Randal Barnes

Randal Barnes serves as an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for Civil Engineering and Geoengineering at the University of Minnesota's Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering. He holds the distinguished title of Distinguished University Teaching Professor, recognizing his exceptional contributions to education.

His research traverses mathematical modeling in geological and civil engineering with three primary foci: geostatistical site characterization (optimal sample design and engineering decision-making under spatial variability and parameter uncertainty), incorporation of uncertainty into quantitative modeling for geoengineering, and computational aspects of the Analytic Element Method. His work spans civil infrastructure, geotechnical applications, and environmental engineering, with particular emphasis on uncertainty quantification in engineering systems.

Barnes' recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward integrating machine learning techniques with traditional engineering modeling, particularly in uncertainty quantification for both civil infrastructure and environmental applications. His work bridges civil engineering with data science approaches, showing increasing focus on neural network applications for engineering problems.

• Distinguished University Teaching Professor

Barnes has served as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on significant transportation research projects funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, including the MnROAD Data Mining project and PCC Pavement Thickness Variation study. His research has garnered substantial academic attention with multiple publications receiving double-digit Scopus citations.

His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to sustainable infrastructure development and environmental protection through improved engineering modeling and decision-making under uncertainty.