Faculty
Alejandro Martinez, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Davis
Email: amart (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Link to faculty page
Link to professional CV
Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2015.
Advanced Teaching Certificate, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2015.
M.S.C.E., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012.
B.S., Civil Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2010.
I joined UC Davis in 2016, after finishing my post-doc and graduate school at Georgia Tech. My research interests include soil-structure interface behavior, biogeotechnics, micromechanics of granular media, and deep foundations. I strive to employ a variety of tools, such as custom-made and conventional laboratory experiments, discrete- and continuum-based numerical simulations, and physical modeling using geotechnical centrifuges, as to approach a given research topic from different angles and spatial scales.
Current Members
Graduate Students
Riya Anilkumar
Degree Objective: Ph.D.
Email: ranilkumar (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: Self-burrowing Probes
Research Interests: Bio-inspired and bio-mediated geotechnical engineering
Link to CV
B.Tech , Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (2017-2021)
Foreign Exchange Program at KAIST, South Korea (2020)
Riya completed her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in 2021. She also completed a semester at KAIST, South Korea, through a semester exchange program during her undergraduate education. For her Bachelor's thesis, she worked in the domain of 3D particle shape characterization. In addition to her coursework, she also worked in the fields of bio-inspired and bio-mediated geotechnical engineering. She started her graduate studies at UC Davis in the Fall of 2021.
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Aly Ghanem
Email: aghanem (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Degree Objective: Ph.D.
Research Topic: Self-borrowing probe
Research Interests: Bio-inspired geotechnical engineering
Link to CV
B.S. Civil Engineering, Cairo University, 2020
M.S. Geotechnical Engineering, Cairo University, 2023
Aly earned his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Cairo University in 2020 and his master’s degree in 2023. For his master’s thesis, he studied the effect of chemical stabilization using cement on the dynamic behavior of sand slopes using shake table tests. During his master’s, he also worked in a geotechnical consultancy firm where he worked on several consultancy projects. He started his Ph.D at UC Davis in 2023.
Hyeon Jung Kim
Email: hyki (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Degree Objective: Ph.D.
Research Topic: Snakeskin-Inspired Interfaces
Research Interests: Bio-inspired geotechnical engineering, deep foundations
Link to CV
B.S., Civil Engineering, CU Boulder, 2016
M.S., Civil Engineering, CU Boulder, 2017
Hyeon Jung obtained his undergraduate degree from CU Boulder in Civil Engineering in 2016 and completed his Master’s in Geotechnical Engineering from CU Boulder in 2017. For his Master’s thesis, he worked on the numerical investigation of nonlinear consolidation and secondary compression. After graduation, he worked for an IT company (MIDAS IT) and developed and managed civil engineering-related software programs. Next, he worked as a research engineer in geotechnical engineering consultant (C&Tech) and investigated soil sites and conducted experiments. In the Fall of 2022, he started his Ph.D. at UC Davis.
Damon Nguyen
Email: dtlnguyen (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Degree Objective: Ph.D.
Research Topic: Snakeskin-Inspired Interfaces
Research Interests: Bio-inspired geotechnical engineering, Snake-Skin interfaces
Link to CV
B.S., Civil Engineering, UC Davis, 2021
M.S., Civil Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2022
Damon completed his master’s degree in geomechanics at UC Berkeley right after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis. During his time as an undergraduate student, Damon helped develop an open-source program called “QuSTo,” which quantifies the shape of asperities on a biological surface. This aided the bio-inspired design of snakeskin-like surfaces for geotechnical mechanisms where anisotropic strength is beneficial. Now Damon is back at Davis to continue and expand upon his work on this project.
Alejandro J. Perez
Email: ajperez (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Degree Objective: Ph.D.
Research Topic: Effects of Internal Erosion on the Strength and Settlement of Gap Graded Soils
Research Interests: Internal Erosion, Internal Stability, Suffusion/Suffosion
Link to CV
B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Davis, 2018
M.S., Civil Engineering, UC Davis, 2020
Alejandro Perez attended Contra Costa College in San Pablo, CA before transferring to UC Davis in 2015, and thereafter completed his is B.S. in Civil Engineering in 2018 with an emphasis in Water Resources and Geotechnical Engineering. Alejandro continued his focus in Water Resources and Geotechnical Engineering for his M.S degree at UCD, completing his Master’s thesis in 2020 on the filtration of colloidal particles in porous media. In addition to his academic career, Alejandro has had professional experience as a student intern at the CA Dept. of Water Resources for the past 4 years assisting in technical analysis for CA state programs. Alejandro now uses his interdisciplinary training to research internal erosion effects for embankment dam safety purposes.
Ruijie Huang
Email: rjhhuang(at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Degree Objective: Ph.D.
Research Topic: Footing behavior
Research Interests: Shallow Foundations, Bio-inspired Geotechnical Engineering, Centrifuge Modeling.
