Civil Engineering (Geotechnical and Engineering Geology) – (M.Phil.)

Contents

Research Areas

Environmental Engineering

We have a long tradition of being at the forefront of research in environmental engineering. We aim to protect human health and the environment in a sustainable way, with reference to global, regional and local issues and regulations, and in developed and developing country contexts.

Our research strengths include: industrial wastewater treatment; anaerobic digestion; manipulation of the fate of micro-pollutants; pollutant sequestration; bioremediation; risk assessment; sanitation and low-cost water supplies for developing countries; waste stabilisation ponds; constructed wetlands; minewater treatment; carbon neutral initiatives and geothermal energy. Our microbiological research has a strong emphasis on understanding and engineering biological processes using ecological theory, underpinned by leading-edge exploration of molecular techniques (for example fluorescent in situ hybridisation, quantitative PCR, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis).

In addition to the engineering and scientific aspects of our research, we also explore the social, economic and institutional contexts. In recognition of our pioneering research on microbial ecology and minewater pollution, Professor Ian Head was awarded the prestigious Young Investigator Award by the International Society for Microbial Ecology and Professor Paul Younger´s Hydrogeochemical Engineering Research and Outreach (HERO) team was awarded the Queen´s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

Our facilities are well equipped for both routine and specialised analyses, with bench to pilot plant scale reactors for the investigation of novel treatment processes. Our minewater treatment, contaminated land and micro-pollutant research exploits state-of-the-art analytical facilities (for example ICP-AES, GC-MS-MS, LC-MS, GC-IRMS) within the School and at the Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability (IRES). We also have access to greenhouses and a range of field laboratories including the EU-sponsored COSTAR minewater treatment demonstration sites, constructed wetlands and full-scale organic and conventional farms run by the University.

To maintain our position at the forefront of environmental engineering research, we are constantly developing new areas of expertise.

Staff research profiles can also be found on this website, including Professor P Younger (Professor of Environmental Technologies and Geothermal Energy), Professor T Curtis (Professor of Environmental Engineering), Professor I Head (Professor of Environmental Biogeochemistry), Professor D Graham (Visiting Professor from the University of Kansas), Dr P Sallis, Dr D Werner, Dr R Davenport, Dr C Mota, Dr A Jarvis, Dr J Amezaga, Dr C Paterson, and others.



Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

We are an established research unit whose aim is to focus on sustainable geotechnical processes for the urban and natural environments. The synergistic relationship between ourselves and industry has been the key to our success and international standing. We conduct multidisciplinary research in the fields of ground improvement and remediation, in situ testing, geotechnical design, and geotechnical processes in construction and the natural environment. Major achievements include revolutionary developments in electrokinetic geosynthetics self-boring pressuremeters, geothermal testing and the construction of a full-scale embankment for field experimentation.

Research staff within Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology include: Professor B Clarke, Dr S Glendinning, Dr M Rouainia and Dr C Davie.

We are happy to supervise research within the broad disciplines of engineering geology and geotechnical engineering, particularly in any of our current research areas of: ground improvement; geosynthetics; electrokinetics; slope stability; and constitutive modelling. Examples of specific project areas and titles may be obtained from our research projects websites in geotechnical and structural engineering and geoscience.



Structural Engineering

We house a strongly evolving research unit which carries out fundamental and applied research leading to sustainable structural engineering solutions. We are developing internationally competitive research in advanced computational solid and applied analytical structural mechanics. Major areas of current research include: non-linear structural optimisation; non-linear analysis of conventional and non-conventional structures; structural integrity assessment; construction management. General staff interests include: structural engineering; structural engineering and construction management; construction management; materials engineering.

Research staff within Structural Engineering include: Dr J Bull, Professor P Gosling, Dr D Lilley, Dr M Rouainia, Dr S Scott and Dr S Wilkinson.

