According to program announcements, the partnership supports multiple doctoral research projects focusing on unsaturated filtered tailings, silty gold tailings, and cycloned sand gradations.
The research initiative bridges academic theory and practical engineering applications. According to project disclosures, a doctoral student successfully completed their studies through the program in 2024, publishing one journal article and two conference papers whose findings were integrated into the tailings storage facility design of an Australian copper-gold mine.
International Geotechnical Research Milestone Presented in Vienna
The research collaboration reached a global platform in June 2026 during the 21st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ICSMGE) in Vienna, Austria. According to conference schedules, QUT doctoral student Udeshika Thenuwara presented a paper titled “Shear strength characteristics in unsaturated filtered tailings through a modified direct simple shear apparatus” on June 16, 2026, during session TU-11.
The ICSMGE conference, held every four years, commemorated 100 years of modern soil mechanics in its 2026 edition, marking a century since Karl Terzaghi established the foundational principles of the discipline. According to the conference program, the presented paper outlines an innovative modified direct simple shear apparatus designed to execute critical state testing with suction control, providing new empirical data on how suction influences the shear strength and critical state behavior of filtered tailings.
The paper was co-authored by Dareeju Biyanvilage, a senior geotechnical engineer at Knight Piésold Australia who serves as the industry research supervisor, alongside QUT academics Les Dawes and Chaminda Gallage, who supervises Thenuwara’s doctoral research.
Industry Leadership and Academic Integration
Dareeju Biyanvilage completed his doctorate in geotechnical engineering at QUT in 2017 and rejoined Knight Piésold in Brisbane in 2024 after four years with the firm, bringing a publication record of more than 23 peer-reviewed technical papers. According to company outlines, Biyanvilage directs a program that grants participating researchers direct access to project data, external industry mentorship, and up to three months of practical design experience within the Brisbane office.
The partnership expanded in early 2026 with the launch of two additional doctoral studies examining the residual and undrained shear strength characteristics of residual soils. According to project statements, these initiatives provide clients with evidence-based design solutions intended to optimize long-term operational performance and minimize geotechnical risks.
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