
University of Queensland
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Dr Jurij Karlovsek is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Queensland, serving within the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology. He completed his PhD in 2014 at the School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, with a thesis titled 'Non-destructive testing of tunnel integrity using ground penetrating radar'. As a recognised expert in Geotechnical and Underground Engineering, his research focuses on infrastructure innovation encompassing sustainable infrastructure development, geotechnical resilience, underground space utilisation, tunnelling, and constructability for large-scale underground projects; digital engineering and information modelling, including Building Information Modelling (BIM) in tunnelling, mechanised tunnelling methods, digital workflows, sustainability, and life-cycle asset management; and advanced non-destructive and spatial technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), SLAM, LiDAR, and InSAR for evaluating infrastructure integrity, subsurface conditions, monitoring, and performance assessment.
In his roles at the University of Queensland, Dr Karlovsek is Director of Engagement for the School of Civil Engineering, EAIT Faculty Lead and Director at the Sustainable Infrastructure Research Hub collaborating with the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, and co-founder and area lead at the Infrastructure CoLab. He coordinates courses including CIVL2210 Soil Mechanics, CIVL4525 Sustainable Infrastructure Design, and CIVL6250 Underground Structures. His leadership extends to industry and international bodies as Vice-President of the National Committee of the Australian Tunnelling Society, past Animator (Chair) of the International Tunnelling Association Working Group 22 on Information Modelling in Tunnelling from 2016 to 2023, and member of BrisBIM, Australasian BIM Advisory Board, and Australian Shotcrete Society. Awards include ITA Young Tunneller of the Year 2015, David Sudgen Award 2012, and ATS Award for Young Professional Engineers Sydney 2012. Key publications include co-authored ITA-AITES books 'Information Modelling in Tunnelling' (2022) and 'BIM in Tunnelling - Guideline for Bored Tunnels' (2022); journal articles such as 'Improving tunnel fire safety: a Bayesian network model' (2026), 'Natural creation of large rock cavern: Jenolan caves case study' (2024), 'Variables affecting the risk of vehicle collisions in Australian road tunnels' (2023), and 'Spray-applied waterproofing membranes in tunnelling' (2023). He supervises PhD research on infrastructure resilience, digital twins for tunnel monitoring, and rock cavern stability, with projects funded by Natural Hazards Research Australia and Lloyd's Register Foundation.
Professional Email: j.karlovsek@uq.edu.au