Dr. Kuo-Chieh Chao

His interests include expansive and collapsible soils evaluation, unsaturated soil modelling, soil/ground improvement methods, landslide/debris flow investigation, effect of climate change on slope stability, soil behavior under dynamic loadings, jet grouting technique, optimisation of design of group pile foundation, sustainability in geotechnical engineering design, construction and design defect investigations, and mining reclamation.

• CE 71.13: Advanced Soil Mechanics and Testing
• CE 71.56: Ground Improvement Techniques and Geosynthetics
• CE 71.51: Foundation Engineering and Design
• CE75.05: Geotechnical Engineering for Tall Buildings
• CE 71.9008: Forensic Geotechnical Engineering for Problematic Soils
• CE71.9009: Unsaturated Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice
• CE71.9012: Geotechnical Investigation and Exploration
• GTE403: Computational Geotechnics

• Nelson, J.D., Chao, K.C., Overton, D.D., and Nelson, E.J.  “Foundation Engineering for Expansive Soils.” John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY. February 2015.
• Chao, K.C. and Nelson, J.D. “Validation of Foundation Design Method on Expansive Soils.” Geotechnical Engineering Journal of the SEAGS & AGSSEA Vol. 50 No. 1, March 2019.
• Morya, P., Kongpanickul, S., Chao, K.C., and Ishenaliev, R. “Rainfall-Induced Failure on Unsaturated Fill and Highly Weathered Schist Slopes.” 7th Asia-Pacific Unsaturated Soils Conference, Nagoya, Japan. August 2019.
• Htut. Z.M., Mohammed, A., and Chao, K.C. “Evaluation of Relationship Between Swelling Pressures Determined by Consolidation-Swell Test and Constant Volume Test.” 7th Asia-Pacific Unsaturated Soils Conference, Nagoya, Japan. August 2019.
• Mahakhotchasenichai, K., Chao, K.C., Phien-wej, N., and Boonyarak, T. “Evaluation of a Pile Design Method Using the Results of Static Load Tests for a Double Track Railway Project.” The 23rd National Convention on Civil Engineering, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand. July 2018.
• Chao, K.C., Kang, J. B., and Nelson, J.D. “Evaluation of Failure of Embankment Slope Constructed with Expansive Soils.” SEAGS 50th Anniversary Symposium Proceedings, September 2017.
• Nelson, E.J., Chao, K.C., Nelson, J.D., and Overton, D.D. “Lessons Learned from Foundation and Slab Failures on Expansive Soils.” Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities. ASCE, 31(3), June 2017.
• Chao, K.C., Kang, J.B., and Nelson, J.D.  “Challenges in Water Migration Modeling for Expansive Soils.” GeoShanghai Conference, Shanghai, China. May 2014.
• Nelson, J.D., Chao, K.C., Overton, D.D., Fox, Z.F., and Dunham-Friel, J.S.  “Grouted Micropiles for Foundation Remediation in Expansive Soil.” Journal of the Deep Foundation Institute, Vol. 7, No. 1. August 2013. pp. 32-43.
• Nelson, J.D., Thompson, E.G., Schaut, R.W., Chao, K.C., Overton, D.D., and Dunham-Friel, J.S.  “Design Procedure and Considerations for Piers in Expansive Soils.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 138(8), August 2012. pp. 945-956.
• Nelson, J.D., Chao, K.C., Overton, D.D., and Schaut, R.W. “Calculation of Heave of Deep Pier Foundations.” Geotechnical Engineering Journal of the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society and Association of Geotechnical Societies in Southeast Asia. Vol. 43, No. 1. March 2012.
• Chao, K.C., Nelson, J.D., and Overton, D.D.  “Factors Influencing Design of Deep Foundations on Expansive Soils.” The Fifth Asia-Pacific Conference on Unsaturated Soils, Pattaya, Thailand. November 2011.
• Chao, K.C., Overton, D.D., and Nelson, J.D.  “Effect of Water Sources on Water Migration in the Vadose Zone.” The GeoShanghai 2010 International Conference, Shanghai, China. June 2010.
• Chao, K.C., Nelson, J.D., Overton, D.D., and Cumbers, J.M. “Soil Water Retention Curves for Remolded Expansive Soils.” Proceedings of the 1st European Conference on Unsaturated Soils, Durham, UK. July 2008.
• Chao, K.C., Overton, D.D., and Nelson, J.D. “Design and Installation of Deep Benchmarks in Expansive Soil.” Journal of Surveying Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers. Vol. 132, No. 3. August 2006. pp. 124-131.

• Evaluation of Rainfall-Induced Failures of Embankment Slopes due to Climate Change, Timor-Leste.
• Evaluation of Large Diameter Jet Grouting Technique Used for the MRTA Orange Line Project, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Evaluation of Mt. Polley Tailings Dam Failure, British Columbia, Canada.
• Roadway Analyses and Stabilization Plans, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
• Foundation Remediation for Subdivision Constructed on Expansive Bedrock, Erie, Colorado, USA.
• Gas Hills Uranium Mine and Mill Site, Gas Hills, Wyoming, USA.

• Committee Member, International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) TC106 Unsaturated Soils Technical Committee
• Committee Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute Unsaturated Soils Technical Committee
• Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• Member, Colorado Association of Geotechnical Engineers (CAGE)
• Member, Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS)

• Expansive soils, collapsible soils
• soil improvement, unsaturated soil modelling
• landslide/debris flow
• climate change, soil behavior under dynamic loading
• jet grouting
• foundation optimisation
• sustainability, mining reclamation.