Dr. Zhiwei Gao

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Zhiwei Gao is a Senior Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering at the James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow. He is a member of the Glasgow Computational Engineering Centre (GCEC) funded by EPSRC. Gao's research focuses on the constitutive modelling of soils and the mechanics of granular materials. He has developed constitutive models for sand anisotropy, which are used in finite element modelling for practical boundary value problems. His work has demonstrated that anisotropy causes strain localization and has resulted in new methods for calculating the bearing capacity of shallow foundations. Additionally, he has developed a novel composite method for modelling fine-grained soils containing discrete gas bubbles. His research has been published in reputable journals, including the Canadian Geotechnical Journal and Geotechnique. Currently, Gao is leading a project on granular materials' mechanics as part of a consortium involving multiple universities. He collaborates with various organizations to design monitoring systems for construction projects and improve offshore geotechnics. He also runs an EU project integrating climate services to develop a digital twin for coastal erosion in Scotland, leveraging AI and satellite data. Gao actively supervises PhD students and has contributed significantly to advancements in geotechnical engineering both through his teaching and research.

Research Interests

Experience

Senior Lecturer Geotechnical Engineering

2020-08-01 — Present

University of Glasgow • Glasgow, Scotland

Teaching and conducting research in geotechnical engineering with a focus on granular materials and offshore foundations.

Lecturer Geotechnical Engineering

2013-07-01 — 2020-08-01

University of Glasgow • Glasgow, Scotland

Lectured on various geotechnical engineering topics and supervised graduate research projects.

Post-doc Research Assistant

2012-09-01 — 2013-06-01

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology • Hong Kong SAR

Conducted research on civil and environmental engineering.

Awards

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Scott Sloan Paper Award

2022-01-01
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Excellent Scientific Editor Award

2024-01-01
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Editor's Choice Paper

2022-01-01