George Kouretzis

Dr. George (Georgios) Kouretzis is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Newcastle. His research focuses on pipeline engineering, soil-structure interaction, computational geomechanics, and geotechnical earthquake engineering. He has contributed to the development of practical design tools for buried pipelines affected by geohazards and seismic events. His work integrates advanced numerical simulations with experimental methods, such as physical modeling and vane shear testing.

• Educations:
  • PhD in Geotechnical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece (2005)
  • MSc in Civil Engineering, NTUA, Greece
  • Diploma in Civil Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
• Research Interests:
  • Onshore pipeline infrastructure safety under environmental and seismic hazards
  • Soil dynamics and computational geomechanics
  • Seismic design of tunnels and geotechnical structures
  • Advanced constitutive models for soft soils

Dr. Kouretzis has led major projects funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), focusing on environmental impacts on pipelines and laboratory apparatus development. He collaborates internationally, aiming to establish a national buried pipeline research hub. His awards include recognition for research and teaching excellence from IACMAG and ACCM. He serves as an associate editor for the Canadian Geotechnical Journal and actively reviews for leading journals and funding bodies.

His academic roles include course coordination for geotechnical engineering courses and supervision of postgraduate students. Parallel to academia, he provides expert consultancy for energy and transportation infrastructure projects, including pipelines and seismic-resistant tunnels. He is a member of the Australian Geomechanics Society and served as Secretary of its NSW-Newcastle Chapter.