Dr Guangyao Si is an Associate Professor at the School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering. He was initially trained as a mining engineer at the top mining university in China, China University of Mining Technology. He graduated as the top student among nearly 280 mining peers in 2010. Due to his excellent academic performance, he was awarded three scholarships by Imperial College London to sponsor his PhD research under the supervision of Professor Sevket Durucan. Guangyao defended his thesis in 2015 with outstanding research outputs and then continued his work at Imperial College London as a Research Associate until the end of 2017. In December 2017, Guangyao moved from the UK to Australia to take a faculty position at UNSW. Having been studying and working for the mining industry on three different continents, Guangyao is determined to devote himself to exploring fundamental knowledge boundaries as well as developing industry-oriented research solutions.

Professional Involvement:

• · Collaborated with a wide range of mining companies: Anglo American, Glencore, BMA, South32, and Centennial.
• · Editorial Board Member, Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
• · Member of the International Rock Mechanics Society (ISRM), Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), and Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME).

Research Interests:

Guangyao's research expertise was forged through years of collaborations with prestigious research institutes and industry operators, which are constituted by international and multidisciplinary teams. Through these collaborations, Guangyao has been immersed in various fields such as Reservoir Engineering, Geophysics, Geostatistics, and Geomechanics. The blending of these areas grants him a unique perspective to investigate challenges arising from the modern mining industry. His fundamental research interest lies in developing safer, smarter, and more sustainable mining technologies, which include:

1. Coal seam gas capturing and utilisation,
2. Goaf management and spontaneous combustion
3. Multiphysics coupled simulation,
4. Mining-induced seismicity management,
5. Mining hazard prevention and mitigation,
6. Machine learning applications in mining

We are constantly recruiting highly able, enthusiastic and well-motivated PhD students from subjects including Mining Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Civil Engineering, and other related engineering subjects. Students with an outstanding background in math, physics and programming are strongly encouraged to apply. 

We have several PhD scholarships available to be distributed in 2024/2025. Please contact me asap to discuss research topics.