Application of Soft Computing Techniques in Geotechnical Engineering and Risk Analysis: Proceedings of the Indian Geotechnical Conference 2023

This book presents the select proceedings of the annual conference of the Indian Geotechnical Society 2023. The conference brings together researchers, practitioners, and academicians on various aspects of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering including application of soft computing techniques in geotechnical engineering, numerical modeling of various substructures, characterization of geomaterials, ground improvement techniques, rock mechanics and rock engineering, and risk analysis. 

This volume brings together cutting-edge research and practical applications from researchers in the field. Featuring insights on AI/ML integration, geoinformatics, and geohazard risk analysis, this book showcases how emerging technologies are transforming geotechnical problem-solving. With a strong focus on soft computing techniques and probabilistic methods, it addresses the critical role of uncertainty in geomaterials and substructure design. 

The contents of this book will not only be of interest to researchers but also to practicing engineers.

Dr. Priti Maheshwari is currently a Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at the Indian institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee. Her professional journey begun in 2005 after completing her PhD from IIT Kanpur in 2004. She earned her BE in 1999 from REC Durgapur (now NIT) and ME in 2001 from MNREC Allahabad (now MNNIT).
She works extensively in the areas of ground improvement, soil-structure interaction, ground engineering: modeling and analysis, concrete gravity dams, machine foundations under blast loadings, risk analysis, landslides and slope stabilization, and rock mechanics and rock engineering. 

She is an editorial board member of International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering and Indian Geotechnical Journal. She has received IGS-Z Tech Biennial Award for years 2008-09, IGS-Shri B. N. Gupta Biennial prize for years 2015-16, IGS-HEICO Biennial Prize (2019), by Indian Geotechnical Society. She has been nominated to represent Indian Geotechnical Society on the International Technical Committee TC-304 on "Engineering Practice of Risk Assessment and Management" of ISSMGE. 
Notably, she is the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from IIT Kanpur and the first woman faculty member of Geotechnical Engineering in an IIT.

Dr. Alok Bhardwaj is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering and a Joint Faculty member at the Mehta Family School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee. Dr. Bhardwaj is also a National Geographic Explorer. Prior to joining IIT Roorkee, Dr. Bhardwaj was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He completed his PhD from National University of Singapore in 2018, M.Tech. from IIT Bombay in 2013, and B.Tech. in Civil Engineering from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 2011. His research focuses on studying natural hazards of landslides and floods in India and Southeast Asia using Earth Observation, Geospatial technologies, Computer Vision, and AI. 

He is also actively involved in conducting professional courses on the application of drones for landslide monitoring, data science and machine learning.  He is a member of ASCE, IEEE, United Nations University Sustainability Nexus Analytics, Informatics, and Data (AID) Programme, and Life Member of Indian Society of Remote Sensing.
 
 
Dr Vishwas A Sawant graduated in Civil Engineering in the year 1990 from Mumbai University. Subsequently, he secured Master's and PhD Degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in the years 1993 and 1998.  He worked in the Colleges affiliated to Mumbai University and an Offshore industry till 2003. He worked as a Lecturer at the University of Malaysia Sarawak from June 2003 to June 2006. He worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Edith Cowan University, Perth Australia for six months in 2011. He joined the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee as an Assistant Professor in 2007. He was elevated to Professor in December 2019. He mainly works broadly in the Research Areas of Numerical Modeling in Geomechanics covering the area of Liquefaction mitigation, Piles in sloping ground, Dynamic Analysis of Pavements, Piled-raft Foundations and Granular Anchor Piles. He has completed several Research Projects in this domain. He has received two Best Paper Awards for his publications in Indian Geotechnical Journal in the year 2000 and 2020.