Dr. Yifei Ma is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Lawrence Technological University. He earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a focus on geomechanics. Prior to joining LTU, he engaged in advanced research and collaborative projects spanning granular materials, multiphysics geomechanics, and multiscale computational methods for geotechnical applications.

Dr. Ma’s research centers on computational geomechanics, with an emphasis on understanding material behavior from particle-scale interactions to macro-scale engineering responses. His work integrates laboratory experimentation, computational modeling, and data-driven techniques to investigate granular flow, fracture evolution in quasi-brittle materials, and complex geomaterial interactions. He has contributed to research on cyclic freeze-thaw, heating-cooling, and wetting-drying effects on material behaviors, and tool-geomaterial interaction mechanisms, with applications in infrastructure resilience and energy-related geosystems.

He has published in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, and his work has been supported through collaborations with state agencies and industry partners. His ongoing projects include developing computer vision-based characterization methods and digital workflows for field-scale geomaterial assessment. His expertise encompasses computational geomechanics, constitutive modeling, and image-based analysis, with a strong emphasis on leveraging advanced computational methods and data-driven approaches to address complex engineering challenges.

» Education

• BS in Structural Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
• MS in Structural Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
• Ph.D. in Geomechanics, Georgia Institute of Technology

» Research Interests

• Computational geomechanics
• Multiscale modeling of geomaterials (micro–macro behavior)
• Granular material behavior and granular flow dynamics
• Fracture and damage mechanics of quasi-brittle materials
• Multiphysics processes in geomaterials (e.g., freeze–thaw, wetting–drying, thermal effects)
• Tool–geomaterial interaction and geo-energy applications
• Image-based characterization and data-driven analysis of geomaterial

» Courses and Advising

• ECE 3424 Soil Mechanics
• ECE 4443 Foundation Engineering
• ECE 5473 Earth Retaining Structures
• ECE 5433 Ground Improvements
• ECE 6423 Soil Dynamics

» Selected Publications

• Ma, Y. (2025). Discrete modeling of acoustic emission and fracture process zone in quasi-brittle rocks. Computational Particle Mechanics, 12(4), 2341–2355. 
• Huang, C., Zhu, C., & Ma, Y. (2025). Investigating mechanical characteristics of rocks under freeze–thaw cycles using grain-based model. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 58(1), 603–622. 
• Knowles, J., Evans, T. M., & Ma, Y. (2023). Design and life-cycle assessment of gabion barriers for rockfall mitigation using numerical modeling. 
• Knowles, J., Ma, Y., & Evans, T. M. (2023). An efficient and robust technique for particulate simulation of arbitrary convex polyhedrons with adaptable material properties. Computers and Geotechnics, 155, 105206. 
• Huang, C., Zhu, C., Ma, Y., & Aluthgun Hewage, S. (2022). Investigating mechanical behaviors of rocks under freeze–thaw cycles using discrete element method. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 55(12), 7517–7534. 
• Knowles, J., Ma, Y., & Evans, T. M. (2021). DEM modelling of 3D polyhedra with applications to gabion rockfall barriers. In EPJ Web of Conferences (Vol. 249, 14008). 
• Ma, Y., & Huang, H. (2021). Effect of shear bond failure on the strength ratio in DEM modeling of quasi-brittle materials. Acta Geotechnica, 16(8), 2629–2642. 
• Ma, Y., Evans, T. M., & Cortes, D. D. (2020). 2D DEM analysis of the interactions between bio-inspired geo-probe and soil during inflation–deflation cycles. Granular Matter, 22(1), 11.