Sumi Siddiqua

Professor

Civil

Other Titles: Associate Director of Graduate Studies
Office: EME4281
Phone: 250.807.9863
Email: sumi.siddiqua@ubc.ca

Research Summary

Behaviour of unsaturated clay; Chemical and biological treatment of problematic soils; Underground nuclear waste disposal modeling

Courses & Teaching

ENGR 340 SOIL MECHANICS; ENGR 440 FOUNDATION ENGINEERING; ENGR 444 SOLID WASTE ENGINEERING; Multiple Graduate-Level Courses in the Areas of Energy and the Environment

Biography

Dr. Siddiqua completed her PhD. at Cardiff University in geo-environmental engineering.  Her research focused on developing a thermal-hydraulic-mechanical model for nuclear waster repository design. Dr Siddiqua did her post-doctoral fellowship at the Geotechnical Laboratory of the University of Manitoba.

As the lead researcher at the CFI-funded Advanced Geomaterials Testing Lab on the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia, Dr. Siddiqua and her team research nuclear waste repositories, energy pipelines, chemical stabilization of road subgrade materials, soil nano-particles, soil-water chemistry and the reuse of industry by-products.

Dr Siddiqua has been involved in several Canadian Geotechnical Society committees, and is currently the Chair of the Society’s Education Committee.  She is also active with the Women in Science and Engineering organization at UBC Okanagan.

Degrees

Ph.D. – Civil Engineering (Cardiff University, United Kingdom)
MASc – Engineering and Applied Geology (Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand)

Research Interests & Projects

• Thermal-Hydraulic-Mechanical-Chemical Behaviour of Soil
• Deep Underground Nuclear Waste Disposal Modeling
• Contaminant Migration
• Expansive, Collapsible and Organic Soil
• Landfill Cover System
• Soft Ground Improvement
• Sustainable infrastructure
• Chemical Stabilization Techniques for Roads

Selected Publications & Presentations

(Students under my supervision are in bold)

Refereed Journal

Rahimi, S. and Siddiqua, S. Developing a Relation Between Pore Fluid Salinity and Electrical Resistivity of Highly Compacted Bentonite. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, vol 38(2) March 2020.

Muhammad N. and Siddiqua, S. Full factorial design for optimization of magnesium alkalinization additive. Transportation Geotechnics, vol 21 December 2019.

Dey A. Siddiqua S. and Rahman Z.M. Suitability assessment using multicriteria spatial decision support system for the existing landfill sites of Chittagong City, Bangladesh. Environmental Earth Sciences, vol 78(24) December 2019.

Muhammad N. and Siddiqua, S. Stabilization of silty sand using bentonite‑magnesium-alkalinization: Mechanical, physicochemical and microstructural characterization. Applied Clay Science, vol 183 December 2019.

Sabrin S. Siddiqua S. and Muhammad N. Understanding the effect of heat treatment on subgrade soil stabilized with bentonite and magnesium alkalinisation. Transportation Geotechnics vol 21 December 2019.

Nowak R. Bauer B. and Siddiqua S. The Nature and Origin of Furrows in Lake-Bed Sediments: Okanagan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, November 2019.

Cherian C. and Siddiqua S. Pulp and Paper Mill Fly Ash: A Review. Sustainability, 11(16) November 2019.

Rahman, Z. M. Siddiqua, S. and Kamal ASMM. Geology and topography based Vs³⁰ map for Sylhet city of Bangladesh. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, vol 78(5) July 2019.

Latifi N. Vahedifard F. Siddiqua S. and Horpibulsuk S. Solidification–Stabilization of Heavy Metal–Contaminated Clays Using Gypsum: Multiscale Assessment. ASCE International Journal of Geomechanics, vol.18 (11) August 2018.

Muhammad N. Siddiqua, S. and Latifi N. Solidification of subgrade materials using magnesium alkalinization: A sustainable additive for construction. ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, vol. 30(10) July 2018.

Siddiqua, S. and Barreto, PNM. Chemical stabilization of rammed earth using calcium carbide residue and fly ash, Construction and Building Materials, published online, March 2018.

Rahman, Z. M. Kamal, A.S.M. and Siddiqua, S. Near-surface shear wave velocity estimation and Vs 30 mapping for Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Natural Hazards, published online, March 2018.

Nath B.D. Sarkar, G. Siddiqua, S. Rokunuzzaman, M. and Islam, R. Geotechnical properties of wood ash-based composite fine-grained soil, Advances in Civil Engineering, March 2018.

Khan, U. and Siddiqua, S. Study of compressive loading capacities of helical piles using torque method and induced settlements. Environmental Earth Sciences, vol. 77(1), January 2018.

Siddiqua, S. Tabiatnejad, B. and Siemens, G. Impact of pore fluid chemistry on the thermal conductivity of bentonite–sand mixture. Environmental Earth Sciences, vol. 77(1), January 2018.

Rahimi, S. and Siddiqua, S. Relationships between degree of saturation, total suction and electrical/thermal resistivity of highly compacted bentonite. ASCE Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste. Accepted, October, 2017.

Rahman, Z. M. and Siddiqua, S. Evaluation of liquefaction-resistance of soils using standard penetration test, cone penetration test, and shear-wave velocity data for Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet cities in Bangladesh. Environmental Earth Sciences, vol. 76, March 2017.

