tools
Field density and compliance testing programmes, ERI survey coordination and interpretation, QA documentation review, ground model development for heterogeneous fill.
Deliverables
Fill certification documentation, inspection records, geophysical survey interpretation reporting and ground risk advice.
Outcome
Improved confidence in earthworks compliance and a clearer picture of ground variability for future development decisions.
Social Housing, Community & Public Infrastructure
Context
Government-led housing and community infrastructure on constrained urban sites, several involving variable fill or waste-affected ground, where cost-effectiveness and authority requirements drive the design.
Technical Contribution
Provided geotechnical investigation, foundation and pavement recommendations, variable fill review and drainage / material considerations, coordinated with civil designers and project authorities.
Methods & Tools
Site investigation programmes, foundation assessment, pavement support evaluation, AutoCAD / Civil 3D coordination.
Deliverables
Geotechnical investigation reports, foundation and pavement recommendations and design coordination input.
Outcome
Safe, cost-effective designs for public assets, delivered within authority and community constraints.
Research-Based Finite Element & Computational Modelling
Context
Doctoral and postdoctoral research programme in computational biomechanics: bone fracture healing, cartilage lubrication, motion capture and muscle loading — porous, load-bearing systems whose behaviour must be characterised from limited experimental data.
Technical Contribution
Primary researcher: formulated and ran finite element models, derived and interpreted material parameters, processed motion capture and muscle loading data, conducted sensitivity studies and published the results in peer-reviewed journals.
Methods & Tools
ABAQUS, COMSOL, MATLAB, Python, machine learning workflows, porous media theory, model validation against independent experimental data.
Deliverables
Peer-reviewed journal publications, a PhD thesis, conference papers and supervised student research — see Research & Computational Modelling.
Outcome
A modelling and validation skill set transferred directly to geotechnical numerical modelling: seepage, deformation, stability and ground-structure interaction problems.
Additional Project Snapshots
Silvan Reservoir High Security Fence
Optimised pile foundation design for security fencing infrastructure at a major water supply reservoir, balancing constructability, durability and cost.
Mt Beauty Raw Water Offtake
Geotechnical and embankment-related support for water infrastructure, integrating ground condition interpretation with practical recommendations.
Merri-bek City Council — Mitchell Parade Retaining Wall
Retaining wall design support for council road infrastructure, considering ground conditions, constructability and public asset performance.
East Gippsland Slip Road
Pavement investigation, design input and construction support for road infrastructure affected by slope instability.
Epping North Water Main
Pipeline trench design and geotechnical support for watermain infrastructure, considering durability, constructability and cost.
Country Garden Residential Development
Construction supervision of a 15-storey residential apartment project in Guangzhou: subcontractor coordination, quality control, safety and issue resolution.