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The University of Southampton

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Phone:: (023) 8059 8499
Email:: K.A.Kwa@soton.ac.uk

Dr Katherine Kwa

Research Fellow in Offshore Renewable Energy

Katherine Kwa is a Research Fellow in Offshore Renewable Energy at the University of Southampton and part of the Infrastructure Geotechnics group within Engineering and Physical Sciences.

I am working on improving the foundation design of offshore, floating renewable energy structures, such as wind turbines, wave and tidal energy devices. In particular, I am using my background in geotechnical engineering to model and gain a better understanding of the 'whole life' response of soft soils around embedded anchor and mooring systems. These systems enable floating renewable energy facilities to operate further offshore, in deeper waters where stronger energy resources can be harnessed.

My role is funded by The Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies in Intelligent & Resilient Ocean Engineering and the EPSRC Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Supergen Hub. The Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies for Intelligent & Resilient Ocean Engineering drives activities to create a step change in ocean engineering design to support responsible, sustainable and economic use of ocean resources. The Supergen ORE Hub aims to connect academia, industry, policy and public stakeholders and inspire innovation to maximise societal value in offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.

Research

Publications

Teaching

Contact

Research interests

Applications of soil mechanics and geotechnics including:

Improving foundation design for anchoring and mooring systems used for offshore floating facilities
Prevention of bulk cargo liquefaction during maritime transportation

Research group

Infrastructure Group

Affiliate research group

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Articles

Kwa, K., Weymouth, G., White, D., & Martin, C. (2021). Analysis of the added mass term in soil bearing capacity problems. Géotechnique Letters, 11(1), 80-87. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgele.20.00097
Laham, N., Kwa, K., White, D., & Gourvenec, S. (2021). Episodic direct simple shear tests to measure changing strength for whole-life geotechnical design. Géotechnique Letters, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1680/jgele.20.00124
Kwa, K., Hu, Y., Chen, J., Chen, Z., & Airey, D. (2020). Column tests investigating the liquefaction of partially saturated loose non-plastic soils. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 139, [106386]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soildyn.2020.106386
Kwa, K., & Airey, D. (2019). Effects of fines on the cyclic liquefaction behaviour in unsaturated, well-graded materials. Soils and Foundations, 59(4), 857-873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2019.03.001
Kwa, K., & Airey, D. (2019). Investigating the use of Boyle's Law to relate pore air pressures and volume changes in unsaturated triaxial samples. E3S Web of Conferences, 92, [07001]. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20199207001
Kwa, K., & Airey, D. (2017). Effects of fines on liquefaction behaviour in well-graded materials. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 54(10), 1460-1471. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2017-0016
Kwa, K., & Airey, D. (2016). Critical state interpretation of effects of fines in silty sands. Géotechnique Letters, 6(1), 100-105. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgele.15.00176

Conferences

Kwa, K., & Airey, D. (2018). The development of a small centrifuge for testing unsaturated soils. In A. McNamara, S. Divall, R. Goodey, N. Taylor, S. Stallbrass, & J. Panchal (Eds.), Physical Modelling in Geotechnics: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG 2018), July 17-20, 2018, London, United Kingdom (Vol. 1). CRC Press.
Kwa, K., Airey, D., & Ghorbani, J. (2018). The effect of fines on the hydraulic properties of well graded materials. In Proceedings of 7th International conference on unsaturated soils, Hong Kong
Kwa, K., & Airey, D. (2016). Transitional behaviour in asphalt derived aggregate specimens. In Volume 6: Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials (pp. 986 - 993). (Advances in Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering). IOS Press. https://doi.org/10.3233/978-1-61499-601-9-986

Letter/Editorial

Kwa, K., & Airey, D. (2017). Reply to the discussion by Noor on “Effect of fines on liquefaction behaviour in well-graded materials”. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 54(12). https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2017-0384

Review

Kwa, K. (2017). A soil mechanics study into the liquefaction of shipped metallic ores. Australian Geomechanics Journal, 52(3).

Module code	Module title	Role
CENV6122	Advanced Foundation Engineering	Instructor

Dr Katherine Kwa
Engineering, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton. SO17 1BJ United Kingdom

Room Number NNN: 178/3037/B1

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