Background

Current PhD Studentships available:

• (ENG039) Medical imaging soil-water processes
• (COMP010) Digital Twins for Resilient Geo-Infrastructure
• (OP19_30) Developing novel geophysical tools to investigate urban tree-water processes

The National Green Infrastructure Facility: https://issuu.com/distinctivepublishing/docs/wij08/48  

Background & Research Interests

My role at Newcastle since 2016 has been to co-ordinate the research activities of the National Green Infrastructure Facility (NGIF), part of the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC) network, situated at Newcastle Helix.

Completed in September 2017, the National Green Infrastructure Facility is a ‘living lab’ for exploring how Green features such as planting and soils (natural and amended) help mitigate the effects of climate change in urban areas, making them more resilient and sustainable. This is a world-class facility hosting collaborative, full-scale, multi-disciplinary research into Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), Green Infrastructure performance and fundamental soil-plant-atmosphere interactions.

Prior to my involvement in the NGIF, I completed a PhD in numerical modelling of desiccation cracking in unsaturated, compacted clay fill in the field of infrastructure slope stability. I then worked simultaneously on two large EPSRC funded projects –iSMART and Assessing The Underworld. There, my role was primarily as an experimentalist (laboratory and full-scale). I continue to manage the BIONICS research facility - a trial infrastructure embankment which hosts a number of innovative techniques to monitor the slope asset condition (e.g. PRIME and SlopeALARMS) as well as a comprehensive suite of buried and meteorological sensors and associated extensive dataset.

My laboratory interests revolve around the cyclic wetting-drying behaviour of clays - specifically geotechnical properties (e.g. Soil water retention curves (SWRC), tensile and shear strength testing and small-large strain stiffness testing), geophysical techniques (i.e. resistivity) and imaging (Digital Image Correlation, Environmental-SEM and XRCT). My work also centres on understanding geotechnical deterioration mechanisms across the scales of infrastructure performance, from the soil element itself up to the network, strategic level. Through my involvement with iSMART and ATU, I have helped to develop ideas of progressive asset deterioration in the infrastructure slope and buried utility contexts, assets upon which the future resilience of our cities relies.

Consultancy 

I am actively engaged in geotechnical design consultancy and have worked with Electrokinetic Ltd on several slope stabilisation sites for Highways England in Cambridgeshire.  Electrokinetic Ltd provides solutions for remediating unstable slopes and dewatering slurries and sludges based on patented electrokinetic geosynthetic technology. They are recipients of numerous ICE awards owing to the outstanding sustainability credentials that electro-osmotic remediation brings.

Together with the Environment Agency, I am supervising bank stability monitoring and analysis project on the River Tyne. The purpose of this work is to identify sustainable remediation methods that exploit coupled hydro-mechanical mechanisms to provide green, aesthetic solutions.  

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) - Geology - Durham University 2008
• MSc - Geotechnical Engineering - Newcastle University 2009
• PhD - Multiphase modelling of desiccation cracking in compacted soils - Newcastle University 2014 (pdf)

-        Development of a pseudo-discrete continuum finite difference model (FLAC) capable of capturing two-phase flow within a porous media subject to mechanical and hydrological boundary conditions and a tension failure criterion. Additionally, this work saw the design and development of an apparatus to establish the variable (un)saturated soil tensile strength.

 Memberships

• Fellow of the Geological Society
• Member of the British Geotechnical Association
• TUD COST Action TU1202 member (Website)

