Geomechanics for Geo-Engineering & Sustainability (GGES) Lab Group
Team
DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Oladoyin Kolawole
Assistant Professor
John A. Reif, Jr. Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Dr. Kolawole is an Assistant Professor of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). He pioneered the “biogeomechanics” concept, which studies the mechanical response of rocks due to biological-induced reactions. His group is focused on experimental and computational studies to fundamentally understand and predict the multiscale deformation and fracture behavior of porous granular materials (rocks and soils) to address problems related to natural and built infrastructure, sustainability, geohazard mitigation, and energy. 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. He is an Editorial Board Member of Springer Nature’s Discover Civil Engineering journal.
PhD Students
Mary Ngoma
PhD Candidate, Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering), New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2022 - Present
Previous Degrees:
B.S., Civil Engineering, Hope College, Michigan, 2022
Research Interests: biogeomechanics /biogeotechnics; geo-energy resources.
LinkedIn: Link
Prabhakar Khadka
PhD Student, Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering), New Jersey Institute of Technology, Spring 2024 - Present
Previous Degrees:
B.S., Civil Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Pulchowk Campus - Institute of Engineering, Nepal, 2022
Research Interests: Slope stability; mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) structures.
LinkedIn: Link
Chinemerem Okezie
PhD Student, Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering), New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2024 - Present
Previous Degrees:
M.S., Energy and Earth Resources, University of Texas at Austin, Texas, 2024
B.S., Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria, 2019
Research Interests: Geomechanics; sustainable geo-energy resources.
LinkedIn: Link
Carol Mgiba
PhD Student, Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering), New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2024 - Present
Previous Degrees:
M.S., Sustainable Mining, University of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, 2023
B.S., Mining Engineering, University of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, 2014
Research Interests: Mining geomechanics; sustainable mining; sustainable geo-energy resources.
LinkedIn: Link
Matthew Sonibare
PhD Student, Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering), New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2024 - Present
Previous Degrees:
M.S., Civil Engineering, Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom, 2023
B.S., Civil Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, 2018
Research Interests: Rock grouting; Geomechanics; Infrastructure resilience.
LinkedIn: Link
Ayodeji Aderibigbe
PhD Student, Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering), New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2024 - Present
Previous Degrees:
B.S., Civil Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, 2019
Research Interests: Coastal geotechnics; Offshore infrastructure.
LinkedIn: Link
Alumni
MS Students:
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Felix Oppong: M.S. Civil Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2023- Spring 2024; Research Topic: Assessment of wellbore integrity using cementitious materials.
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Ayushka More: M.S. Civil Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2022- Spring 2023; Research Topic: Bentonite applications as an underground seal in geo-engineering.
Undergraduate Student Researchers:
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Saad Rehmatullah: B.S. Civil Engineering [Class of 2026], New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2022- Spring 2023; Research Topic: Soil thermal conductivity measurement for buried infrastructure.
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Jason Lin: B.S. Civil Engineering [Class of 2025], New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2022- Spring 2023; Research Topic: Improvement of geomaterials with geopolymers and underground waste disposal.
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Larissa Cavalcante: B.S. Civil Engineering [Class of 2026], New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fall 2022- Spring 2023; Research Topic: Enhanced geothermal energy.
High School Interns:
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Trevor Phillips: Ridgewood High School, New Jersey; Summer 2024
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Anna Kramarchuk: Governor Livingston High School, New Jersey; Summer 2024
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Tianyi (Ryan) Li: Bridgewater - Raritan High School, New Jersey; Summer 2024
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Neha Sudarshan: West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, New Jersey; Summer 2023