SRK Consulting has brought together its international numerical modelling experts to create a dedicated group set to service the needs of its Australian clients.
SRK is confident that it is one of the first consultancies in the country to have a local team offering unique numerical modelling solutions to complex engineering problems that cannot be solved using traditional methods.
The Australian group will be headed from Perth by Dr Nicolás Agustín Labanda, with support from consultants in other Australian and international offices.
Nicolás Labanda, who has relocated from Argentina, said SRK’s consultants were continually striving to be ‘the best in their fields’. He has 10 years of industry and academic experience in numerical modelling, data analysis, risk quantification and computational simulation of physical processes across mining and infrastructure projects in the Americas, Africa and Oceania.
Our team around the world is deeply connected to academic institutions where we share our discoveries, and we nurture our future stars," he said. "As a result, we are continuously advancing the science and practice of geoengineering, as evidenced by the global team’s contributions of over 500 papers, lectures and presentations over the last two decades."
Nicolás Labanda is joined in the Perth team by Roberto J Cier who has five years’ experience in numerical modelling, acquiring his PhD in Civil Engineering at Curtin University in Western Australia focused on the development of state-of-the-art numerical techniques for tackling challenging science and engineering problems. Cier specialises in numerical analysis for tailings and mine waste structures, focusing on structural performance under static and dynamic conditions. He has been involved in engineering projects for mining industries in the Americas and Oceania.
Offering computational solutions to our projects helps enhance and optimise our current consulting practices, aligning ourselves to the latest technology trends in numerical simulation and data analysis to provide advanced, customer-based solutions for the benefit of our clients," Cier said.
The group will service several applications of numerical modelling, including analysis of construction procedures for ground-structure interaction including port structures, excavations, tunnels, and underground engineering, as well as ground structures such as earth and rockfill dams for water storage, tailings dams, waste dumps, and heap leach facilities. This will also extend to geotechnical numerical modelling, numerical probabilistic analysis, quantitative risk assessment, and forensic engineering.
Ignacio Vernengo, who is a senior geotechnical consultant in SRK’s Brisbane-based team, said creating the new group was an important step in meeting rising industry standards in this area. It has also augmented SRK Australia’s full-circle consultant mining services.
Numerical modelling is quickly becoming an essential tool in the industry, significantly improving the reliability and safety of engineering design," Vernengo said. "SRK is a global leader in the field and I believe that having a focused Australian team will expand on our goal to provide high-value, distinctive engineering to our clients."
