Rate My Professor Jonathan Knappett

Professor Jonathan Knappett serves as Professor of Engineering Science in Geotechnical Engineering in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, a position he assumed in 2026, alongside his role as Tutorial Fellow in Engineering Science at Brasenose College. He obtained his MEng degree in Engineering, specializing in Civil Engineering, from Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, in 2003, followed by a PhD in earthquake-resistant foundation design in 2007. Knappett built his career at the University of Dundee over 19 years, joining as Lecturer in 2006, rising to Professor of Civil Engineering in 2018, and acting as Discipline Lead for Civil Engineering (Head of Department) from 2016 to 2021. During his tenure there, he co-developed and led the MSc in Geotechnical Engineering from 2010 to 2016, served as Postgraduate Research Lead since 2022, and Programme Lead for MSc Civil Engineering programmes since 2023. A Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (MICE), his research has attracted over £8.2 million in funding from UK Research Councils, the European Commission, overseas organizations, charities, and industry.

Knappett's expertise lies in physical modelling, numerical simulation, and analytical modelling within geotechnical engineering, focusing on innovative designs against extreme dynamic environmental actions. His research spans nature-based and low-carbon approaches, such as using vegetation to mitigate landslides and enhance infrastructure resilience amid climate change; geotechnical engineering for energy decarbonisation, including anchorage systems for offshore renewables like wind and robust designs for shallow geothermal systems; and earthquake engineering, particularly multi-scale analysis of urban infrastructure performance under seismic sequences. He is the principal author of the best-selling textbooks Craig's Soil Mechanics, 8th and 9th Editions, and co-author of Design of Piles in Liquefiable Soils, incorporating his PhD work. Notable publications include 'On the Uprooting Stability of Trees: Combined Loading Effect on Tree Stability Assessment' and 'Centrifuge modelling of energy geostructures in soil: A review'. Knappett has received the British Geotechnical Association Medal (2009), TK Hsieh Award (2010), ISSMGE TC203 Young Researcher Award in Earthquake Engineering (2018), ICE Geotechnical Research Medal (2023), and Telford Gold Medal (2024). He delivered the 13th Géotechnique Lecture in 2017 on vegetation in low-carbon geotechnical engineering, chaired the Editorial Panel of the International Journal of Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (2014-2018), served on the Géotechnique Advisory Panel (2011-2013), and currently represents the UK on ISSMGE Technical Committees TC104 (Physical Modelling) and TC203 (Earthquake Engineering), as well as British Standards Committee B/526.