Lianyang Zhang

Dr. Lianyang Zhang holds the Delbert R. Lewis Distinguished Professorship and serves as Director of the SMART (Sustainable Materials and Recycling Technologies) Laboratory in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics at the University of Arizona. His areas of expertise include rock characterization, ground control, deep foundations, waste recycling and utilization, sustainable and green construction materials, and eco-friendly dust control. Dr. Zhang has authored two books, co-edited three books, and published more than 200 peer-reviewed technical papers in international journals and conference proceedings. He has consistently appeared in the Stanford/Elsevier World's Top 2% Scientists list since its inception, ranking 4,724 overall and in the top 0.06% in the field of Geological & Geomatics Engineering in 2025. He serves as an Associate Editor for the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Managing Editor for the international journal Underground Space, and sits on the editorial boards of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering and two other international journals. Dr. Zhang previously chaired the ASCE Rock Mechanics Committee and currently serves on the ASCE Geoenvironmental Engineering Committee, the ASCE Rock Mechanics and Engineering Committee, and the Board of the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics. Dr. Zhang earned his BS in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, an MS in Geotechnical Engineering from Tongji University, and both an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from MIT. He is an ASCE Fellow and a licensed professional engineer in Massachusetts.