Zhixiong Zeng is an Associate Professor of Geological Engineering at Nanjing University. Before joining Nanjing University in 2024, he received his PhD from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, France and work as a Post-doctoral Fellow and Research Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His research interests include unsaturated soil mechanics, environmental geotechnics, nuclear waste disposal, reuse of excavated soils, landslide and debris flow disasters and climate change impact assessment. He has published 40 papers. Being the first author, he published 23 SCI-index articles, among which 18 articles were published in the journals evaluated as the first-class quality Q1 from Journal Citation Reports of the Web of Science database. Moreover, He is serving as the editor or scientific editor of Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, Geofluids, and Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, and has served as the reviewers of more than 60 SCI-index journal.

Education & Work Experience

2024-present  Associate Professor Professor

2022-2024  Research Assistant Professor, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

2021-2022  Post-doctoral Fellow, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

2021  Ph.D. in Geotechnics, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées

2016  Master in Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2013  Bachelor in Hydraulic and Hydroelectric Engineering, Sichuan University

Employments

Selected Publications

2024

Zeng, Z.X., Zhang, L.M.*, Xu, Z.D. and Zarch, M.K., 2024. Mechanical behaviour and grain breakage characteristics of Tibetan glacial tills under triaxial compression. Acta Geotechnica, 4809–4822.

Zeng, Z.X., Kong, L.W. and Wang, Y.L., 2024. Wetting–Drying–Freezing–Thawing Cycle Effect on the Swelling Pressure of Yanji Mudstone Using Various Determination Methods. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 36(6), 04024117.

2023

Zeng, Z.X., Fu, J.L.*, Feng, Y.T., Wang, M., 2023. Revisiting the empirical particle-fluid coupling model used in DEM-CFD by high-resolution DEM-LBM-IMB simulations: A 2D perspective. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics.47(5), 862-879.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Kong, L.W., 2023. Wetting-drying-freezing-thawing cycle effect on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of Yanji swelling mudstone. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 15(10), 2746-2756.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Talandier, J., 2023. An insight into grain interaction in bentonite/claystone mixtures. Acta Geotechnica. 18, 573–579.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Talandier, J., 2023. Evaluation of swelling pressure of bentonite/claystone mixtures from pore size distribution. Acta Geotechnica.18, 1671–1679.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Kong, L.W., Cui, Y.J., 2023. Experimental investigation and modeling of the mechanical behaviour of Yanji swelling mudstone subjected to wetting-drying-freezing-thawing cycles. Transportation Geotechnics.

2022

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Conil, N., Talandier, J., 2022. Effects of technological voids and hydration time on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of compacted bentonite/claystone mixture. Géotechnique. 72(1), 34-47.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Talandier, J., 2022. Investigation of the hydraulic conductivity of an unsaturated compacted bentonite/claystone mixture. Géotechnique. 72(10), 911-921.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Talandier, J., 2022. Effect of water chemistry on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of compacted mixtures of claystone and Na/Ca-bentonites for deep geological repositories. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 14(2), 527-536.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Talandier, J., 2022. Investigating the swelling pressure of highly compacted bentonite/sand mixtures under constant-volume conditions. Acta Geotechnica. 17, 2573–2580.

Kamali Zarch, M., Zhang, L.M.*, Haeri, S.M., Xu, Z.D., Zeng, Z.X., 2022. Contributions of Particle–Fluid, Collisional, and Colloidal Interactions to Rheological Behavior of Soil–Water Mixtures. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 148(7), 04022053.

2021

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Talandier, J., 2021. Long-term effect of water chemistry on the swelling pressure and hydraulic conductivity of compacted claystone/bentonite mixture with technological gaps. Engineering Geology, 295, 106432.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Talandier, J., 2021. Compaction and sealing properties of bentonite/claystone mixture: Impacts of bentonite fraction, water content and dry density. Engineering Geology. 287, 106122.

2020

Zeng, Z.X., Cui, Y.J.*, Zhang, F., Conil, N., Talandier, J., 2020. Effect of technological voids on the swelling behaviour of compacted bentonite/claystone mixture. Canadian Geotechnical Journal. 57(12), 1881-1892.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Talandier, J., 2020. Evaluating the influence of soil plasticity on hydraulic conductivity based on a general capillary model. Engineering Geology. 278, 105826.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Conil, N., Talandier, J., 2020. Experimental study on the aeolotropic swelling behaviour of compacted bentonite/claystone mixture with axial/radial technological voids. Engineering Geology. 278, 105846.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Conil, N. Talandier J., 2020. Analysis of boundary friction effect on the homogenization process of compacted bentonite/claystone mixture with technological voids upon hydration. Acta Geotechnica. 16 (2), 525–533.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Cui, Y.J., Conil, N., Talandier, J., 2020. Experimental investigation and modelling of the hydraulic conductivity of saturated bentonite/claystone mixture. International Journal of Geomechanics. 20(10), 04020184.

Zeng, Z.X., Kong, L.W.*, Wang, M., Wang, J.T., 2020. Effects of remoulding and wetting-drying-freezing-thawing cycles on the pore structures of Yanji mudstones. Cold Regions Science and Technology. 174, 103037.

Wang, M.*, Pande, G.N., Pietruszczak, S., Zeng, Z.X., 2020. Determination of strain-dependent soil water retention characteristics from gradation curve. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 12(6), 1356-1360.

2019

Zeng, Z.X., Cui, Y.J.*, Zhang, F., Conil, N., Talandier, J., 2019. Investigation of swelling pressure of bentonite/claystone mixture in the full range of bentonite fraction. Applied Clay Science. 178, 105137.

Zeng, Z.X.*, Kong, L.W., Wang, J.T., 2019. The deformation and permeability of Yanji mudstone under cyclic loading and unloading. Journal of Mountain Science. 16(12), 2907-2919.

Zeng, Z.X., Kong, L.W.*, 2019. Effect of wetting–drying–freezing–thawing cycles on the swelling behaviour of the Yanji mudstone. Environmental Earth Sciences. 78(15), 435.

2018

Zeng, Z.X., Kong, L.W.*, Wang, M., Sayem, H.M., 2018. Assessment of engineering behaviour of an intensely weathered swelling mudstone under full range of seasonal variation and the relationships among measured parameters. Canadian Geotechnical Journal. 55(12), 1837-1849.

Kong, L.W.*, Zeng, Z.X., Bai, W., Wang, M., 2018. Engineering geological properties of weathered swelling mudstones and their effects on the landslides occurrence in the Yanji section of the Jilin-Hunchun high-speed railway. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment. 77(4), 1491-1503.