Qinghua Lei

I am a computational geoscientist and geotechnical engineer. My research aims to advance our predictive understanding of the coupled multiphysical processes in fractured media that drive the emergence of complex phenomena in the Earth's crust. I develop high-fidelity numerical models, in conjunction with laboratory experiments and field observations, to study how fractured media behave in natural environments and interact with man-made structures in both deep and shallow crustal rocks.

I am an Associate Professor in Geohydrology with Specialisation in Coupled Processes at the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University. I received my Bachelor degree (2009) in Civil Engineering and Master degree (2012) in Geotechnical Engineering (specialised in Tunnel and Underground Engineering), both from Tongji University, China. I obtained my PhD degree (2016) in Rock Mechanics from Imperial College London, UK. I am the receipient of the 2019 Rocha Medal from the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, the 2016 NGW Cook PhD Dissertation Award and the 2015 Rock Mechanics Research Award from the American Rock Mechanics Association. I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Fluid Mechanics at Imperial College London, UK between 2016 and 2018. From 2018 to 2023, I was a Lecturer & Senior Researcher in Engineering Geology at the Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich.

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