Doctoral study in Civil Engineering

Pursuing a PhD at the University gives you access to a high-calibre research community – you may have the opportunity to publish papers, attend international conferences and develop your network in academia and industry.

We welcome research proposals in topics relating to our key areas, including:

• Earthquake engineering, which covers broad research areas such as from seismic assessments, materials, community resilience, and more
• Geotechnical engineering, including soil behaviour modelling, structural foundation systems, dynamic properties of soils, and liquefaction
• Resilience, with a variety of broad topics ranging from building and transportation infrastructure, to organisational management and communities, and disaster reduction
• Structural engineering, on areas such as the development of materials and innovative new solutions
• Transportation, including traffic operations, road safety and skid resistance, network modelling and public transport, and Electric Vehicles
• Water and environmental engineering, focusing on areas such as hydraulic engineering, flow structures, sustainability, waste management, resource recovery, and more

Dr Lokesh Padhye

Dr Lokesh Padhye's research group aims to understand and improve water quality in our natural and built environments. His primary focus is the identification, fate, and toxicological relevance of emerging water pollutants. His group’s expertise also includes the synthesis and application of novel photochemical and electrochemical catalysts and adsorbents for advanced water treatment and reuse. Beyond this, he is also deeply committed to working with communities in New Zealand and other Pacific Islands to help increase our resilience to water stress issues related to climate change, primarily through the interdisciplinary Oceania Water Research Consortium (OWRC).

• Real-time structural health monitoring using a Machine Learning algorithm | Supervised by Dr Quincy Ma
• A framework for Building Back Better during post-disaster reconstruction and recovery | Supervised by Professor Suzanne Wilkinson and Professor Regan Potangaroa
• Local scour at submerged weirs | Supervised by Professor Bruce Melville, Dr Colin Whittaker and Dr Heide Friedrich
• Inventory and seismic assessment of earthquake-vulnerable masonry and concrete buildings | Supervised by Professor Jason Ingham and Dr Rick Henry
• Determinants of client values and satisfaction in post-disaster reconstruction projects | Supervised by Professor Suzanne Wilkinson and Associate Professor Seosamh Costello
• Friction-based elastic damping for dynamic analysis of structures | Supervised by Dr Quincy Ma
• Transfer optimisation in public transport networks: Timetable synchronisation, operational control and a new service-design concept | Supervised by Professor Avi Ceder and Dr Subeh Chowdhury
• Experimental studies of structure-foundation-soil interaction effect on upliftable structures | Supervised by Associate Professor Nawawi Chouw
• Load-carrying capacity and failure mode analysis of timber rivet connections | Supervised by Professor Pierre Quenneville
• Water resource management in the lowlands of Southern Papua using a decision support system and integrating traditional ecological knowledge | Supervised by Dr Kepa Morgan and Associate Professor Asaad Shamsheldin

There are several scholarships you may be eligible for when you decide to pursue your PhD in Civil Engineering, including the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships.

For general student enquiries, please contact the Student Hubs.

If you would like to find out more about studying Civil Engineering, you can contact a Postgraduate Adviser.