Dunja Perić | Professor

Photo of Dunja Peric Ph.D.- University of Colorado, Boulder
Civil Engineering
M.S. - University of Colorado, Boulder
Civil Engineering
Dipl.-Ing. - University of Zagreb
Civil Engineering

Contact information

2128 Fiedler Hall
peric@k-state.edu

Professional experience

Dunja Perić received a Diploma-Ingenieur in Civil Cngineering from the University of Zagreb. Prior to starting her master’s and doctorate studies at University of Colorado, Boulder she worked in the engineering practice at the Civil Engineering Institute in Zagreb. After receiving her Ph.D. degree she completed her post-doctoral work at the University of Colorado Boulder, and subsequently joined the University of Colorado, Denver. In 1998, she received NSF POWRE award. She spent the 1998-1999 academic year as a visiting professor at Northwestern University, where she conducted research at their state-of-the-art geotechnical laboratories. In 2001, she joined the department of civil engineering at Kansas State University where she served as CE graduate program director from 2011 until 2014. Perić has been named Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia on several occasions. Most recently Perić has been named Visiting Associate Professor at University of Colorado at Boulder, CO.

Research

Perić’s research has focused primarily on strain localization in pressure sensitive materials ranging from monophasic soils, saturated soils, and most recently variably saturated soils and fiber reinforced cementitious composites. With her collaborators, Perić has developed solutions for the inception of strain localization in these materials along with the analytical solutions for a three-invariant Cam clay model. Perić’s research also includes computational modeling of soil structure interaction in environmentally sensitive structures such as integral bridges and thermally active geotechnical systems (energy foundations). The computational models generated by Perić’s research group were successfully validated and verified either against other independent computational models or against the experimental data collected from full-scale field tests. In addition, Perić’s research group has developed several analytical solutions for soil structure interaction in energy piles that were validated against the centrifuge tests and in situ pile tests. Perić’s research group has also worked on experimental evaluation of feasibility of use of plant derived materials, including bio-fuel co-products, for stabilization of sandy and silty soils, and evaluating the effects of subgrade on development of pavement distresses in flexible pavements. The most recent Perić’s work includes geotechnical reconnaissance of an extensive cover-collapse sinkhole phenomena associated with an earthquake sequence.

Academic highlights

Perić published several papers in the International Journal of Plasticity (IJP), whose most recent impact factor (for 2020) is7.081 that corresponds to the journal impact factor percentile of 95.86. In addition, Perić’s research has been published in Computers and Geotechnics, Engineering Structures, International Journal of Solids and Structures, International Journal for Analytical and Numerical Methods in Geomechanics, ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE International Journal of Geomechanics, and Science and Engineering of Composite Materials.

Perić’s work has received national and international recognition, including the National Science Foundation POWRE award and an American Association for Advancement of Science award. In addition, she has been involved in international collaboration with University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Perić has also been listed four times in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. At K-state, she received Making Difference at K-state award as well as a number of CE awards including the Outstanding University and Professional Service Award, Outstanding ASCE Advisor Award, Teaching Award, and Outstanding Colleague Award. Perić has served the geotechnical engineering community as a past associate editor of the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. Currently, Perić serves as a member of ASCE Geo-Institute Unsaturated Soils Committee.

