Ravi Ravindran

My post-graduate study

I’m pursuing a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering in the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Griffith University.

Research title

Rainfall-induced shallow landslides

My research

I have started this research after seeing many natural disasters and landslides in the Northern Region since 2009. Landslides cause road closures, destruction of properties and inconvenience to travellers. Some people and emergency service vehicles may have to travel over 200km on the diversion routes due to road closures triggered by landslides. I am interested in mitigation measures to landslides so that roads become available in all weather conditions.

How my research relates to my work

My research is directly related to my work. As a Corridor Maintenance Planner in the Northern Region, I am responsible for slope asset management. There are 1600 slopes in the Northern Region, including nearly 80 high-risk slopes, and 200 medium-risk slopes. Rainfall affects the slope stability. Every second year, natural disasters such as landslides are caused by rainfall. When there are landslides, road travel is affected and roads infrastructure became damaged. Sometimes, roads or lanes need to be closed for many weeks. Mountain passes are susceptible to landslides due to rainfall events. Slope remediation works have a significant financial cost. Hopefully, my research study will shed some light on slope management and mitigating impacts due to rainfall. TfNSW has approved my study leave each year since 2015.