Rahman, Z. M. Hossain, S. Kamal, A.K.M. Siddiqua, S. Mustahid, F. and Farazi, A.H. Seismic site characterization for Moulvibazar town, Bangladesh. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, published online, March 2017.

Dean, C. Siddiqua, S. and Roberts, D. Geotechnical properties of polymer-amended TSRU oil sands tailings. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, published online, March 2017.

Tabiatnejad, B. Siddiqua, S. and Siemens, G. Impact of pore fluid salinity on the mechanical behavior of unsaturated bentonite-sand mixture. Environmental Earth Sciences, vol. 75:1434 November 2016.

Ahmed, S. I. Siddiqua, S. and Renner, S. Development of a model to predict consolidation of tailings. Environmental Geotechnics, published online, October 2016.

Rahman, Z. M. Siddiqua, S. and Kamal, A.K.M. Shear wave velocity estimation of the near-surface materials of Chittagong City, Bangladesh for seismic site characterization. Journal of Applied Geophysics, vol.134:210-225 November 2016.

Latifi, N. Rashid, A. Siddiqua, S. and Majid, MZ. Strength measurement and textural characteristics of tropical residual soil stabilised with liquid polymer. Measurement, vol. 91: 46-54, September 2016.

Sarkar, G. and Siddiqua, S. Preliminary studies of hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of nanoparticles based light backfill exposed to pore fluid salinity. ASCE Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste, published online June 2016.

Ahmed, S. I. and Siddiqua, S. Compressibility behavior of soils: a statistical approach. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering,published online March 2016.

Sarkar, G. and Siddiqua, S. Effect of fluid chemistry on the microstructure of light backfill: An X-ray CT investigation. Engineering Geology, vol. 202: 153–162, March 2016.

Sarkar, G. Dey, A. and Siddiqua, S. Preparation of Wyoming bentonite nanoparticles. Environmental Geotechnics, published online February 2016.

Sarkar, G. Siddiqua, S., Banik, R. and Rokonuzzaman, M. Prediction of soil type and Standard Penetration Test (SPT) value in Khulna City, Bangladesh using General Regression Neural Network. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, vol. 48: 190–203, October 2015.

Latifi, N. Rashid, A. Siddiqua, S. and Horpibulsuk, S. Microstructural analysis of strength development in low and high swelling clays stabilized with magnesium chloride solution – A Green soil stabilizer. Applied Clay Science, vol. 118: 195–206, October 2015.

Rahman, Z. M. Siddiqua, S. and Kamal, A.K.M. Liquefaction hazard mapping by liquefaction potential index for Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Engineering Geology, vol. 188: 137-147, January 2015.

Siddiqua, S. Siemens, G. Blatz, J. Man, A. and Lim, B.F. Influence of pore fluid chemistry on the mechanical properties of clay-based materials. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, vol. 32: 1029-1042, May 2014.

Ahmed, S. I. and Siddiqua, S. A review on consolidation behaviour of tailings. International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, vol. 1(1): 102-111, January 2014.

Saadeldin, R. and Siddiqua, S. Geotechnical characterization of a clay-cement mix. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, vol. 72(3-4): 601-608, November 2013.

Siddiqua, S., Blatz, J. and Privat, N.C. Evaluating the behaviour of instrumented prototype rockfill dams. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, vol. 50(3): 298-310, March 2013.

Siddiqua, S. Blatz, J. and Privat, N.C. Evaluating turbulent flow in large rockfill. ASCE: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, vol.137 (11):1462-1469, November 2011.

Siddiqua, S. Blatz, J. and Siemens, G. Evaluation of the impact of pore fluid chemistry on the hydromechanical behaviour of clay-based sealing materials. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, vol. 48(2):199-213, January 2011.

Siddiqua, S. Blatz, J. and Siemens, G. Experimental study on the performance of light and dense backfills. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, vol. 48(2):214-225, January 2011.

Thomas H.R. Siddiqua, S. and Seetharam, S.C. Inclusion of higher-temperature effects in a soil behaviour model. Géotechnique, vol. 59(3):279–282, April 2009.

 

Selected Grants & Awards

• Overseas Research Student Award by UK Secretary of State for Education and Science
•  Scholarship support from Cardiff University, UK
•  Monbukagaku-sho Scholarship by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the Govt. of Japan (Declined)
•  Visiting student research grant from European Commission funded Asia-Link project
•  Scholarship support from Asian Development Bank, Japan

Professional Services/Affiliations/Committees

Certificate of Appreciation for duties as Chair of Membership Committee, presented by Canadian Geotechnical Society, 2019

Outstanding researcher award for the year of 2017-2018, School of Engineering, 2018

Certificate of Appreciation for duties as Chair of Student Award Committee, presented by Canadian Geotechnical Society, 2017

Certificate of Appreciation for duties as Director of Interior BC Geotechnical Group, presented by Canadian Geotechnical Society, 2017

Outstanding service award for the year of 2015-2016, School of Engineering, 2016

Certificate of Appreciation for duties as Director of Interior BC Geotechnical Group, presented by Canadian Geotechnical Society, 2016

Certificate of Appreciation for duties as Director of Interior BC Geotechnical Group, presented by Canadian Geotechnical Society, 2015

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