Biography
I came to Edinburgh Napier in 1996, as a research fellow, following a masters degree in Geotechnical Engineering at Bolton University (1993) and a PhD from the University of Manchester (1996). I became a lecturer here in 2004 and a reader in 2008. When I get round to sorting out my application, I will apply to become an Assoc. Prof.
I began my research career with the development of an innovative geomechanical model - the HBM model, which combined hydraulic, biodegradation and mechanical behaviours for the analysis of the long-term behaviour of landfilled waste. The model was able to predict settlement, leachate discharge and gas production under specified field conditions.
Because the landfill process model focussed on a partially saturated medium, my research shifted towards the measurement of unsaturated states in waste and soils more generally.
More recently, with my colleague, Daniel Barreto, I have been researching the dynamic properties shredded car tyres-soil mixtures with the aim of utilising this mixture as a means of improving the seismic resistance of building foundations.