Geomechanics for Geo-Engineering & Sustainability (GGES) Lab Group
Team
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Oladoyin Kolawole
Assistant Professor
John A. Reif, Jr. Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Education
2021 Ph.D., Texas Tech University
2018 M.S., University of Miskolc, Hungary
2012 B.S., Rivers State University, Nigeria
Academic Positions
07/2022 - Present Assistant Professor, New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJ
01/2022 - 06/2022 Faculty Fellow (Visiting Faculty), Hope College, MI
06/2021 - 12/2021 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Texas Tech University, TX
08/2018 - 05/2021 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Texas Tech University, TX
09/2018 - 03/2021 Graduate Student Researcher, Texas Tech University, TX
Honors & Awards
2022 Future Leader Award, American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)
2020 Distinguished Service Award, American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)
About
Dr. Oladoyin Kolawole is a geomechanics and geotechnical engineering researcher whose interest is in experimental and computational studies to develop a fundamental understanding and predict the multiscale deformation and fracture behavior of porous materials (rocks, soils, and cementitious materials) to address problems related to geosystems and engineering infrastructure. He pioneered the “biogeomechanics” concept, which studies the mechanical responses of rocks due to biological-induced processes. Additionally, He researches the thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical (THCM) coupled processes in geomaterials with applications to infrastructure, energy, and geotechnical-related hazard mitigation. Dr. Kolawole is a recipient of the Future Leader Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA). He currently serves on the Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering (COGGE) at the U.S. National Academies.
Graduate Students
Mary Ngoma
Grad Student, Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering Concentration), New Jersey Institute of Technology, 2022 - Present
B.S., Civil Engineering, Hope College, Michigan, 2022
Research Interests: biogeomechanics/biogeotechnics; geo-hazard mitigation; underground heat energy with applications to geotechnical engineering and engineering infrastructure.
Felix Oppong
Grad Student, Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering Concentration), New Jersey Institute of Technology, 2023 - Present
M.S., Mining Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, China, 2022
B.S., Geological Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Ghana, 2016
Research Interests: Slope stability and reinforcement; cemented waste rock backfill (CWRB); cementitious materials for applications in rock grouting and Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) structures; bio-inspired geotechnics.
Undergraduate Students
Jason Lin
B.S. Student, Civil Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 2022 - Present
Class of 2025
Research Topic: sustainable geomaterials.
Saad Rehmatullah
B.S. Student, Civil Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 2022 - Present
Class of 2026
Research Topic: soil thermal conductivity.
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Larissa Cavalcante: B.S. Civil Engineering [Class of 2026], 2022 - 2023; Research Topic: enhanced geothermal energy.
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Ayushka More: M.S. Civil Engineering, 2022-2023; Research Topic: Bentonite clay as an underground seal in geo-engineering.
High school students:
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Neha Sudarshan: West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, New Jersey; Summer 2023