Associate Professor Liam Wotherspoon

BE (Hons), PhD

Associate Professor

In: Civil and Environmental Engineering » Faculty of Engineering

Biography

Liam is an Associate Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Auckland. Liam did both his BE and PhD at the University of Auckland. Prior to his appointment to the department he was a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Institute of Earth Science and Engineering.

His research focuses on both structural and geotechnical aspects of earthquake engineering. Resilience of infrastructure networks (modelling of components, networks and network interdepdendences). Geotechnical site characterisation (geophysical characterisation, liquefaction). Soil-foundation-structure interaction and integrated response of structures and foundations (computational modelling and field testing/monitoring of buildings and bridges). Foundation response (computational modelling, large scale field testing). Heavily involved in post-earthquake reconnaissance investigations during the 2010-2011 Canterbury, New Zealand earthquake sequence and following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake.

Research | Current

Infrastructure network resilience
Geotechnical and geophysical site characterisation
Performance of bridges under extreme natural hazards
Resilience of port infrastructure
Integrated structure foundation response
Large scale field testing

Research groups

QuakeCoRE
Resilience to Nature's Challenges National Science Challenge
The University of Auckland Centre for Earthquake Engineering Research (UACEER)
Geotechnical Engineering
Structural Engineering

Teaching | Current

CIVIL 221 - Geomechanics 1
CIVIL 720 - Earthquake Engineering
CIVIL 721 - Foundation Engineering
CIVIL 741 - Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics Engineering
CIVIL 742 - Bridge Engineering

Distinctions/Honours

2018 New Zealand Geomechanics Society Geomechanics Award

2018 Fellow, New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering

2018 Otto Glogau Award, New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering

2018 Student Choice Top Teacher Award

2015 ASCE Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities Outstanding Paper Award

2015 EQC Ivan Skinner Award

2013 PCI Martin P. Korn Award

2012 Geotechnical Consulting Group Fellowship

2011 IPENZ Fulton-Downer Gold Medal – The President’s Award (co-recipient) (2011)

Areas of expertise

Soil-foundation-structure interaction and integrated response of structures and foundations
Seismic response of bridges
Resilience of ports
Geotechnical site characterisation

Committees/Professional groups/Services

Professional affiliations

Management Committee - New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE)
Member - New Zealand Geotechnical Society (NZGS)
Member - Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ)
Member - Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)

Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)

Wood, C. M., Cox, B. R., Green, R. A., Wotherspoon, L. M., Bradley, B. A., & Cubrinovski, M. (2017). Vs-based evaluation of select liquefaction case histories from the 2010-2011 canterbury earthquake sequence. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 143 (9).10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001754
Giovinazzi, S., Austin, A., Ruiter, R., Foster, C., Nayyerloo, M., Nair, N. K., & Wotherspoon, L. (2017). Resilience and fragility of the telecommunication network to seismic events: Evidence after the Kaikoura (New Zealand) earthquake. Bulletin of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, 50 (2), 318-328.
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Andrew Austin, Nirmal Nair
Kaiser, A., Balfour, N., Fry, B., Holden, C., Litchfield, N., Gersten-berger, M., ... Ristau, J. (2017). The 2016 Kaikoura, New Zealand, earthquake: Preliminary seismological report. Seismological Research Letters, 88 (3), 727-739. 10.1785/0220170018
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Ken Elwood
Davies, A. J., Sadashiva, V., Aghababaei, M., Barnhill, D., Costello, S. B., Fanslow, B., ... Mackie, J. (2017). Transport infrastructures performance and management in the South Island of New Zealand during the first 100 days following the 2016 Mw7.8 Kaikōura earthquake. Bulletin of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, 50 (2), 271-299. Related URL.
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Mohammad Aghababaei, Seosamh Costello, Prakash Ranjitkar
Wotherspoon, L., Orense, R., Green, R., Bradley, B., Cox, B., & Wood, C. (2015). Assessment of liquefaction evaluation procedures and severity index frameworks at Christchurch strong motion stations. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 79 (Part B), 335-346. 10.1016/j.soildyn.2015.03.022
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/32393
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Rolando Orense
Green, R. A., Cubrinovski, M., Cox, B., Wood, C., Wotherspoon, L., Bradley, B., & Maurer, B. (2014). Select Liquefaction Case Histories from the 2010–2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. Earthquake Spectra, 30 (1), 131-153. 10.1193/030713EQS066M
Cubrinovski, M., Haskell, J., Winkley, A., Robinson, K., & Wotherspoon, L. (2014). Performance of Bridges in Liquefied Deposits during the 2010–2011 Christchurch (New Zealand) Earthquakes. Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, 28 (1), 24-39. 10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000402
Wotherspoon, L. M., Pender, M. J., & Orense, R. P. (2012). Relationship between observed liquefaction at Kaiapoi following the 2010 Darfield earthquake and former channels of the Waimakariri River. Engineering Geology, 125, 45-55. 10.1016/j.enggeo.2011.11.001
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Michael Pender, Rolando Orense