2026 ​​​

• 2026/05 CouFrac 2030: CouFrac 2030, an ISRM Specialised Conference on coupled processes in fractured geological media, will be hosted in Manchester in 2030. We warmly welcome researchers, practitioners, industry partners, and the wider CouFrac community to join us in Manchester for this international gathering. 

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• 2026/05 New paper: L Kong, N Bigaroni, B Li, Q Hu, RP Gamage, J Shang (2026) Grain-Scale Heterogeneity in fault veins influences shear rupture, damage distribution, and miscroseismicity. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, in-press. This work is a deliverable from my EPSRC New Investigator Award project (EP/W031221/1).

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• 2026/05 ISRM Commission Member: Junlong is invited to join the new ISRM Commission on Resilient and Sustainable Rock Engineering as a member. 

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• 2026/04 Research Excellence Award: Fanlin is nominated by Department of Civil Engineering and Management for a Reserach Excellence Award. 

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• 2026/04 Special Issue: Junlong and Lie are serving as Guest Editors for a new Special Issue in Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechncial Engeering (Elsevier); the topic is "Fundamentals of Rock Fractures in the Context of Subsurface Energy Storage and Waste Disposal" 

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• 2026/04 Guest Lecture: Junlong delivered an invited Guest Lecture in Advanced Rock Mechanics for Tongji University. 

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• 2026/03 Editorial Board: Lie Kong has been appointed to the Early Career Dditorial Board of the journal Gas Science and Engineering (Elsevier). 

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• 2026/02 Grant Success: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Fellowship, DECODE: Deciphering the hydro-mechanical coupling and multiscale response of basaltic rocks under mineral carbonation: implications for carbon sequestration in the subsurface, Host Supervisor and PI, 2026-2028, €260,348.92

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• 2026/01 Invited Talk: Junlong has been invited to deliver a talk at the CouFrac2026 ISRM Specialized Conference, which will take place in Sweden in September 2026.  

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• 2026/01 Editorial Board: Junlong is invited to join the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Coal Science & Technology (Springer). 

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 2025 ​​​

• 2025/12 BGA Knowledge Support Fund: Congratulations to our PhD researcher Fanlin Ling who has been financially supported by the British Geotechnical Association Knowledge Support Fund (£1,000) to advance his career. 

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• 2025/11 Grant Success: Our research has been funded by the Royal Society to reveal fracture evolution processes in coupled subsurface environments (2026-2029, £224,644.86). We are looking for a PhD student with experience in fractures and triaxial rock mechanics expriment, who can begin in 2026.

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• 2025/11 New Paper: F Ling, K Duan, H Sone, J Shang (2025) Mineralogy Controls on Injection-induced Fault Slip, Geophysical Research Letters, in press.

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• 2025/07 Green and Smart Mining Symposium: Junlong delivered an invited keynote address at the 1st Green and Smart Mining Symposium. 

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• 2025/07 Eurock 2025: Lie and Junlong attended the 2025 Eurock conference, and Lie delivered an oral presentation on our research. 

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• 2025/02 Outstanding Contribution Award: Junlong receives the Outstanding Contribution Award from the journal Green and Smart Mining Engineering for 2024. 

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• 2025/01 IJRMMS Editorial Board: Junlong is invited to join the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences by the Journal's Chief Editor. 

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• 2025/01 NWS RSO conference: Our PhD researcher Alex attended the annual Nuclear Waste Services Research Support Office (NWS RSO) conference at Bristol.

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• 2025/01 New Paper: Our PhD researcher Fanlin published his PhD work at the beginning of 2025 - what a great start! Well done! F Ling, L Kong, J Shang (2025) Influence of Mineral Veins on Hydraulic Fracture Propagation, Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-025-04402-1.

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 2024 ​

• 2024/12 Invited Keynote: Junlong delivered an invited keynote at the Yunlong Lake-Loch Lomond Symposium on Subsurface Energy Storage at Strathclyde University

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• 2024/09 Director of PGR: Junlong is appointed PGR Director for the Department of Civil Engineering and Management. 

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• 2024/09 UK Interpore Chapter: Wei did a poster presentation about this PhD research at the 7th Interpore UK Chapter Meeting at the University of Manchester.

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• 2024/06 Energy Group of the Geological Society Conference: We presented our INFORM project at the Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste Conference at the University of Manchester. 

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• 2024/04 Associate Editor: Junlong is appointed Associate Editor of the journal Green and Smart Mining Engineering.

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• 2024/03 Grant Success: Diamond Light Source, Synchrotron X-ray imaging.

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• 2024/03 Grant Success: EPSRC IAA Rock dowel testing.

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• 2024/03 Rock Mechanics Guest Lecture: Junlong delivered a guest rock mechanics lecture for Undergraduate students at the University of Glasgow Singapore campus.

