Research Vision

The world population is rising 12% per decade, and living space and global energy demand are rising with the world population. In our group, we nurture innovations in subsurface utilisation for applications in the energy transition. Currently, our research focuses on the following five main research areas: 
 

1. Experimental Rock Mechanics (failure of anisotropic rock, fracture mechanics);

2. Subsurface Utilisation (geothermal energy extraction, energy storage, geological disposal of radioactive wastes);

3. Discrete Element Method (3D Particle Flow Code);

4. Machine learning (Python in solid Earth geoscience, geotechnics);

5. Geothermal energy (THMC coupling, EGS development and production).

Our research has been funded by UKRI (EPSRC, NERC), Royal Society, and European Commission.

Research Projects

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• Diamond Light Source: Synchrotron X-ray imaging. Co-I, 2024

• EPSRC IAA: Rock dowel testing. Co-I, 2024

• EPSRC (New Investigator Award): INFORM - Influence of fracture heterogeneity on rock deformation and failure: a mechanics-based multi-scale framework for radioactive waste disposal. PI, 2023-2026, £404k

• Royal Society: Clogging of rock fractures, PI, 2022-2024, £12k

• NERC: Digging deep Earth for heat to promote environmental sustainability (DEEPHEAT), PI, 2021-2023, £88k (incl £17k allocated to SUERC Glasgow) 

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Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

 

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