Buddhima Indraratna

Buddhima Indraratna
AM
Distinguished Professor Buddhima Indraratna in 2024
Born
Colombo, Sri Lanka
NationalityAustralian, Sri Lankan
CitizenshipAustralia, Sri Lanka
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Civil Engineer, Academic
Known forTransportation geotechnics, Ground improvement, Railway engineering
Awards
  • Member of the Order of Australia (2024)
  • Sir John Holland Civil Engineer of the Year (Institution of Engineers Australia) (2024)
  • 6th International Civil Engineer Award by Jose E. Ibarra Foundation, Madrid, Spain. (2024)
  • IACMAG “Outstanding Contributions Medal” in recognition of life-time contributions to geotechnical engineering (2017)
  • Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA) & Engineers Australia Award for contributions to rail innovations (2015)

Buddhima Indraratna AM is a Sri Lankan-born Australian civil engineer and academic specializing in geotechnical engineering. He is a Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney and the Director of its Transport Research Centre. He is recognized for his contributions to transportation geomechanics,[1] particularly rail and road infrastructure, ground improvement, and sustainable use of recycled materials. In 2024, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to civil engineering.[2][3] He is also the winner of 6th International Civil Engineer Award in 2024 for lifetime outstanding contributions to Civil Engineering (José E. Ibarra Foundation, Madrid, Spain)[4][5] and 2024 Sir John Holland Civil Engineer of the Year (Institution of Engineers Australia).[6]

Professor Indraratna was honored as Life Member of Australian Geomechanics Society[7] for outstanding  contributions and lifetime service to the geotechnical community in 2024. He is also a Fellow of numerous prestigious professional organizations including the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE),[8] Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW (FRSN),[9] Institution of Engineers Australia (FIEAust), American Society of Civil Engineering (FASCE),[10] Geological Society of UK (FGS), Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (FAusIMM) and Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (FIESL).

Early life and education

Professor Indraratna was born in Sri Lanka. He attended Ananda College and later received the Lord Mountbatten Scholarship to study at the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales, UK. He earned his BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering and MSc in Soil Mechanics and Engineering Seismology from Imperial College London. He completed his PhD in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Alberta in 1987.[11]

Academic career

After working as a senior research engineer at the Geomechanics Research Centre in Ontario, Canada, Professor Indraratna began his traditional academic career at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand (1988–1991), followed by a long tenure at the University of Wollongong for nearly 3 decades.[12] He later joined the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) as Distinguished Professor and Director of the Transport Research Centre.[13] He has held visiting professorships at institutions such as MIT, Cambridge, IITs, ETH Zurich, and others.

Research and contributions

Professor Indraratna is known for his work on:

  • Stabilising soft soils and embankments using prefabricated vertical drains and vacuum preloading[14]
  • Track foundation design, ballast degradation modeling, and lateral confinement using geosynthetics[15]
  • Recycled material use in transport infrastructure, including patented rubber tyre–reinforced foundations[16]
  • Geoenvironmental solutions for acid sulfate soils and groundwater contamination[17]

He has published over 1,000 scholarly works, including 500+ peer-reviewed journal articles and 14 books. His work has been cited over 33,000 times, with an h-index above 90.[18] According to ScholarGPS, Prof. Indraratna is ranked #1 in Geotechnics worldwide over the past five years and is among the top five scholars of all time in both Geotechnics and Geotechnical Engineering[19]

Patents and standards

He holds a patent for the tyre-cell track foundation (Australian Patent No. 2018214448),[20] and contributed to:

  • AS 2758.7 (Railway ballast standards)
  • AS 8700 (Vertical drains)
  • AS 1726 (Geotechnical site investigations)

Awards and honors

  • 2025 - Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales[9]
  • 2025 - 5th CGS Distinguished Lecturer of the year 2025, Canadian Geotechnical Society[21]
  • 2025 - Thomas Keefer Medal, Canadian Civil Engineering Society.[22]
  • 2024 - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) (26 January 2024; Australia Day)[2][23][24]
  • 2024 - Sir John Holland Civil Engineer of the Year (Institution of Engineers Australia) for lifetime contributions[25]
  • 2024 - International Civil Engineer award by José Entrecanales Ibarra Foundation (Madrid, Spain) for lifetime outstanding contributions to Civil Engineering.[26][4][5]
  • 2023 - ICE (UK)- Sir Visvesvaraya award for outstanding overseas contribution[27]
  • 2023 - Henry Steel Olcott Memorial Oration, Ananda College, Colombo, Sri Lanka (Topic: Recent Advances in Transport Infrastructure)[28]
  • 2022 - 9th Stephen Marich Annual Lecture for distinguished services and achievements in Railway Technology[29]
  • 2022 - Honorary Life Member, Australian Geomechanics Society[7]
  • 2021 - NSW Premier’s Science and Engineering Awards: Innovation Category – Finalist.
  • 2021 - Robert M. Quigley Commendation Award (Canadian Geotechnical Society) for outstanding contribution to the profession through publication in the Can. Geotech. J. (Undrained Soil Instability under Triaxial Conditions)[30]
  • 2017 - IACMAG “Outstanding Contributions Medal” in recognition of life-time contributions to geotechnical engineering. awarded by the International Association of Computer Methods & Advances in Geomechanics (IACMAG).[31]
  • 2017 - 4th Louis Menard Lecture, ISSMGE[32]
  • 2016 - Ralph Proctor Inaugural Lecture of ISSMGE (delivered in Portugal, Sept. 2016) for outstanding academic and research achievements and professional contributions in the field of transportation geotechnics.[33]
  • 2015 - Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA) & Engineers Australia Award for contributions to rail innovations[34]
  • 2015 - Thomas Telford Premium Award from Inst. of Civil Engineers (UK) for contributions to Ground Improvement
  • 2014 - CS Desai Excellence Medal for outstanding contributions to geotechnical teaching and research, IACMAG.[35]
  • 2013 - BD Rampala Memorial Lecture, Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka for outstanding contributions to Rail Engineering
  • 2012 - Robert M. Quigley Commendation Award by the Canadian Geotechnical Society for outstanding contribution through article in Canadian Geotechnical Journal in the field of soft soil stabilisation by vacuum consolidation[36]
  • 2012 - Eurasian University Medal for outstanding contributions to Transport Geomechanics
  • 2011 - Engineers Australia Transport Medal for distinguished contributions to transport infrastructure through original research[37]
  • 2010 - Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Research, Uni. of Wollongong Australia.[38]
  • 2009 - EH Davis Memorial Lecture of the Australian Geomechanics Society for distinguished contributions to Geomechanics.[39]
  • 2009 - B-HERT (Business-Higher Education Round Table) Award: "Best Research & Development Collaboration: Rail Track Innovations in Australia". c/o Australian Commonwealth, Dept. of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations.[40]
  • 2008 - IACMAG Medal for Excellent Contributions to the Region (Australasia), awarded by the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics (IACMAG).
  • 2008 - IACMAG Outstanding Paper Award: Indraratna, et al. (2005). Analytical and Numerical Modelling of Soft Soil Stabilised by PVD incorporating Vacuum Preloading. Int. Journal of Geomechanics, ASCE, Vol.5, 114-124.
  • 2007 - Robert M. Quigley Commendation Award by the Canadian Geotechnical Society for outstanding contribution to the profession through publication in the Can. Geotech. J. (Radial Consolidation of Soft Soil with Non-Darcian Flow).

