Transport Research Centre held its first HDR workshop

Transport Infrastructure and ground engineering

Under the directorship of Distinguished Professor Buddhima Indraratna, the Transport Research Centre (TRC), University of Technology Sydney (UTS) organised an inaugural Higher Degree Research (HDR) workshop in the field of Transport Infrastructure with special reference to ground engineering on Wednesday 18 November 2020. The online workshop was held at the UTS Tech Lab in Botany.

This workshop provided a platform for HDR students, professional and academic researchers to present and discuss their research work on various topics, including:

1. Track Infrastructure Design and Analysis,
2. R&D efforts on marginal and industrial waste materials,
3. Big Data Analytics – applications in Transport Infrastructure; and
4. Industry supported Field Trials.

Professor David McGloin (Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology Director, Research Programs) delivered a Welcome Address on behalf of the Dean of Engineering and Information Technology followed by Distinguished Professor Buddhima Indraratna, Director TRC, who presented an introduction to the UTS Transport Research Centre (TRC) programs embracing the impressive research environment for iconic large-scale physical modelling and a wide array of geotechnical facilities available at the Tech Lab. Associate Professor Ray Kirby (Director, UTS Tech Lab Operations) gave an introduction to the multidisciplinary technological facilities at the TechLab and Future Plans for expansion of engineering research. Prof Arul Arulrajah (Swinburne University of Technology) delivered an insightful talk on salient aspects of Training of Young Professionals – Tips, Treats and Tricks.

There were two invited industry guests, Dr Richard Kelly (SMEC) and Dr Zaman Kamaruzzaman (Transport for NSW) covering various real-life challenges and case studies of transport infrastructure projects and modern-day design methods and ground improvement approaches. A total of 28 presentations were delivered by HDR students from different universities including various Australian universities (UTS, UniSyd, UNSW, Swinburne, UOW, QUT, Curtin, USyd, WSU, etc.), as well as some overseas PhD students from University of Minho (Portugal), and MEI-Brazil.

The workshop ended with a dynamic and interactive Panel discussion chaired by Associate Professor Hadi Khabbaz (Deputy Head of School Research, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UTS). The invited panellists' Professor António Gomes Correia (University of Minho-Portugal) and Professor Rajagopal Karpurapu (Indian Institute of Technology Madras) presented their views and long-term experiences on training HDR students for complex projects and challenges in transport infrastructure, while Dr (Ms) Udeshini Pathirage (Geotechnical Engineer, Golder Associates) shared her own experience how doctoral training had shaped her career in the geotechnical industry. The audience participation facilitated by A/Prof Hadi Khabbaz led to fruitful and enlivened discussions on advanced skills of PhD-trained young professionals.

Acknowledging the sophistication and high-quality of all presentations, Distinguished Professor Buddhima Indraratna concluded the Workshop with key specific points in a nutshell from all presenters:

1. Track Infrastructure Design and Analysis
2. R&D efforts on Marginal Materials
3. The imperative need for continual training of the next generation of HDR students for future economic prosperity and technological advancement.

He epitomised showcases such as this as an ideal vehicle for HDR students to be inspired by the work of each other and highlighted the importance of learning through the feedback of experienced mentors and adhering to sound supervision practices,  in order to sustain motivation and sound research progress.