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• 2024/02 Move to the University of Manchester: We moved to the University of Manchester for new opportunities, challenges, and environment. 

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• 2024/01 NWS RSO conference: Junlong and Lie attended the annual Nuclear Waste Services Research Support Office (NWS RSO) conference at Sheffield.

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 2023 ​

• 2023/12 AGU Fall Meeting Conference in San Francisco: Our team members - Lie and Fanlin - presented our research at the 2023 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, USA.

• 2023/12 AMRA Future Leader seminar: Junlong is invited to give an online American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA) Future Leader seminar.

• 2023/06 Travel Grant Awarded to Fanlin: Our PhD student Fanlin is awarded a PGR travel grant from UofG to support his exchange to GFZ Germany. 

• 2023/06 PhD Fellowship Awarded to Nithy: Nithy (our MSc-by-Research graduate) is awarded an external fellowship to start her PhD research in the RMGE group.

• 2023/03 Excellent Scientific Editor Award to Junlong: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (Elsevier).

• 2023/03 Guest Rock Mechanics Lecture for Tongji University: Junlong delivered an invited guest lecture for postgraduates in Rock Mechanics at Tongji University.

• 2023/02 Invited Talk at Jacobs Ltd: Junlong delivered an invited talk to Jacobs (Glasgow office) for knowledge exchange.

• 2023/01 DEEPHEAT Workshop at UofG: We organised a hybrid DEEPHEAT geothermal workshop at the Advanced Research Centre at UofG. We had around 15 participants from University of Wisconsin-Madison, China Sinopec, GFZ Germany, and UofG to discuss topics relating to Enhanced Geothermal Systems. This workshop is funded by NERC.  

 

 2022 ​

• 2022/10 Congratulations on Graduation: Rabaya Khair Nithy (PGR) is awarded the degree of Master of Science by Research in Engineering at UofG

• 2022/10 Excellence in Teaching: Junlong achieves the fellowship of Recognising Excellent in Teaching at UofG

• 2022/10 Visiting Appointment: Junlong is appointed as a Visiting Scientist at German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam

• 2022/09 Leadership and Management: Junlong serves as Deputy PGR (PhD) Convenor for the Division of Infrastructure & Environment, James Watt School of Engineering, UofG

• 2022/08 EPSRC Peer Review College: Junlong is invited to join the EPSRC Peer Review College as a member

• 2022/07 PhD External Examiner: Junlong is invited to examine a PhD thesis of the University of Aberdeen

• 2022/07 Grant Success: Our research is funded by EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)

• 2022/05 Invited Lecture:  Junlong delivered an invited lecture for the Engineering Geology programme at ETH Zürich

• 2022/03 Grant Success: Our research is funded by the Royal Society

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 2021 

• 2021/07 ESI 1% Highly-cited Papers: Our two papers respectively published in JGR-Solid Earth (publication #27) and Engineering Geology (publication #26) were selected as ESI 1% highly-cited papers

• 2021/07 Grant Success: Our research is funded by NERC (Natural Environment Research Council)

• 2021/06 Invited BGA Evening Lecture:  Junlong and Prof. Steve Hencher delivered an invited BGA Evening Lecture, invited by the British Geotechnical Association, UK 

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 2020 ​

• 2020/12 Excellent Reviewer Award: Junlong receives the Excellent Reviewer Award (certificate & cash prize) from Journal of Central South University, English Edition (Springer)

• 2020/11 New fund:  We are funded by GFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences) for a geothermal energy related field research (hydraulic fracture propagation and radiated seismic energy) at Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden

• 2020/10 Keynote: Junlong is invited by the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics & Engineering to give a keynote lecture for China Rock 2020 conference

• 2020/04 Future Leader: Junlong becomes a Future Leader of the American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)

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 2019 

• 2019/09 Rocha Medal: Junlong receives the Rocha Medal of ISRM (he is the 39th recipient of this medal globally)

• 2019/03 ESI Highly-Cited Paper: Our paper published in Engineering Geology was selected as an ESI highly-cited paper (publication #9)

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 2018 

• 2018/09 Peer Recognition: Dr Nick Barton, a world-renowned rock mechanics scientist, commented on our DEM modelling article (publication #13) dealing with the shear failure of rock joints

• 2018/07 Peer Recognition: Professor Steve Hencher (University of Leeds, UK) and Mr Harshit Agrawal (Imperial College London, UK) commented on our DEM modelling paper (publication #10) that investigates rock bolt supporting mechanism (research collaborated with Kajima Corporation, Japan). [The second author Dr Yasu Yokata, who was working on this topic during this PhD research at NTU Singapore, wins the 2021 ISRM Rocha Medal]

• 2018/06 Peer Recognition: Dr Nick Barton gave us a lovely comment on our article (publication #12) that considers rock discontinuity persistence

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