At Northwestern, we are shaping the future of the underground as a resource for infrastructure innovation, resource extraction and

Academics
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PhD Program
Underground Science and Engineering Specialization

Rethinking the Subsurface for a Sustainable Future

All facilities are built on, in, or with earthen materials: soils, rocks, and systems thereof. The PhD Program in Underground Science and Engineering at Northwestern pioneers new knowledge, methodologies, and technologies that have the potential to revolutionize how humankind interacts with earthen materials.

  • Mission: Train future leaders to address challenges and opportunities in infrastructure, climate, energy, urbanization, decarbonization, and space exploration through the subsurface. This endeavor promises to redefine the role of the subsurface in advancing infrastructure innovation, conserving both natural and built environments, accelerating the renewable energy transition, decarbonizing the construction sector, and exploring other worlds for the sustainable development of humankind.
  • Identity: Leverage geomechanics to understand, analyze, and predict the properties, behavior, and performance of earthen materials under complex natural and anthropogenic factors. Our group gathers and trains leaders in Geomechanics, Geotechnical Engineering, Underground Construction, and Sustainable Geosystems to address complex challenges related to the subsurface in an environment of change.
  • Objectives: Provide interdisciplinary skills in theory, modeling, and experimentation to address both fundamental and applied challenges related to the subsurface. Our group tackles some of the most fascinating challenges and opportunities related to the subsurface, including creating underground constructions capable of harnessing and storing energy, developing novel geotechnologies to prevent or mitigate natural hazards, exploring the earth’s interior for sustainable resource extraction and storage, and envisioning subsurface living on Earth, the Moon, Mars, and other worlds.

If you aspire to develop groundbreaking innovations that redefine the role of the subsurface and underground infrastructure in supporting life on Earth and other worlds, our group is the place for you.

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Research

Our faculty members focus on the science and engineering of the subsurface and its potential to address some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities for sustainable human development on Earth and beyond. We have the following active faculty in this research area:

View faculty who are recruiting PhD students for fall 2026

Eligibility and Admissions

Students studying geotechnical engineering earn a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil and Environmental Engineering through Northwestern University's Graduate School. To be admitted to the PhD program in geotechnical engineering, the student must either hold a master of Science in Engineering or a non-engineering degree with the coursework described in the MS section covering mathematics through differential equations, fluid mechanics, first-year, college-level chemistry, and statics and dynamics.

These course requirements for admission may be met at Northwestern, but credits from these courses cannot be applied to the graduate degree. In addition, each applicant must meet the usual requirements of The Graduate School and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

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