Faculty
Alejandro Martinez, Ph.D.
Assistant 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
Ph.D. Students
Sharif Ahmed
Email: ssah (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: 3D Printed Soil Analogs for Modeling of Coarse-Grained Soil Behavior
Research Interests: Hertz theory, 3D printed particles, soil behavior
Link to CV
M.Eng., Civil Engineering, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2015.
B.S., Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, 2011.
Sharif completed his undergraduate in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology in 2011 with Geotechnical Engineering as major. He obtained his Master’s in Geotechnical Engineering from Memorial University in Canada on 2015. He worked as a faculty member in three different universities in Bangladesh before coming to UC Davis to start PhD on Fall 2017.
Mandeep Singh Basson
Email: mbasson (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: Fabric properties of granular soils under Monotonic and Cyclic loads
Research Interests: Discrete Element Modelling, Granular Mechanics, Computational Geomechanics
Link to CV
M.Tech, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, 2018
B.Tech, Thapar University, 2015
Mandeep completed his undergraduate in Civil Engineering from Thapar University in 2015 and obtained his Master’s in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 2018. He did his Master's research at Technical University at Munich for seven months as a DAAD fellow. Apart from numerical simulations of Granular media, he has worked on numerous consultancy projects ranging from 3D seepage analysis to forensic slope stability analysis. He started his Ph.D. in Fall of 2018 and, currently, he is a representative to Graduate Student Association and a member of Academic Senate (DTA Committee).
Yuyan Chen
Email: yych (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: Self-burrowing Probes
Research Interests: Probes, Site Characterization, Bio-inspired
Link to CV
M.E., Tongji University, 2018
B.S, Wuhan University, 2015
Yuyan Chen attended Wuhan University, Hubei, China in 2011 and got her bachelor degree in Civil Engineering in 2015. After that, as a student with the exemption of examinations, Yuyan enrolled in Tongji University, Shanghai, China. In addition to her course work and thesis project which focus on building’s seismic performance, Yuyan worked with Professor Jiang Qian and Professor Dimitri E. Beskos in the dynamic response of a poroelastic half-plane to a distributed moving load on its surface. She also attended the International Workshop of Performance-Based Seismic Design of Structures, Oct 2017. Yuyan got her Master degree in Civil Engineering in June 2018 and began her study as a PhD student in UC Davis in the fall of 2018. During this period, she attended Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics Annual Meeting, Nov 2018.
Lin Huang
Email: hlhuang (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: Multi-Ring Anchors for floating offshore infrastructure
Research Interests: Offshore geotechnics and anchors, Soil-structure interface, Bio-inspired geotechnics
Link to CV
B.S., Civil Engineering, UC Davis, 2018
M.S., Civil Engineering, UC Davis, 2020
Lin Huang finished obtained his high school degree in P.R. China and started his Bachelor study in US at Diablo Valley College during 2012. In 2015, Lin transferred to UC Davis and completed the undergraduate degree at 2017. During his B.S., Lin studied Civil Engineering emphasized in geotechnical field, and worked on multiple geotechnical researches including MICP applications and Tree root foundations. In the fall of 2018, Lin started his graduate studies at UC Davis.
Kyle O'Hara
Email: kbohara (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: Snakeskin-Inspired Interfaces
Research Interests: Interfaces, Soil-Structure Interactions, Bio-inspired
Link to CV
B.S., Civil Engineering, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 2016.
Kyle O’Hara attended Cabrillo College near Santa Cruz, California, before transferring to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2014. At Cal Poly Kyle studied Civil Engineering, with an emphasis in geotechnical engineering. In addition to his coursework, Kyle worked in both the field and lab characterizing solid waste. After receiving his B.S. in 2016, he took a brief hiatus from life to cycle across the country and hike the Pacific Crest Trail before beginning graduate studies at UC Davis in the Fall of 2017.
Alejandro J. Perez
Email: ajperez (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
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 and Environmental 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.