We are happy to supervise research in any of our current research areas including: the effect of transient loads on bridges and other structures; structural optimisation; finite element methods; computational mechanics; analysis of lightweight fabric and pneumatic structures; development of expert systems in construction; line-of-balance planning; contract forms for problems of delay; the application of quality assurance procedures to site organisation. Examples of specific project areas and titles may be obtained from our postgraduate brochure, or our research projects website.



Transport Engineering

The Transport Operations Research Group (TORG) at Newcastle is an internationally acknowledged centre of expertise in transportation operations and engineering. Its mission is to conduct research on transport and travel behaviour leading to quality of life and environmental improvements. TORG´s research is aligned with the objectives of the `Built Environment and Transport´ Foresight panel, the government´s Integrated Transport White Paper, and with programmes of the EPSRC and Framework Programme 7 (FP7).

Main avenues of research include land use and network models, passenger transport and policy, transport and the environment, and infrastructure design and telematics.

General staff interests include: transport and the environment (Professor M Bell); highway engineering (Mr R Bird); transport telematics (Professor P Blythe); transport economics (Dr C Mulley); construction management (Dr S Scott); transport studies (Dr N Thorpe, Dr D Dissanayake).

We are happy to supervise research in any of our current research areas, including: freight and traffic loading; public transport management and operations; traffic management and control; road traffic safety and accident analysis; transport emissions and the environment; transport telematics and image processing; intelligent transport systems (ITS); travel behaviour; highway design and engineering; operating speed models; environmental impact and monitoring of transport activities. Examples of specific project areas and titles may be obtained from our postgraduate brochure, or our research projects website.



Water Resources Engineering

We were established in 1950 and have an international reputation for excellence in the areas of science and engineering, with state-of-the-art skills in hydrology, hydraulics, hydroinformatics, hydrochemistry and hydroecology.

The Water Resource Systems Research Laboratory (WRSRL) is our main research vehicle. It aims to create and apply the latest methods in hydroinformatics, modelling and measurement for planning a sustainable water environment. The WRSRL is now one of the leading university centres in Europe for numerical modelling in hydrology, water resources and groundwater. Major areas of research include climate and land use change impact assessment, coastal morphology, integrated surface and groundwater pollution control, decision support and related hydroinformatic systems. In addition, WRSRL maintains a 322 km2 research catchment in the upper River Eden in Cumbria, with the central aim of supporting fundamental research to underpin sustainable catchment management. This catchment was recently established in a major nine-partner national research programme called CHASM (Catchment Hydrology and Sustainable Management) for the instrumentation of four UK catchments at the scale of hundreds of square kilometres, which was led by WRSRL.

Newcastle is a core partner in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, which provides a focal point for our research on climate impacts assessment and adaptation. We are leading the Tyndall Centre´s research programme on climate change and cities, which considers climate impacts and mitigation in a novel integrated assessment system. Our models of coastal morphology and flood risk are at the core of the Tyndall Centre´s Regional Coastal Simulator.

We are also involved in the Centre for Land Use and Water Resources Research (CLUWRR) with the Schools of Biology, and Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. Study opportunities are available in land and water management systems, landscape ecology and GIS.

General staff interests include: erosion and sediment transport (Dr J Bathurst); land use and water resources (Professor I Calder); hydrology and climate change (Mr C Kilsby, Dr H Fowler); computational hydraulics and hydraulic engineering (Dr V Kutija, Dr Q Liang); water resources engineering (Professor P O´Connell, Dr G Parkin, Dr P Quinn); hydrogeochemical engineering (Professor P Younger); coastal engineering and flood risk analysis (Professor J Hall, Dr R Dawson, Dr M Walkden).

Our current research areas include: transport processes in surface and subsurface systems including river mechanics, contaminant and sediment; planning and control of hydraulic networks; sustainable management of the water environment; climate change impact assessment (including flood risk); environmental hazard assessment and mitigation (including landslide hazard); integrated surface and groundwater pollution controls; integrated assessment of coupled natural, technological and human systems.