Link to CV
B.S., Civil Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, 2022
M.S., Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, 2025
Ruijie obtained his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Chengdu University of Technology in 2022 and his Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Chongqing University in 2025. His Master’s thesis explored root-inspired anchors using transparent soil modeling, with a focus on how branch patterns affect anchor pullout efficiency and contribute to slope reinforcement. In the Fall of 2025, he started his Ph.D. at UC Davis.
Simeon Buttery
Email: sbuttery (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Degree Objective: M.S.
Research Topic: Effects of Gradation and Fines Content on the Bearing Capacity of Sands
Research Interests: Shallow Foundations, Site Characterization, Centrifuge Modeling
Link to CV
B.S., Civil Engineering, UC Davis, 2025
Simeon Buttery completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at UC Davis in 2025. During this time, he worked at the Center for Geotechnical Modeling as an undergraduate assistant. Here, he aided other graduate students on their projects, ranging from MICP reinforced sand to modeling cracks within levees. Additionally, he led research on evaluating how the stiffness of permafrost changes as it melts within a centrifuge. To continue his passion of experimental research, Simeon started a M.S. at UC Davis in the Fall of 2025.
Postdoctoral Scholars
Xiaotong Yang
Email: xttyang (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: Centrifuge Modeling of Offshore Foundations
Research Interests: Bio-inspired Geotechnical Design, Geotechnical Material Testing Techniques
Link to CV
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, 2025
B.S., Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, 2020
Xiaotong Yang earned his Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2025, following his B.S. from Tianjin University (2020). During his doctoral studies, he conducted research as a visiting scholar at UC Davis (2024) and the University of Tokyo (2023). His Ph.D. research investigated “Assessment of In-Situ Mechanical Properties of Sand through Laboratory Test and Rotary Cone Penetration Test”. He started his postdoctoral position at UC Davis in August 2025, focusing on centrifuge modeling of offshore foundations and bio-inspired geotechnical design.
Visiting Scholars
Chengshun Shang
Email: csshang(at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Degree Objective: Ph.D.
Research Topic: Discrete element modeling of biocemented sand
Research Interests: Granular Materials, Bio-mediated Geotechnical Engineering, Discrete Element Modeling.
Link to CV
B.S., Mining Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, 2018
M.S., Geotechnical Engineering, Shandong University, 2021
Chengshun holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering, which was awarded in 2018. He later earned his Master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering from Shandong University (China) in 2021. During his M.S., he concentrated on applying the DEM-CFD coupling method to simulate the erosion and water inrush disaster in the fault area during tunnel construction. Since 2021, Chengshun has been pursuing his Ph.D. as a candidate at CIMNE (Spain), where he actively contributes as a developer to the open-source software Kratos Multiphysics (DEMApplication). His Ph.D. research focuses on the development of DEM-based methodologies and applying them to model cemented geomaterials.
Undergraduate Students
Navleen Kaur
Email: nvlkaur (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Degree Objective: B.S.
B.S., Civil Engineering, UC Davis, 2026
Navleen began studying at UC Davis in 2022 and expects to graduate in 2026 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering with emphases in Geotechnical and Structural Engineering. In the summer of 2024, Navleen began conducting research in the Granular Materials Lab, working on characterizing various granular materials. She aims to continue gaining research experience throughout her time at UC Davis and plans to pursue a research-based master’s degree after completing her undergraduate studies.
Past Members
Doctoral Students
Lin Huang, Ph.D., UC Davis (2025) - Centrifuge modeling of shared ring anchors for floating offshore wind turbines - ENGEO
Matthew Burrall, Ph.D., UC Davis (co-advised) (2023) - Tree root-inspired anchorage systems - Geosyntec
Mandeep Singh Basson, Ph.D., UC Davis (2023) - Multiscale characterization of coarse-grained soils considering fabric and gradation - California Division of Safety of Dams
Kyle O'Hara, Ph.D., UC Davis (2023) - Snakeskin-inspired surfaces and piles - Caltrans
Yuyan Chen, Ph.D., UC Davis (2022) - Bioinspired self-burrowing probe - Associate professor at Tianjin University
Sharif Ahmed, Ph.D., UC Davis (2021) - 3D printed and gravelly soils - HVJ Associates
Kevin Kuei, Ph.D., UC Davis (co-advised) (2021) - DEM simulations of well-graded soils - California Division of Safety of Dams
Master's Students
Khoa Tran, M.S. UC Davis (co-advised) (2021) - Tree root-inspired anchors - Langan Engineering
Olivia Hunt, M.S. UC Davis (2021) - Bioinspired Penetration - HDR Engineering
Sam Follett, M.S. UC Davis (2021) - Centrifuge Modeling of Flyash Impoundments - Caltrans
Jasmine Miller, M.S. UC Davis (2021) - Tree-root Inspired Soil Anchors - US Army Core of Engineers
Sophia Palumbo, M.S. UC Davis (2018) – Snakeskin-Inspired Interfaces - Geosyntec Consultants
Postdoctoral Scholars
Jiarui Chen (2024) - Characterization and dewatering of waste materials - Research And Development Engineer at UC Berkeley
Yuyan Chen (2023) - Self-burrowing probes - Associate professor at Tianjin University
Srikanth Madhabushi (2020) - Centrifuge Modeling of Flyash Impoundments - Assistant professor at CU Boulder
Mahesh Sharma (2020) - Tree root-inspired anchors - Assistant professor at Himachal Pradesh University
Ali Khosravi (2018) - Bioinspired probes - Assistant professor at Auburn University
Visiting Scholars
Hongcheng Jiao (2025) from The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Hypoplasticity modeling of large deformation processes
Yiru Chen (2025) from The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Hypoplasticity modeling of unsaturated soils
Sujia Liu (2025) from Tsinghua University - Root-inspired anchors
Xiaotong Yang (2024) from Tsinghua University - Rotary CPT penetration
Dr. Sanchari Mondal (2024) from the University of Melbourne - Crushing at soil-structure interfaces.