Master's Students
Olivia Marie Hunt
Email: omhunt (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: Self-burrowing Probes
Research Interests: Bio-inspired, Sustainability
Link to CV
B.S., Civil Engineering, Louisiana State University, 2019
Olivia graduated from Louisiana State University with her bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in May of 2019. During her undergraduate career, she worked on developing a lightweight Fluorogypsum-based blend for use in coastal restoration structures. Olivia enjoys working with youth and worked at a STEM outreach organization while she lived in New Orleans. During the summer of 2018, Olivia interned with GeoEngineers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she obtained hands-on experience in the lab, field, and office. Olivia is interested in utilizing Matlab and Python for Geotechnical Engineering applications.
Jasmine Miller
Email: jvmiller (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: Self-burrowing probes
Research Interests: Site Characterization, Probes, Bio-inspired
Link to CV
B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, 2018
Jasmine attained her undergraduate education at UC Davis. She graduated in June of 2019 with B.S. in Civil Engineering, emphasizing in geotechnical and structural engineering and minoring in Sustainability in the Built Environment. While an undergraduate at UC Davis, Jasmine held leadership roles in Theta Tau (Co-ed Professional Engineering Fraternity), Professional Sorority and Fraternity Council (PSFC), and ASCE’s Geowall Team. She was an intern for two years at Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWTP). Jasmine will be pursuing development of the self-burrowing site characterization probe while at UC Davis.
Sam Follett
Email: sbfollett (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Research Topic: Centrifuge Modeling of Fly Ash Impoundments
Research Interests: Centrifuge Modeling, Liquefaction, Numerical Modeling
Link to CV
B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, 2015
After obtaining his undergraduate degree, Sam worked for a deep foundation contractor for four years before returning to UC Davis. Sam designed deep foundations and static load test programs for projects throughout California, developed pile installation criteria, aided design teams with acquiring foundation permits, created quality control programs, and acquired his Professional Engineer license for California. Sam enjoys various outdoor activities during his free time, including snowboarding, skiing, camping, hiking, and backpacking.
Undergraduate Students
Damon Nguyen
Email : dtlnguyen (at) ucdavis (dot) edu
Damon Nguyen is a Civil Engineering undergraduate at UC Davis with an interest in geotechnical and environmental engineering. He is a member of UC Davis’s chapter of Tau Beta Pi. With a passion for mitigating human impact, he wishes to advance his computational analysis skills to engineer a world where the built environment and nature can coexist. Besides analytics, he enjoys interacting with the community and giving presentations to others about simple ways to reduce damage done to the environment.
Visiting Scholars
Past Members
Aliyeh Afzali-Nejad, Visiting Scholar - Interface shear behavior
Mogan Teng, B.S. UC Davis (2020) - Tapered piles
Srikanth Madhabushi, Postdoc UC Davis (2020) - Centrifuge Modeling of Flyash Impoundments - Currently an assistant professor at CU Boulder
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
Sophia Palumbo, M.S. UC Davis (2018) – Snakeskin-Inspired Interfaces - Currently at Geosyntec Consultants
Danielle Charleston, B.S. UC Davis (2018) – PIV for Snakeskin DSS Tests - Currently at UC Berkeley (M.S. in Environmental Engineering)
Osvaldo Villa, B.S. University of Arizona – Database for Snakeskin Profiles - Currently at Univ.. Southern California (Ph.D. in Biology)
Hussain Al Shawaf, B.S. UC Davis (2018) – Database for Snakeskin Profiles - Currently at UC Davis (M.S. in Geotechnical Engineering)
Aliya Karimi, B.S. UC Davis (2018) – 3D printed soils
Hsiang Huang, B.S. UC Davis (2018) – Shear wave velocity in DSS - Currently at Hultgren-Tillis Engineers
Harley Lorson Compliant snakeskin-inspired surfaces – Currently at Shippensburg University (B.S. in Biology)
Julia Loshelder - Honeybee-inspired soil penetration – Currently at the University of Arkansas (B.S. in Civil Engineering)
Jasmin Lugo - Centrifuge modeling of fly ash impoundments - Currently at the University of Connecticut (B.S. in Civil Engineering)
Sharif Ahmed