Congratulations to Jonathan Fok and Levinna Natalia on their successful PhD defense

We are delighted to share the wonderful news that Mr. Jonathan Fok and Ms. Levinna Natalia have successfully defended their doctoral thesis.

Dr. Fok's thesis, titled "Drained Instability Behaviours of Granular Soils under Constant Shear: Controlling Factors and Mechanisms," advances the understanding of instability phenomena in granular soils under constant shear drained conditions. His research sheds light on the fundamental mechanisms and key parameters that govern drained instability—contributing valuable insights to geotechnical engineering practices.

Dr. Natalia's thesis, titled "Rainfall-Induced Slope Failure: Understanding the Interplay of Contributing Factors and Soil State Characterization Techniques," focuses on improving the understanding of rainfall-triggered landslides, particularly the role of rainfall characteristics and hydraulic properties. Her work enhances the assessment of slope stability and the prediction of potential liquefaction behavior.

Their PhD studies are funded by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong via the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship scheme and by The University of Hong Kong (HKU) through the HKU Presidential PhD Scholar program.

Congratulations once again, Dr. Fok and Dr. Natalia!