References

  1. ^ create (2022-05-04). "Rubber railway: disrupting a 200-year-old sector". create digital. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  2. ^ a b "Australia Day 2024 Honours List". Governor-General of Australia. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Prof. Buddhima Indraratna feted in Australia - News Features | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  4. ^ a b "ACCIONA receives academics from world's major civil engineering universities". www.acciona.com. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  5. ^ a b "Sri Lankan Engineer living in Australia awarded prestigious award". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  6. ^ "Medical device visionary among Sydney's Engineering Excellence Award winners | Engineers Australia". www.engineersaustralia.org.au. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  7. ^ a b "Honorary Life Members". Australian Geomechanics Society. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  8. ^ ATSE. "https://www.atse.org.au/who-we-are/our-fellows/all-fellows/buddhima-indraratna/". ATSE. Retrieved 2025-07-06. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  9. ^ a b "New Fellows 2025". Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Soil Improvement". www.asce.org. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  11. ^ "ATSE Profile – Professor Buddhima Indraratna". Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Rail Research Leader Joins UTS". UTS News. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Professor Buddhima Indraratna". University of Technology Sydney. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Recent Advances in Vertical Drains and Vacuum Preloading for Soft Ground Stabilisation". Australian Geomechanics Society. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  15. ^ Indraratna, Buddhima; Salim, Wadud; Rujikiatkamjorn, Cholachat (2023). Advanced Rail Geotechnology – Ballasted Track. doi:10.1201/9781003278979. ISBN 978-1-003-27897-9.
  16. ^ "The International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering". www.issmge.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  17. ^ Indraratna, Buddhima; Regmi, Gyanendra; Nghiem, Long Duc; Golab, Alexandra (2010-07-01). "Performance of a PRB for the Remediation of Acidic Groundwater in Acid Sulfate Soil Terrain". Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. 136 (7): 897–906. Bibcode:2010JGGE..136..897I. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000305. ISSN 1090-0241.
  18. ^ "Google Scholar – Buddhima Indraratna". Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Buddhima Indraratna ScholarGPS® ID: 14574924516491". scholargps.com. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  20. ^ "2018214448 Track foundation".
  21. ^ "The Canadian Geotechnical Society". www.cgs.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  22. ^ "CSCE 2025 FELLOWSHIPS; CAREER, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND BEST PAPER AWARDS Booklet" (PDF).
  23. ^ "Distinguished Professor Buddhima Indraratna AM".
  24. ^ "Prof. Buddhima Indraratna Honoured with Order of Australia for Engineering Innovations". Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  25. ^ "Indraratna named Civil Engineer of the Year". Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  26. ^ "Acciona Foundation Award". Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  27. ^ "ICE Award Winners 2023". Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  28. ^ "Ananda College Olcott Memorial Oration tomorrow - News Features | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  29. ^ "IRT 2022 Stephen Marich Annual Lecture in Railway Engineering". Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  30. ^ "The Canadian Geotechnical Society". www.cgs.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  31. ^ "IACMAG Award Winners 2017".
  32. ^ "The International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering". www.issmge.org. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  33. ^ "A rejuvenated outlook for Transport Geotechnics in Australia". www.issmge.org. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  34. ^ "2015 Prof. Buddhima Indraratna". Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  35. ^ "2014". iacmag. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  36. ^ "Awards and Honours". cgs.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  37. ^ "Transport Medal awarded to Indraratna". Engineers Australia Magazine. 2011.
  38. ^ "Award recipients 2010 - University of Wollongong – UOW". www.uow.edu.au. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  39. ^ "E.H. Davis Memorial Lecture: Recent Advances in the Application of Vertical Drains and Vacuum Preloading in Soft Soil Stabilization". Australian Geomechanics Society. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  40. ^ "Research & Innovation Issue 6 Nov-Dec 2009" (PDF).
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