Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Environmental lab technician at Civil Engineering

Professor Brendon Bradley is an internationally recognised researcher in earthquake engineering, specialising in engineering seismology, strong ground-motion prediction, seismic response analysis, and seismic performance and loss estimation. His work advances the modelling of ground-motion intensity, structural and geotechnical system response, and risk-informed decision-making for resilient infrastructure.

Brendon completed his BE(Hons) in 2007 and PhD in 2009. Before joining the University of Canterbury in 2010, he worked at GNS Science in Wellington and as a postdoctoral fellow at Chuo University in Tokyo, Japan. He has extensive consulting experience in seismic hazard analysis, ground-motion selection, structural and geotechnical response modelling, and seismic risk and loss assessment.

He is a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand (2021), Fellow of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (2022), and Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi (2022). Brendon was a co-founder of QuakeCoRE: New Zealand Centre for Earthquake Resilience, serving as Deputy Director (2016–2018) and Director (2019–2024). He is currently Editor of Earthquake Spectra and serves on the Editorial Board of the Bulletin of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering.

His contributions have been recognised through numerous national and international awards, including the 2023 UC Research Medal, 2021 ISSMGE Bright Spark Lecture Award, 2018 NZGS Geomechanics Award, 2016 Prime Minister’s MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize, 2016 ASCE Norman Medal, 2015 Shah Innovation Prize, 2014 TC203 Young Researcher Award, 2015 UC Teaching Award, 2014 New Zealand Young Engineer of the Year Award, 2014 Shamsher Prakash Foundation Research Award, 2013 Rutherford Discovery Fellowship, 2012 Ivan Skinner EQC Award, and the 2008 NZSEE Research Prize.

[updated May 2026]

Find more information on PhD and postdoc research opportunities at Brendon's personal website: www.brendonbradley.com

My research focuses on Geotechnical Engineering for Resilience and Sustainability, with particular emphasis on:

• Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering and related problems
• Geo-disaster risk assessment and mitigation
• Experimental geotechnics, including soil behaviour from very small to large strain levels
• Geoenvironmental engineering
• Ground improvement techniques for seismic-resilient structures
• Computational geotechnics, including constitutive modelling, DEM, and FEM approaches

I hold BSc and MSc degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio (Italy), a PhD in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering from the University of Tokyo (Japan, 2010), and a Postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching from the University of Canterbury (2020). My academic career spans 18 years, including research and teaching appointments in Japan (5 years), Australia (3 years), and New Zealand (10 years).

My research has been supported through competitive funding from major agencies, including the Earthquake Commission, Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (Smart Ideas Endeavour Fund), QuakeCoRE, DEVORA, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and Japan Science and Technology Agency. To date, I have secured more than NZ$3 million in external research funding, including over NZ$2 million as primary investigator. I have authored or co-authored more than 180 technical publications.

My recognitions include the JGS Best Paper Award (2022), the IABSE Outstanding Scientific Paper Award (2021), the NZSEE Otto Glogau Award (2020), and a JSPS Research Fellowship (2014). I served as Team Leader of the 2016 NZSEE “Learning from Earthquake” Mission in Kumamoto, Japan, and Team Co-Leader of the 2015 JGS/JSCE “Learning from Earthquake” Mission in Nepal. I am an elected member of the NZGS managment committee, and member of ISSMGE TC101 “Laboratory Testing” and ISSMGE AsRTC1 “Geotechnical Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change-induced Geo-disasters in Asia-Pacific Regions.”

Catchment hydrology, sediment transport and open channel flow, GIS modelling of land and water resources, irrigation, soil erosion, land use change, agricultural systems, water resources management, and nature-based solutions

My subsurface engineering group is working on some major challenges for a safe, low-emissions future. How can we pull CO2 out of the atmosphere at low cost? How can we safely store massive amounts of hydrogen? How can we anticipate volcanic eruptions and human-triggered seismicity?

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 - we are designing systems that combust forestry waste and dissolve the CO2 in geothermal systems. This boosts renewable electricity and reduces CO2 in the atmosphere. Our goal is to find a pathway beyond 1 million tonnes of removals each year at a cost less than $100 per tonne.

𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 - we are predicting the costs and consequences of injecting hydrogen (a low density, reactive gas that is appetising to microbes) into depleted natural gas fields. The goal is to, later, recover as much gas as possible while also meeting the size of the future industrial demand, which is expected to exceed the capacity of surface tanks.

𝗩𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 - we are trialling machine learning systems that can receive real-time seismic data from GeoNet and use this to suggest how likely an eruption will be. We use data from volcanoes around the world, looking for the common patterns between them that occur before eruptions.

𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 - we build systems that learn how underground injection of geothermal fluids, or extraction of natural gas, changes the forces on buried faults in a way that triggers earthquakes. We use these systems to make predictions of how many earthquakes might be caused by large energy projects and how these risks can be minimised.

Writing about these things at my blog.

Brian H.W. Guo completed his PhD at the University of Auckland in 2016 and now an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury. He also serves on the Department Research Committee and as Postgraduate co-director. 

I explore using digital technologies, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), virtual reality (VR), and computer vision, to improve construction site situational awareness and hazard detection. My work on human-robot collaboration (HRC) also investigates safety challenges in integrating robotics into construction, using VR to simulate and analyze worker-robot interactions.

My research efforts have been recognized and supported through grants from prestigious bodies like the New Zealand Royal Society and the Building Research Association New Zealand (BRANZ). As an active member of the academic community, I contribute to the editorial boards of the Nature Portfolio journal Scientific Reports and the Elsevier journal Results in Engineering. Additionally, I have reviewed over 30 high-impact journals and have served as an external reviewer for the Hong Kong General Research Fund.
Currently, my research team is focusing on the following two projects:
Project 1: simulation-based multi-objective optimization project focused on the energy retrofit of school buildings. Funded by BRANZ and the Building Innovation Partnership (BIP), it aims to balance lifecycle cost, environmental impact, energy consumption, and thermal comfort.
Project 2: Enhancing situation awareness in human-robot collaboration using virtual reality. Funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand, this work explores the integration of advanced technologies to improve safety and efficiency in construction management.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐆, co-led by Dr. Peer and myself, includes over 20 researchers working on:
- Renewable energy integration
- Solar engineering 
- Power-to-X systems (including multi-energy and green hydrogen)
- Energy storage
- Energy transitions modelling
- Carbon-negative systems.

Contact us to partner for Horizon Europe!

𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲. Not only among options but in history of humankind (International Energy Agency, 2021). Such low-cost solar energy is fundamentally impacting our grids, industries, and future professionals –our whole economy – and it is happening at an unprecedented pace. This is not a smooth transition but a speedy revolution, and it is taking many governments, industries, and universities by surprise. 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧!

To catalyze this era, 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝. In other words, how much, where, when, and in what technology to invest. We rely on energy system analysis, this is using and developing simulation and optimization methods for quantifying future energy systems that we then communicate to ministries, planning agencies, and communities.

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 (updated January 2026):
- Partners for Horizon Europe proposals.

- PhD candidates with own scholarship funding, or truly exceptional candidates that are competitive for our UC Doctoral Scholarships.

- Upcoming PhD positions in 2027: Agrivoltaics, resilient energy systems, future fuels, flexible grids, quantum computing.

- Check your eligibility for the following scholarships: Manaaki (Asia-Pacific), Becal (Paraguay), Secihti (Mexico), CSC-UC (China).
- Māori and Pasifika students and researchers are strongly encouraged to apply. We likely have funding options available for PhDs and Masters.

- International research stays are welcome! We can support your funding applications (e.g. DAAD, Fulbright, ANID, Erskine, Erasmus+).

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞 via email for questions on:

- Master of Renewable Energy Engineering (MREE)

- PhD in Renewable Energy Engineering

- Interviews or podcast appearances

- Pro-bono energy project advice for Māori and Pasifika communities

- Energy strategy consultancies

- Horizon Europe

Follow me on LinkedIn.

I am an academic-practitioner specialising in the design of timber structure and of fire resistant structures. I'm particularly interested in researching timber structures that are both seismic and fire resistant. My focus is on using experiments to study connections and whole-of-structure performance. I also practice structural and fire engineering at a large multi-disciplinary consultancy. I am passionate about bridging academia and enginering design practice.