– Biographical Information –

Dr. Zornberg, P.E., BC. GE., F. ASCE, is a professor and Joe J. King Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He has over 35 years of experience in research and practice in geotechnical, geosynthetics, transportation, and geoenvironmental engineering. He earned his B.S. (Hons.) from the National U. of Cordoba (Argentina), his M.S. from PUC-Rio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and his Ph.D. from the U. of California at Berkeley.

As part of his academic experience, Prof. Zornberg conducts research on geosynthetics, transportation geotechnics, soil reinforcement, unsaturated soils, liner systems, geotechnics of bridges, and numerical and physical (centrifuge) modeling of geotechnical and geoenvironmental systems. His research has been sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Federal Highway Administration, Transportation Research Board, Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Education, Geosynthetic Institute, geosynthetic manufacturers, as well as the Departments of Transportation of Texas, Colorado, and California. Prof. Zornberg’s research in the area of soil reinforcement and transportation geotechnics includes the study of geosynthetic stabilization of roadways, failure mechanisms in earth retaining walls, soil-geosynthetic interaction, geosynthetic-reinforced bridge abutments, fiber-reinforced soil, creep of geosynthetic reinforcements, and the use of geosynthetics in asphaltic layers. Prof. Zornberg’s research in the area of environmental geotechnics includes the characterization of expansive clays, geosynthetic drainage layers, leakage through geomembrane defects, shear strength of GCLs, exposed geomembrane covers, flow through unsaturated soils, and the design of unsaturated soil covers. He teaches graduate courses on Earth Retaining Structures and Geoenvironmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

As part of his professional consulting experience, Prof. Zornberg has been involved in the analysis, design, and forensic evaluation of retaining walls, reinforced soil structures, roadway systems, mining facilities, impoundment lining systems, hydraulic protection systems, as well as urban and hazardous waste containment facilities. He has served as an expert witness in litigation cases involving the collapse of earth retaining structures, damaged geosynthetic barrier systems, failure of roadways founded on expansive clays, and siting of waste containment facilities. His consulting activities have involved the analysis and design of earth retaining structures, geosynthetic-reinforced bridge abutments, geosynthetic-reinforced covers, geosynthetic drainage layers, exposed geomembranes subjected to wind uplift, closure of mining waste facilities, vertical expansion of waste containment facilities, leakage through defects in liner systems, impoundments for the oil and gas industry, unsaturated flow in evapotranspirative covers, roadways stabilized with geosynthetics, and liner alternatives for landfill and mining systems. Prof. Zornberg evaluated the closure of high-profile hazardous waste facilities, including the first evapotranspirative cover and the first triple-lined system in US Superfund sites. He participated in the design of the first load-carrying geosynthetic-reinforced bridge abutment in a US highway.

In recognition of his contributions, Prof. Zornberg received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), awarded by President George W. Bush in 2002. This Presidential Award is “the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.” In addition, Dr. Zornberg received the Ralph B. Peck Award (ASCE, 2024), Best Paper Award (Geosynthetics International journal, 2021), Best Paper Award (Geotextiles and Geomembranes journal, 2020), Service Award (IGS, 2018), Mercer Lecture Award (ISSMGE and IGS, 2015), J. James R. Croes Medal (ASCE, 2012), Best Paper Award (Journal of GeoEngineering, 2011), Best Paper Award (Geosynthetics International journal, 2010), IGS Award (IGS, 2004), Award of Excellence (North American Geosynthetics Society, 2003), Research Development Award (CEAE Dept., U. of Colorado, 2003), CAREER Award (National Science Foundation, 2001), Young Researcher Award (CEAE Department, U. of Colorado, 2001), Collingwood Prize (ASCE, 2000), Junior Faculty Development Award (U. of Colorado, 1999), and the Young IGS Member Award (IGS, 1996). In 2019, the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) recognized his “major contributions to the geosynthetics discipline” by establishing the “Zornberg Lecture,” an honorary inaugural lecture for the Pan-American Conferences on Geosynthetics.

Prof. Zornberg served as President of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), a nonprofit organization with over 4,000 members worldwide (2010-14). He currently serves as Trustee of the IGS Foundation and vice-chair of the IGS Stabilization Technical Committee. He was elected Fellow of ASCE, a society where he served as Chair of its 2017 Geo-Congress (Orlando, FL), of its International Activities Council, of its Geosynthetics Technical Committee, and of its Awards Committee. Prof. Zornberg has authored over 550 technical publications and was awarded three patents. He is an Editorial Board member of the journals Geosynthetics International, Geotextiles and Geomembranes, and GeoEngineering. Prof. Zornberg chaired the First Pan-American Geosynthetics Conference (GeoAmericas 2008, Cancún, Mexico). He has been invited to deliver numerous keynote lectures around the world, including in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Iceland, the UK, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, Turkey, Israel, India, China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, and Australia.