Featured Courses

ISSMGE Virtual University

Probability Analysis in Civil Engineering

Instructor: Jie Zhang

Uncertainties are pervasive in geotechnical engineering. In the past decades, reliability methods have been developed as a powerful tool to model and quantify the effect of uncertainties in geotechnical engineering. The purpose of this course is to systematically introduce the reliability methods in the context of geotechnical engineering.

A unique feature of this course is that the reliability methods are taught using a computation visualization technique, through which almost all the reliability methods are implemented and illustrated in Microsoft Excel. As such, the programming work involved in the reliability methods is bypassed, which will provide an efficient and transparent way to learn reliability methods effectively.

Course Modules:
  • Module 1: Analytical models for modeling uncertainties
  • Module 2: Reliability methods
  • Module 3: Reliability-based design
  • Module 4: Bayesian methods for uncertainty reduction

Note: Students can choose to learn one or more modules that they are interested in. Although this course is taught using examples in geotechnical engineering, the knowledge learned are also applicable to general civil engineering problems.

About the Instructor:

Jie Zhang, PhD, Professor
Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Tongji University, China

Dr. Jie Zhang is a Professor at the Department of Geotechnical Engineering of Tongji University, China. He received his PhD degree in Civil Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2009. He is currently the secretary of TC304, ISSMGE, and is one of the founding managing editors of the journal of Underground Space. His research mainly focuses on probabilistic analysis and assessment of geohazards.

Access Course
ISSMGE Virtual University

15-min Short Videos Series

Coordinated by TC304 Young Group (Andy Leung, Zijun Cao & Lei Wang)

A series of 15-minute short videos covering fundamental concepts and practical applications of geotechnical uncertainty, site characterization, and reliability analysis.

Video Series:
  • SV1: Overview and significance of geotechnical uncertainty (Waldemar Hachich)
  • SV2: How to characterize site/model uncertainty (Zijun Cao)
  • SV3: How to estimate characteristic values for design (Yu Wang)
  • SV4: How does geotechnical uncertainty impact the system response (TBA)
  • SV5: How to perform reliability analyses on a spreadsheet (Lei Wang)
  • SV6: Insights from geotechnical reliability-based design (BK Low)
  • SV7: Case studies for reliability-based design and risk assessment (TBA)
View Video Series →
ISSMGE Virtual University

ISSMGE Webinar: Risk and Geotechnical Engineering

Presenter: Marco Uzielli | Duration: 90 minutes

Marco Uzielli produced a 90-min ISSMGE webinar in 2017 on "Risk and Geotechnical Engineering". This comprehensive webinar covers fundamental concepts of risk assessment and their application in geotechnical engineering practice.

Watch Webinar →
ISSMGE Virtual University

Sixth Victor de Mello Lecture

Honour/Keynote Lecture | Presenter: Norbert Morgenstern

The Sixth Victor de Mello Lecture presented by Norbert Morgenstern. This prestigious lecture series honors significant contributions to geotechnical engineering and covers important topics in risk assessment and geotechnical practice.

Watch Lecture →
ISSMGE Virtual University

Risk Informed Landslide Hazard Mitigation in Mountain Highway Design

Suzanne Lacasse Lecture - APSSRA2020 | Presenter: Limin Zhang

This keynote lecture from APSSRA2020 presents risk-informed approaches to landslide hazard mitigation in mountain highway design. The lecture covers probabilistic methods for assessing landslide risks and implementing effective mitigation strategies in challenging mountainous terrain.

Watch Lecture →

Additional Learning Materials

📊
Statistical Methods in Geotechnics
Statistical analysis techniques for geotechnical data interpretation
View Materials →
🎯
Monte Carlo Simulation
Practical guide to Monte Carlo methods in geotechnical reliability
View Materials →
🌍
Earthquake Risk Assessment
Seismic hazard analysis and geotechnical earthquake engineering
View Materials →
🏗️
Foundation Reliability
Reliability analysis of shallow and deep foundations
View Materials →