Dr. Ningning Zhang (2023) from RWTH Aachen University - Self-burrowing probes
Gayathri Venu Latha (2022) from India Institute of Technology - Snakeskin-inspired interfaces
Aliyeh Afzali-Nejad (2020) from Shiraz University of Technology - Interface shear behavior
Undergraduate Students
Sushmeen Kaur, B.S., UC Davis (2025) - Particle size distribution of fly ash
Aatefa Rahimi, B.S., UC Davis (2025) - Particle size distribution of fly ash
Rosemary Reuiter, B.S., UC Davis (2024) - Thermal properties of sands, M.S. student at UC Berkeley
Fabian Zamora, B.S., UC Davis (2023) - Field tests on snakeskin-inspired anchors, Bennett Trenchless Engineers
Nanthaya Mira Verweij, REU at UC Davis (2023) - Calibration of probes for estimation of soil water content, M.S. student at UC Davis
Junhan Li, B.S. UC Davis (2023) - Root-inspired penetration and optimization of DEM parameters, M.S. student at UC Berkeley
Davis Kim, B.S. UC Davis (2023) - Fly ash runout behavior and root-inspired penetration, M.S. student at UCLA
Chad Autry, REU at UC Davis (2023) - Snakeskin-inspired surfaces - Transferred to UC Davis
Breiner Rodas, REU at UC Davis (2022) - Circumnutation-inspired penetration
Alex Orlando, B.S. UC Davis (2022) - Offshore anchors - MS student at UCLA (Structural Engineering)
Damon Nguyen, B.S. UC Davis (2021) - Snakeskin-inspired surfaces - PhD student at UC Davis (Geotechnical Engineering)
Justin Moreno, B.S. UC Davis (2021) - Bioinspired self-anchoring device
Mogan Teng, B.S. UC Davis (2020) - Tapered piles
Seth Talkington, B.S. UC Davis (2020) - 3D printed soils, Snakeskin-Inspired Interfaces
Saman Lavasani, B.S. UC Davis (2021) – Centrifuge Modeling of Flyash Impoundments
Kevin Chavira, B.S. UC Davis (2020) – Centrifuge Modeling of Flyash Impoundments
Henry Wijaya, B.S. UC Davis (2020) - Centrifuge modeling of fly ash impoundments - MS student at UC Davis (Geotechnical Engineering)
Jasmine Miller, B.S. UC Davis (2019) - Shear wave velocity relationships in 3D printed soils - US Army Core of Engineers
Julia Loshelder - Honeybee-inspired soil penetration – PhD student at the University of Arkansas (Geotechnical Engineering)
Jasmin Lugo - Centrifuge modeling of fly ash impoundments - BS student at the University of Connecticut (Civil Engineering)
Lin Huang , B.S. UC Davis (2018) - Thermal conductivity of biocemented sands - PhD student at UC Davis (Geotechnical Engineering)
Danielle Charleston, B.S. UC Davis (2018) – PIV for Snakeskin DSS Tests - MS student at UC Berkeley (Environmental Engineering)
Hussain Al Shawaf, B.S. UC Davis (2018) – Database for Snakeskin Profiles - MS student at UC Davis (Geotechnical Engineering)
Aliya Karimi, B.S. UC Davis (2018) – 3D printed soils
Hsiang Huang, B.S. UC Davis (2018) – Shear wave velocity in DSS - Hultgren-Tillis Engineers
Harley Lorson (2018) - Compliant snakeskin-inspired surfaces – BS student at Shippensburg University (Biology)
Osvaldo Villa, B.S. University of Arizona (2017) – Database for Snakeskin Profiles - PhD student at Univ. Southern California (Biology)