Grants & Awards

• Urban Green DaMS (Design and Modelling of SuDS) (EP/S005862/1) Co-Investigator, March 2018 - Feb 2021 (£800,000)
• ACHILLES - Assessment, Costing and enHancement of long lIfe, Long Linear assEtS (EP/R034575/1) Co-Investigator, July 2018 - Dec 2022 (£4,872,904)
• CACTUS - Climate Adaptation Control Technologies for Urban Spaces (EP/R005834/1) Co-Investigator, Jan 2018 - Dec 2021 (£1,761,592)
• PLEXUS - Priming Laboratory EXperiments on infrastructure and Urban Systems (EP/R013535/1) Co-Investigator, Jan 2018 -  Dec 2019 (£1,013,092)
• UKCRIC - UK Collaboratorium for Research in Infrastructure & Cities: Newcastle Laboratories (EP/R010102/1) Researcher Co-Investigator, April 2016 - March 2021 (£9,671,332)
• Organiser of the International Training School ‘The Vadose Zone Workshop’.  An event for European Early Stage Researchers convened between Newcastle University and Durham University, July 2015 (15,000EUR)
• ‘Short Term Scientific Mission’ travel grant to École des Ponts ParisTech, February 2015 - COST Action TU1202 (Report) (2,500EUR)
• CEGS Newcastle internal conference - Oral Presentation Prize 2011
• CEGS Newcastle internal conference - Poster Prize 2010

Journal Reviewer

• Canadian Geotechnical Journal
• Journal of Geotechnical and Geological Engineering
• International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences
• Engineering Geology
• Geotechnique Letters

Researcher Profile: ResearchGate

Google Scholar: Click here.

SCOPUS: Click here.

Teaching

Research Project Supervision:

• Rixia Zan (PhD) - Using biochar amended gravel/sand as pollution attenuating materials in soak-aways and under permeable pavements for sustainable stormwater management (2018 – current)
• Oboho Okon Eminue (PhD) - Environmental and Material Controls on Desiccation Cracking in Engineered Clay Embankments (Completed 2018)
• MSc Geotechnical Engineering/Engineering Geology (PGT) (annually)
• BEng and MEng Civil Engineering (UG) (annually)

I am also a holder of 'Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education - Part A' and have experience in teaching on the following courses:

• Stage 1-2 Geotechnical Properties of Soils and Rocks (Classroom, Laboratory and Fieldtrip)
• Stage 3  Computational Engineering Analysis (Computer Lab)
• MSc Geotechnical Engineering/Engineering Geology (Laboratory, Classroom and Fieldwork (UK and abroad))
• MSc Pipeline Engineering (Laboratory)

