Dr. Mahdi Taiebat

Professor

Geotechnical Engineering, Structural & Earthquake Engineering

Office: CEME 2023

Biography

Dr. Mahdi Taiebat received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Iran (2001 and 2003), and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Davis, USA, in 2008. He joined the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2009. His research, professional practice, and teaching focus on theoretical and computational geomechanics, constitutive modeling of engineering materials, the physics and mechanics of granular materials, and geotechnical earthquake engineering—addressing challenges at the intersection of engineering, physics, and applied mathematics. He leads the Theoretical & Applied Geomechanics (TAG) research group at UBC and has co-authored more than 170 peer-reviewed publications. He serves on the ISSMGE Technical Committees on Numerical Methods (TC103) and Earthquake Engineering (TC203), the ASCE Technical Committee on Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics, and the Editorial Boards of Soils and Foundations, Géotechnique Letters, and Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and a visiting professor at MIT and ETH Zürich.

Research Interests

Theoretical and computational geomechanics, constitutive modeling of engineering materials, physics and mechanics of granular materials, geotechnical earthquake engineering, static and dynamic soil-structure interaction.

Courses

CIVL 210 Soil Mechanics I

CIVL 575 Constitutive Models for Soil

CIVL 580 Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering

Awards & Recognitions

2015-2016, Visiting Scholar Fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2015, Discovery Accelerator Supplement, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
2012, Norman Medal, American Society of Civil Engineers
2011, Professor Appreciation Award, UBC Civil Engineering Undergraduate Student Club
2008-2009, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute
2007, UC Davis I.M. Idriss Award for Excellence in Geotechnical Engineering

Student Research Opportunities

*We welcome applications from outstanding prospective PhD students*

Thank you for your interest in joining our Theoretical & Applied Geomechanics (TAG) research team. We always look for bright and motivated individuals with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, cultures, and personalities. I aim to provide high-quality graduate training within an inclusive and supportive environment.

Successful applicants must 1) distinguish themselves academically, 2) demonstrate a passion for geomechanics and geotechnical earthquake engineering, 3) have good communication skills (for international students, minimum TOEFL or IELTS scores of 100 or 7, respectively), and 4) be independent and creative thinkers. Successful PhD applicants must also have published a paper in a well-respected peer-reviewed journal, and strong skills or demonstrated interest in one or more of the following areas:

FEM, FDM, MPM, PFEM for solid mechanics in computation or program development;
DEM for granular systems in computation or program development;
Knowledge in mechanics and constitutive modeling of geomaterials;
Proficiency in a programming language (C++, Fortran, or Python).

If you meet the above qualifications, you are invited to e-mail a preliminary application with "GRADUATE-TAG" in the subject line to mahdi.taiebat@ubc.ca. The preliminary application should include the following in a single pdf file.

A one-page (maximum) statement outlining your relevant qualifications as a graduate research student in geomechanics or geotechnical earthquake engineering, and why you are interested in the type of research done by our team.
A brief CV (3 pages maximum) to include the contact information of two references.

After reviewing the preliminary applications, potential candidates will be contacted and encouraged to formally apply for admission in the following September. In a given year, 2-3 candidates are selected to join the team. Please indicate in your Statement if you have (or are eligible for) an external fellowship (e.g., an NSERC Fellowship). I look forward to viewing your preliminary application.

Selected Publications

Constitutive Modeling of Geomaterials

Zeng, S., Taiebat, M., and Dafalias, Y.F. (2026). “SANISAND-FM: a sand plasticity model with fabric anisotropy and memory surface with emphasis on cyclic liquefaction.” Géotechnique, In Press. [link]
Yang, M., Taiebat, M., and Dafalias, Y.F. (2022). “SANISAND-MSf: a memory surface and semifluidized state enhanced plasticity model for undrained cyclic shearing.” Géotechnique, 72(3), 227-246. [link]
Seidalinov, G. and Taiebat, M. (2014). “Bounding surface SANICLAY plasticity model for cyclic clay behavior.” International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 38(7), 702-724. [link]

Micromechanics of Granular Materials

Yang, M. and Taiebat, M. (2024). “Effect of anisotropic consolidation on cyclic liquefaction resistance of granular materials via 3D-DEM modeling.” ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 150(5), 04024028. [link]
Banerjee, S., Yang, M., and Taiebat, M. (2023). “Effect of coefficient of uniformity on cyclic liquefaction resistance of granular materials.” Computers and Geotechnics, 155, 105232. [link]
Yang, M., Taiebat, M., Mutabaruka, P., and Radjai, F. (2021). “Evolution of granular materials under isochoric cyclic simple shearing.” Physical Review E, 103, 032904. [link]

Computational Geomechanics for Geosystems

Asgarpoor, M. and Taiebat, M. (2026). “Optimal intensity measures for predicting coseismic liquefaction triggering and lateral displacements in sloping ground.” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 200, 109846. [link]
Perez, K., Reyes, A., and Taiebat, M. (2023). “Roles of pre- and post-liquefaction stages in dynamic system response of liquefiable sand retained by a sheet-pile wall.” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 171, 107937. [link]
Ramirez, J., Barrero, A., Chen, L., Dashti, S., Ghofrani, A., Taiebat, M., and Arduino, P. (2018). “Site response in a layered liquefiable deposit: evaluation of different numerical tools and methodologies with centrifuge experimental results.” ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 144(10), 04018073. [link]

A complete publication list is available on the TAG Publications page.