Dr Alessandro Leonardi
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Senior Lecturer in Geomechanics
+44 114 222 5782
Full contact details
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room E105
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
-
From hillsides to seabeds, this research helps anticipate geohazards and guide climate-resilient design.
Dr Alessandro Leonardi
Dr Alessandro Leonardi (he/him) is a lecturer in Geomechanics at the University of Sheffield. He specialises in numerical modelling and physical experimentation to study geohazards, including landslides, debris flows, and submarine mass movements. His research aims to improve hazard prediction and develop mitigation strategies that enhance the resilience of both natural and built environments.
Dr Leonardi earned his PhD from ETH Zurich, supported by a Marie Curie fellowship, where he advanced debris flow modelling by integrating geotechnical and hydraulic engineering approaches. He then served as a postdoctoral fellow at Politecnico di Torino, leading software development for hazard assessment in mountainous regions.
At Sheffield, he leads the development of HYBIRD, a multiphase simulation tool for particle-fluid interactions. His work supports a range of applications involving complex ground conditions, from slope stability to offshore infrastructure and seasonally frozen soils, contributing to safer design and climate adaptation in both natural and engineered settings.
- Research interests
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Numerical Modelling
• Multiphase modelling for geotechnical applications
• Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Lattice-Boltzmann Method (LBM)
• Coupling continuum and discrete approaches for hazard simulation
• Back-analysis of real-world geohazard events
Geohazards
• Landslides, debris flows, and rockfall dynamics
• Nature-based solutions for slope stability
• Submarine geohazards and their impact on offshore infrastructure
• Climate change and its influence on geohazard frequency
Development of Smart Technologies
• Physical modelling using landslide flumes and geotechnical centrifuge
• Design of smart, resilient mitigation structures
• Use of advanced sensors and monitoring systems for hazard detection
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- Performance and limits of a geotechnical centrifuge: DEM-LBM simulations of saturated granular column collapse. Granular Matter, 26(2). View this article in WRRO
- Time-resolved triggering and runout analysis of rainfall-induced shallow landslides. Acta Geotechnica, 19(4), 1-17. View this article in WRRO
- A physical and numerical investigation of flow–barrier interaction for the design of a multiple-barrier system. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 149(1). View this article in WRRO
- Coupling depth-averaged and 3D numerical models for the simulation of granular flows. Computers and Geotechnics, 149.
- Impact of debris flows on filter barriers : analysis based on site monitoring data. Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, 27(2), 195-212. View this article in WRRO
- Coriolis-induced instabilities in centrifuge modeling of granular flow. Granular Matter, 23(2). View this article in WRRO
- Granular flow simulation in a centrifugal acceleration field. Géotechnique, 70(10), 894-905. View this article in WRRO
- Numerical and experimental investigation of saturated granular column collapse in air. Soils and Foundations, 60(3), 683-696. View this article in WRRO
- On the efficiency of slit-check dams in retaining granular flows. Géotechnique, 70(3), 226-237. View this article in WRRO
- Analysis of the load exerted by debris flows on filter barriers : comparison between numerical results and field measurements. Computers and Geotechnics, 118. View this article in WRRO
- The force exerted by granular flows on slit dams. Acta Geotechnica, 14(6), 1949-1963. View this article in WRRO
- Surface and subsurface contributions to the build-up of forces on bed particles. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 851, 558-572. View this article in WRRO
- Large Eddy Simulations of sediment entrainment induced by a lock-exchange gravity current. Advances in Water Resources, 114, 102-118.
- Particle-Fluid-Structure Interaction for Debris Flow Impact on Flexible Barriers. Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, 31(5), 323-333. View this article in WRRO
- Lattice-Boltzmann Method for Geophysical Plastic Flows, 131-140.
- Coupled DEM-LBM method for the free-surface simulation of heterogeneous suspensions. Computational Particle Mechanics, 1(1), 3-13.
- Granular-front formation in free-surface flow of concentrated suspensions. Physical Review E, 92(5). View this article in WRRO
Conference proceedings papers
- The application of intermittent freezing operation for improving the cost-effectiveness of artificial ground freezing projects. Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium on Ground Freezing (pp 293-302). London, UK, 10 October 2023 - 10 October 2023. View this article in WRRO
All publications
Journal articles
- Performance and limits of a geotechnical centrifuge: DEM-LBM simulations of saturated granular column collapse. Granular Matter, 26(2). View this article in WRRO
- Time-resolved triggering and runout analysis of rainfall-induced shallow landslides. Acta Geotechnica, 19(4), 1-17. View this article in WRRO
- A physical and numerical investigation of flow–barrier interaction for the design of a multiple-barrier system. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 149(1). View this article in WRRO
- Coupling depth-averaged and 3D numerical models for the simulation of granular flows. Computers and Geotechnics, 149.
- Impact of debris flows on filter barriers : analysis based on site monitoring data. Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, 27(2), 195-212. View this article in WRRO
- Coriolis-induced instabilities in centrifuge modeling of granular flow. Granular Matter, 23(2). View this article in WRRO
- Granular flow simulation in a centrifugal acceleration field. Géotechnique, 70(10), 894-905. View this article in WRRO
- Numerical and experimental investigation of saturated granular column collapse in air. Soils and Foundations, 60(3), 683-696. View this article in WRRO
- On the efficiency of slit-check dams in retaining granular flows. Géotechnique, 70(3), 226-237. View this article in WRRO
- Analysis of the load exerted by debris flows on filter barriers : comparison between numerical results and field measurements. Computers and Geotechnics, 118. View this article in WRRO
- The force exerted by granular flows on slit dams. Acta Geotechnica, 14(6), 1949-1963. View this article in WRRO
- Surface and subsurface contributions to the build-up of forces on bed particles. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 851, 558-572. View this article in WRRO
- Large Eddy Simulations of sediment entrainment induced by a lock-exchange gravity current. Advances in Water Resources, 114, 102-118.
- Particle-Fluid-Structure Interaction for Debris Flow Impact on Flexible Barriers. Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, 31(5), 323-333. View this article in WRRO
- Lattice-Boltzmann Method for Geophysical Plastic Flows, 131-140.
- Coupled DEM-LBM method for the free-surface simulation of heterogeneous suspensions. Computational Particle Mechanics, 1(1), 3-13.
- Granular-front formation in free-surface flow of concentrated suspensions. Physical Review E, 92(5). View this article in WRRO
Conference proceedings papers
- The application of intermittent freezing operation for improving the cost-effectiveness of artificial ground freezing projects. Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium on Ground Freezing (pp 293-302). London, UK, 10 October 2023 - 10 October 2023. View this article in WRRO
- Performance and limits of a geotechnical centrifuge: DEM-LBM simulations of saturated granular column collapse. Granular Matter, 26(2). View this article in WRRO
- Research group
- Grants
- Potential PhD offerings
If you're interested in a PhD project, please contact Alessandro at the above email. Current PhD opportunities in the department can be viewed here.
- Current PhD Students