Staff profile

Sravan Muguda Viswnath is an Assistant Professor in Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure at the Department of Engineering, Durham University specialising in bio-geotechnics, sustainable geo-infrastructure, and earthen construction materials. Sravan's research aligns closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on innovative approaches to enhance soil stabilisation, promote resilient infrastructure, and support climate adaptation efforts. By developing sustainable geo-materials and bioremediation techniques, their work addresses critical global challenges in sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), climate action (SDG 13), and life on land (SDG 15).

Sravan Muguda holds dual-PhD degree from Durham University, United Kingdom and University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour, France obtained through the prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship under the TERRE-ITN program, which provided a strong foundation for their interdisciplinary and collaborative research. Sravan has supervised numerous BEng, MEng, MSc, and PhD projects, contributing to innovation and knowledge dissemination in their field.

In teaching, Sravan integrates over 10 years of professional experience into their courses, emphasizing practical applications and industry-relevant skills. Sravan has led courses in surveying, environmental engineering, and design projects, incorporating innovative teaching methods to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.

Sravan is committed to mentoring the next generation of engineers and researchers, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for students from diverse backgrounds.

Funded Research Projects

1. Fungi-Biopolymer synergistic application in soil stabilization: UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Early Career Researcher International Collaboration Grants; £199,794.34. Role: Principal Investigator.
2. EPSRC IAA Equipment - Automatic Hydraulic Machine: Internal IAA Equipment Call; £20,262. Role: Co-Investigator.

Latest Research Publication

Happy to share our latest research publication in the field of bio-geotechnics and earthen construction materials. This article is a special in regards to its innovation in an attempt to recycle biopolymer stabilised earthen construction materials using bio-additives and thus enabling completion of life cycle of the earthen construction material.

Link to the publication: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950061824044763

Academic Commitments

• L3 Structures, Materials and Geomatics - Surveying
• L3 Environmental Engineering - Site Investigation
• L3 Civil Design

Departmental Commitments

• Academic Lead for Civils and Mechanical Laboratory
• GEER Representative to Infrastructure Committee
• GEER Representative to Health & Safety Committee

Opportunities for PhD Students and Postdoctoral Researchers

I invite inquiries from motivated individuals interested in advancing research in the field of bio-geotechnics, sustainable geo-infrastructure, or earthen construction materials. Our group offers a collaborative environment, state-of-the-art facilities, and strong industry and academic networks.

Prospective PhD students and PDRAs are welcome to discuss potential opportunities, subject to funding availability. I also support applications for competitive funding schemes like Commonwealth and Royal Society Fellowships.

If interested, please email me at sravan.muguda-viswanath@durham.ac.uk with your CV and a brief statement of research interests.

• Bio-Geotechnics - Biopolymers, Enzymatic stabilisation of soils
• Resilient Earthen infrastructure - Deterioration, Soil Improvement
• Earthen construction - Rammed Earth, Compressed earth blocks

Chapter in book

• Nagaraj, H., & Muguda, S. (in press). Recent Innovations in Stabilized Earthen Construction. In Sustainable Materials in Building Construction (149-164). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46800-2_7

Conference Paper

• Cuccurullo, A., Muguda, S., Gallipoli, D., & Perlot, C. (2022, March). Evaluation of recycling capabilities of bio-stabilised earth building materials. Paper presented at RILEM International Conference on Earthen Construction, Université Gustave Eiffel, Paris
• Mutsvairo, T., Lloret-Cabot, M., Hughes, P., Muguda-Viswanath, S., & Dias, A. S. (2024, April). A non-hysteretic simplification to the Glasgow Coupled Model (GCM). Presented at 2024 UK Association for Computational Mechanics Conference, Durham, UK
• Rana, A., Kumar Sharma, A., Kumar, A., Azizi, A., Muguda, S., Osman, A., & Toll, D. G. (2023, July). An Apparatus to Monitor Suction Evolution and Water Migration within a Soil Mass for Climate-Adaptive Infrastructure. Presented at Geo-Risk 2023, Arlington, Virginia
• Muguda, S., Hughes, P., Augarde, C., Perlot, C., Bruno, A., & Gallipoli, D. (2019, December). Geotechnical characterisation of recycled biopolymer-stabilised earthen materials. Presented at The XVII European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Reykjavik Iceland
• Nagaraj, H., & Muguda, S. (2019, December). A review of factors affecting undrained strength of fine-grained soils at consistency limits. Presented at The XVII European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Reykjavik Iceland
• Muguda, S., Booth, S., Hughes, P., Augarde, C., Perlot, C., Bruno, A., & Gallipoli, D. (2018, August). Preliminary study on use of biopolymers in earthen construction. Presented at 7th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils, Hong Kong, China

Doctoral Thesis

• Muguda Viswanath, S. (in press). Biopolymer Stabilised Earthen Construction Materials. (Thesis). Durham University. https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1617915

Journal Article

• Muguda, S., & Wyndham, M. (2024). Recycling biopolymer stabilised earthen construction materials using β-mannanase. Construction and Building Materials, 457, Article 139334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.139334
• Muguda, S., Hughes, P., Augarde, C., Perlot, C., Bruno, A., & Gallipoli, D. (2022). Cross-linking of biopolymers for stabilising earthen construction materials. Building Research and Information, 50(5), 502-514. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2021.2001304
• Nagaraj, H. B., Sravan, M. V., & Deepa, B. S. (2021). Discussion on "Factors influencing undrained strength of fine-grained soils at high water contents". Geomechanics and Geoengineering, 16(4), 325-329. https://doi.org/10.1080/17486025.2019.1670875
• Muguda, S., Lucas, G., Hughes, P. N., Augarde, C. E., Perlot, C., Bruno, A. W., & Gallipoli, D. (2020). Durability and hygroscopic behaviour of biopolymer stabilised earthen construction materials. Construction and Building Materials, 259, Article 119725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119725
• Muguda, S., & Nagaraj, H. B. (2019). Effect of enzymes on plasticity and strength characteristics of an earthen construction material. International Journal of Geo-Engineering, 10(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40703-019-0098-2
• Nagaraj, H., Sravan, M., & Deepa, B. (2018). Factors influencing undrained strength of fine-grained soils at high water contents. Geomechanics and Geoengineering, 13(4), 276-287. https://doi.org/10.1080/17486025.2018.1445873
• Muguda, S., Booth, S. J., Hughes, P. N., Augarde, C. E., Perlot, C., Bruno, A. W., & Gallipoli, D. (2017). Mechanical properties of biopolymer-stabilised soil-based construction materials. Géotechnique Letters, 7(4), 309-314. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgele.17.00081
• Muguda Viswanath, S., & Nagaraj, H. B. (2017). Potential Use of Enzymes in the Preparation of Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 29(9), Article 04017103. https://doi.org/10.1061/%28asce%29mt.1943-5533.0001947
• Nagaraj, H. B., Rajesh, A., & Sravan, M. V. (2016). Influence of soil gradation, proportion and combination of admixtures on the properties and durability of CSEBs. Construction and Building Materials, 110, 135-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.02.023
• Nagaraj, H. B., Reesha, B., Sravan, M. V., & Suresh, M. R. (2015). Correlation of compaction characteristics of natural soils with modified plastic limit. Transportation Geotechnics, 2, 65-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2014.09.002
• Nagaraj, H. B., Sravan, M. V., Arun, T. G., & Jagadish, K. S. (2014). Role of lime with cement in long-term strength of Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks. International journal of sustainable built environment, 3(1), 54-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsbe.2014.03.001