Jiapei Du

Dr. Jiapei Du earned his PhD degree in Geotechnical Engineering from RMIT in June 2023. From July 2023 to June 2025, he has served as a postdoctoral research fellow at RMIT University. In July 2025, he was appointed to a continuing Lecturer position in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering at RMIT University. His major research interests include nanoscale characterization and modelling of expansive soil behavior, and the development of nano-engineered cementing materials for complex geological environments. Dr. Du has authored 45 peer-reviewed journal papers, with 88% of these published in SJR Q1 journals, serving as the first and corresponding author for 32 of them. His interdisciplinary work, which spans geotechnical engineering, soil science, physical chemistry, mathematics, and construction technology, has gained about 1200+ citations on Google Scholar, earning him an h-index of 21. 

Dr. Du’s research has achieved international recognition, as demonstrated by his presentations at international conferences and workshops, including 8th Asia Pacific Conference of Unsaturated Soil 2024, ANZ Geomechanics 2023, UniMelb workshop 2021, ARC Smart Pavements Hub Workshop 2020, 2021, 2022 and the 2017 International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference. He has received several prestigious awards, such as the ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award 2025, ISSMGE Bright Spark Lecture Award, 2023 Science and Technology Award from the China Association of Oceanic Engineering, 2023 Engineering Prize from RMIT University, the 2022 Featured People in ARC Smart Pavements Hub, the 2021 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Student Abroad, and the 2020 Cover Page Article in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 

As the principal inventor, Dr. Du has secured 6 patents, including a notable invention - a novel cementing technology tailored for deep-sea soils - commercialized in the Lingshui 17-2 offshore gas field, which has significantly benefited the China National Offshore Oil Corporation. He has served as an Early Career Editorial Board for Envi-ronmental Geotechnics, a Guest Editor for Frontiers in Materials (Q2) and Frontiers in Chemistry (Q1), and as a reviewer for 40+ peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Du also served as the secretary for the 8th Asia-Pacific Conference on Unsaturated Soils.