Publications

• Stirling RA, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Numerical modelling of desiccation crack induced permeability. In: 18th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2013, Paris, France.
• Stirling RA, Simpson DJ, Davie CT. The application of digital image correlation to Brazilian testing of sandstone. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 2013, 60, 1-11.
• Stirling RA, Hughes PN, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Cyclic relationship between saturation and tensile strength in the near-surface zone of infrastructure embankments. In: Khalili K, Russell A, Koshghalb A, ed. Unsaturated Soils: Research and Applications. London: CRC Press, 2014, pp.1501-1505.
• Stirling RA, Hughes P, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Tensile behaviour of unsaturated compacted clay soils — A direct assessment method. Applied Clay Science 2015, 112-113, 123-133.
• Stirling RA, Glendinning S, Hughes PN, Hen-Jones R, Asquith JD, Helm P. Deterioration of geotechnical infrastructure: the influence of asset aging through environmental cycling. In: 19th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2017, Seoul, Korea.
• Du H, Dimitrova V, Magee D, Cohn A, Stirling R, Curioni G, Clarke B, Reeves H. An Ontology of Soil Properties and Processes. In: 15th International Semantic Web Conference. 2016, Kobe, Japan.
• Stirling RA, Glendinning S, Davie CT. Modelling the deterioration of the near surface caused by drying induced cracking. Applied Clay Sciences 2017, 146, 176-185.
• Hen-Jones RM, Hughes PN, Stirling RA, Glendinning S, Chambers JE, Gunn DA, Cui Y-J. Seasonal effects on geophysical-geotechnical relationships and their implications for electrical resistivity tomography monitoring of slopes. Acta Geotechnica 2017, 12(5), 1159-1173.
• Helm P, Stirling RA, Glendinning S. The Implications of Using Estimated Solar Radiation on the Derivation of Potential Evapotranspiration and Soil Moisture Deficit within an Embankment. In: 3rd International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics. 2016, Guimaraes, Portugal: Elsevier.
• Hen-Jones R, Chambers J, Gunn D, Hughes PN, Glendinning S, Stirling RA. Development of a landslide monitoring system using electrical resistivity tomography. In: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA.
• Uhlemann S, Chambers J, Wilkinson P, Gunn D, Stirling R, Hen-Jones R. Geoelectrical Imaging of Moisture Dynamics in Engineered Slopes. In: 3rd International Workshop on Geoelectrical Monitoring (GELMON,2015). 2015, Vienna, Austria: Geologische Bundesanstalt.
• Stirling RA, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Multiphase modelling of desiccation cracking in the near-surface of compacted soils. In: XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2015, Edinburgh, UK: ICE Publishing.
• Glendinning S, Helm PR, Rouainia M, Stirling RA, Asquith JD, Hughes PN, Toll DG, Clarke D, Powrie W, Smethurst J, Hughes D, Harley R, Karim R, Dixon N, Crosby C, Chambers J, Dijkstra T, Gunn D, Briggs K, Muddle D. Research-informed design, management and maintenance of infrastructure slopes: development of a multi-scalar approach. In: International Symposium on Geohazards and Geomechanics. 2015, Warwick, UK: IOP Publishing.
• Toll DG, Asquith JD, Fraser A, Hassan AA, Liu G, Lourenço SDN, Mendes J, Noguchi T, Osinski P, Stirling RA. Tensiometer techniques for determining soil water retention curves. In: 6th Asia Pacific Conference on Unsaturated Soils. 2015, Guilin, China: CRC Press.
• Hughes PN, Hen-Jones R, Stirling RA, Glendinnning S, Gunn DA, Chambers JE, Dijkstra TA, Smethurst J, Flesjo K. Challenges in monitoring and managing engineered slopes in a changing climate. In: 3rd European Conference on Unsaturated Soils E-UNSAT 2016. 2016, Paris, France: EDP Sciences.
• Elia G, Cotecchia F, Pedone P, Vaunat J, Vardon PJ, Pereira C, Springman SM, Rouainia M, Esch JV, Koda E, Josifovski J, Nocilla A, Askarinejad A, Stirling R, Helm P, Lollino P, Osinski P. Numerical modelling of slope-vegetation-atmosphere interaction: an overview. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 2017, 50(3), 249-270.
• Stirling RA, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Multiphase modelling of desiccation cracking in the near-surface of compacted soils. In: XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development. 2015, Edinburgh, UK: ICE Publishing.
• Stirling RA, Hughes PN, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Cyclic relationship between saturation and tensile strength in the near-surface zone of infrastructure embankments. In: Sixth International Conference on Unsaturdated Soils, UNSAT 2014. 2014, Sydney, Australia: CRC Press.
• Tang AM, Hughes PN, Dijkstra TA, Askarinejad A, Brencic M, Cui YJ, Diez JJ, Firgi T, Gajewska B, Gentile F, Grossi G, Jommi C, Kehagia F, Koda E, ter-Maat HW, Lenart S, Lourenco S, Oliveira M, Osinski P, Springman SM, Stirling R, Toll DG, Van-Beek V. Atmosphere–vegetation–soil interactions in a climate change context; impact of changing conditions on engineered transport infrastructure slopes in Europe. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 2018, 51(2), 156-168.
• Dixon N, Crosby CJ, Stirling R, Hughes PN, Smethurst J, Briggs K, Hughes D, Gunn D, Hobbs P, Loveridge F, Glendinning S, Dijkstra T, Hudson A. In situ measurements of near-surface hydraulic conductivity in engineered clay slopes. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 2019, 52(1), 123-135.
• Walsh C, Stirling R, Stott K, Cherry B. Putting green infrastructure to the test for urban catchments. Water Industry Journal 2018, (8), 48-49.
• Stirling RA, Glendinning S, Davie CT, Hen-Jones R, Hughes PN. The Behaviour and Influence of Desiccation Cracking on a Full-Scale, Vegetated Infrastructure Embankment. In: 7th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils (UNSAT2018). 2018, Hong Kong, China: UNSAT.