Kostas Senetakis

Dr Senetakis is Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and spends his time researching the fields of experimental soil dynamics and experimental tribology.His current research theme is the laboratory study of energy dissipation mechanisms of particulate media with a focus on shear wave velocities, Poisson's phenomena and material damping of crushable assemblies. This provides a fundamental link into the behavior of the ground subjected to variable types of dynamic loading, including seismic vibration. Dr Senetakis hopes his research will provide a clearer link between the dynamics and behaviour of particles in crushable soils on the nano-scale (observed in micromechanical experiments) and the macro-scale response (observed in laboratory element testing). “We are working towards the advancement of our knowledge associated with the mechanics and dynamics of soils and a framework for specifications and design codes, that engineers can use in real foundation or pavement engineering design,” he said. The research will also contribute to the cutting-edge research of the geotechnical engineering group of UNSW by producing more accurate models associated with, for example, the prediction of the pre-failure behaviour of soft to stiff ground with a major interest, for example, in offshore engineering and national projects of high importance. Kostas completed his undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering, MSc and finally his PhD at Aristotle University in Greece before working for two years as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Hong Kong then worked for one year as a Lecturer at Thammasat University in Thailand. One of his proud moments as a mentor was seeing his students win prizes for the best Honours theses in Hong Kong. These students have gone on to become excellent engineers and have joined some of the leading construction companies in Asia. Today, he continues this passion as a mentor for undergraduate and postgraduate students