COFS PhD student Mr Wangcheng Zhang has been named as the co-winner of the 2016 Prize for higher degree by research achievement in Mathematics, Physical Science and Engineering. 

Wangcheng’s paper “Catastrophic failure in planar landslides with a fully softened weak zone”, co-authored with his supervisors Professor Mark Randolph, Dr Dong Wang and Professor Alexander Puzrin (ETH, Zurich), was published in Géotechnique, the highest ranked journal in the field of geotechnical engineering and engineering geology. The paper presents analytical and numerical interpretations of shear band propagation in offshore deposits and the triggering mechanism of catastrophic submarine landslides, which pose significant threats to life and property, or damage to offshore infrastructure.

Wangcheng is the inaugural recipient of the Fugro Scholarship in Offshore Geotechnics. The scholarship was created to address key questions relating to design and performance in the field of offshore geotechnics, and to reduce risk by enhancing engineering design across the offshore sector. Fugro and COFS work together to sustain a research group that is committed to supporting Fugro’s activities worldwide. The partnership has put Australia on the global geotechnical map and supports the international geotechnical community and offshore projects in the oil and gas and renewable energy industries.

Wangcheng’s award winning paper can be read at the ICE Virtual Library. Further details and other award winners can be viewed at http://www.postgraduate.uwa.edu.au/students/funding/prizes. 

Media references

Professor Mark Randolph, +61 8 6488 1142