Department of Geotechnics and Transportation

Welcome to the Department of Geotechnics and Transportation, Faculty of Civil Engineering. The Department comprises two main sections: Geotechnical Engineering and Transportation Engineering. Currently, the Department is supported by a team of 30 academic staff from both sections, including six professors, seven associate professors, and a number of senior lecturers.

Geotechnical Engineering focuses on the behavior of natural materials near the earth’s surface, applying the principles of soil and rock mechanics to design safe, economical, and environmentally sustainable foundations, retaining systems, and earth structures. Transportation Engineering, on the other hand, is a broad discipline encompassing the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and control of transportation systems to ensure the delivery of safe, efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable mobility services. The Department also offers two postgraduate programmes: the Master in Geotechnical Engineering and the Master in Transportation Engineering.

In terms of research, several specialized research groups have been established to support various sub-disciplines. The Geotechnical Research Group (GRG) focuses on geotechnical engineering, while the Pavement and Transport Research Group (PTRG) is dedicated to transportation and highway engineering. Research findings are actively disseminated through journal publications, seminars, conferences, short courses, and colloquia.

To date, the Department’s academic staff and researchers have produced hundreds of technical papers published in reputable journals and conference proceedings, alongside various innovative research outputs. In addition, a centre of excellence in tropical geoengineering, known as GEOTROPIK, has recently been established.