Santamarina has taught at NYU-Polytechnic, the University of Waterloo, Georgia Tech and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology KAUST. The network of more than two hundred former team members reaches national laboratories, industry, federal and state agencies, and more than 40 universities worldwide.
Professor Santamarina’s research integrates experimental and numerical approaches to investigate the behavior of geomaterials -including sediments, fractured rocks, and complex fluids- with applications in geotechnical engineering and energy geotechnology.
| Ph.D. in Civil Engineering | Purdue University | 1987 |
| MSc in Civil Engineering | University of Maryland | 1984 |
| BSc in Civil Engineering | Universidad Nac. Córdoba |
1982 |
Santamarina teaches courses on the properties of geomaterials (sediments and fractured rocks), coupled processes, experimental research methods, multi-physics characterization, signal processing, and inverse problems.
2024: Casagrande Lecture
2022: Bishop Lecture
2019: Tarek Al-Qasabi Award
2017: KGS Award, Korean Geotechnical Society
2016: ASTM Hogentogler Award
2015: Prague Geotechnical Lecture
2015: Canada Milligan Lecture
2015: Doctor Honoris Causa, U. Nacional de Córdoba
2014: ASCE Terzaghi Lecture
2012: RAICES Award, Ministry of Science and Technology
2012: BGA Touring Lecturer, British Geotechnical Association (2012)
2012: ALERT Research Medal
2008: IACMAG Award
2005: Member, Academia Nacional de Ingeniería, Argentina
2005: ASTM International Hogentogler Award
2003: Member, Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Argentina
BOOKS
- Santamarina, J.C. and Muñoz Ibáñez, A. (2026). Brief Essays on Experimental Research. Routledge - Taylor&Francis.
- Santamarina, J.C. and Fratta, D. (2005). Discrete Signals and Inverse Problems – An Introduction for Engineers and Scientists, J. Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK, 350 pages.
- Santamarina, J.C., in collaboration with Klein, K. and Fam, M. (2001). Soils and Waves, J. Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK, 488 pages.
RECENT PAPERS
- Castro GM., Park, J., Santamarina JC. (2026), Metal Corrosion in the Vadose Zone: Effects of Moisture Cycles and Active Evaporation Conditions, Canadian Geotechnical Journal.
- Shen, Y. and Santamarina J.C. (2026), Kaolin Response to Ionic Concentration Cycles at Zero Lateral Strain, ASCE's Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
- Han, G. and Santamarina, JC. (2026), Laboratory Devices and Methods for the Study of Processes in Rock Fractures: Fracture Generation, Characterization and Process Monitoring, ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal.
- Garcia, AV, Rached, RM, Rodriguez-Hernandez, C.D., and J.C. Santamarina (2025), Hydraulic Fracture Propagation in Pre-structured Media: Stress Field and Fracture Network Topology. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering.
- Rebata-Landa, V., Kwon TH., and Santamarina, J.C. (2025), Biological Clogging of Soils Under Radial Flow Conditions, Acta Geotecnica.
- Liu, M. and Santamarina JC. (2025), Near-surface Clay Sediments: Self-assembly and Response to Ionic Concentration Gradient, Geotechnique.
- Muñoz-Ibañez, A. and Santamarina, JC. (2025), Fracture topology in mafic formations: Implications for geological carbon storage. Energy & Fuels.
- Im, J. and Santamarina, JC. (2025), Gravitation-biased ion migration in aqueous solutions, Scientific Reports, 15, 27026.
- Guerrero, C., and Santamarina JC., Arroyo, M. and Romero, E. (2025), Multiphysics Assessment of Mexico City Soils – Structure and Thixotropy, ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
- Castro GM., Park, J., Cha, W., Sherik A., Santamarina JC. (2025), Buried Metal Corrosion: Mineralogy, Fines Content and Degree of Saturation. ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.