Recent faculty publications
  • Olia, ASR, Perić, D. Thermo-mechanical load transfer mechanism of energy piles, Proc. of the 20th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Rahman and Jaksa (Eds), 2022 Australian Geomechanics Society, Sydney, Australia, p. 5007-5012, ISBN 978-0-9946261-4-1.
  • Olia, AS, Cossel, A., Perić, D. Analytical Solutions for Thermo-Mechanical Soil Structure Interaction in Single Semi Floating Energy Piles Embedded in a Layered Soil Profile, accepted for publication in Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
  • Sarna, S.A., Gyuhyeong, G., and Peric, D. Identifying Acceptable California Bearing Ratio (CBR) for Kansas Subgrades Using Pavement Rutting Data, Geotechnical Special Publication, 22: 333-342, 2022, GeoCongress 2022: State of the Art and Practice in Geotechnical Engineering-Advances in Monitoring and Sensing; Embankment, Slopes, and Dams; Pavements; and Geo-Education.
  • Olia AS, Perić D.Thermomechanical soil–structure interaction in single energy piles exhibiting reversible interface behavior. International Journal of Geomechanics. 2021 May 1;21(5):04021065, doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0002014.
  • Perić D, Cossel AE, Sarna SA. Analytical solutions for thermomechanical soil structure interaction in end bearing energy piles. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. 2020 Jul 1;146(7):04020047, doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002269.
  • Miletić M, Kumar LM, Arns JY, Agarwal A, Foster SJ, Arns C, Perić D.Gradient-based fibre detection method on 3D micro-CT tomographic image for defining fibre orientation bias in ultra-high-performance concrete. Cement and Concrete Research. 2020 Mar 1;129:105962, doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2019.105962
  • Ingrid Tomac, Sonja Zlatović, Adda Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, Jelena Bleiziffer, Dubravko Domitrović, Tihomir Frangen, Verica Gjetvaj, Marin Govorčin, Igor Gukov, Marijan Herak, Petar Hrženjak, Dellena Kinikles, Ivan Kosović, Biljana Kovačević-Zelić, Bojan Matoš, Darko Matešić, Ivan Mihaljević, Zorana Mijic, Marta Miletić, Jack Montgomery, Jelena Parlov, Davor Pavelić, Ivica Pavičić, Dunja Perić, Nguyen Pham, Ivan Salković, Josip Terzić, Igor Vlahović, Zvonimir Vlahović, Helena Vučenović, Katerina Ziotopoulou, Petar Krešimir Žderić: “Geotechnical Reconnaissance and Engineering Effects of the December 29, 2020, M6.4 Petrinja, Croatia Earthquake, and Associated Seismic Sequence”, a report to the NSF-Sponsored Geotechnical Extreme Event Reconnaissance (GEER) Association, report GEER-072, 2021, August 2021, http://dx.doi.org/10.18118/G63T0S.
  • Perić D, Sarna SA, Cossel AE. Cross Validation of Computational Model Predictions against the Analytical Solutions for the Response of a Heat Exchanger Pile Subjected to Thermal Loading. InGeoCongress 2020: Foundations, Soil Improvement, and Erosion 2020 Feb 21 (pp. 271-279). Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers, doi.org/10.1061/9780784482780.026.
  • Olia AS, Perić D.Cross validation of analytical solutions against the computational model predictions of the response of semi floating energy pile. InE3S web of conferences 2020 (Vol. 205, 05020), 2nd International Conference on Energy Geotechnics (ICEGT),
    https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202020505020
  • Olia AS, Perić D.Cross validation of analytical solutions against the computational model predictions of the response of end bearing energy pile. InE3S web of conferences 2020 (Vol. 205, 05019), 2nd International Conference on Energy Geotechnics (ICEGT),
    https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202020505019
  • Rashk Olia AS, Perić D.Effects of Axial Load on the Location of a Combined Null Point in Energy Piles. InIFCEE 2021 (pp. 595-604), doi.org/10.1061/9780784483404.055.
  • Saeidi Rashk Olia A, Perić D.Effects of End Restraints on Thermo-Mechanical Response of Energy Piles. InIFCEE 2021 2020 Dec (pp. 585-594), doi.org/10.1061/9780784483404.054.
  • Sarna SA, Goh G, Perić D.Determining an Acceptable California Bearing Ratio (CBR) Value for Kansas Subgrades Based on Pavement Rutting Data. 2021, Transportation Research Board 100th Annual Meeting, Washnigton DC, United States.
  • Saeidi Rashk Olia AS, Dunja Perić D.Effects of Stratigraphy on Response of Energy Piles. Proc. of 46th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 12-15, 2021.
  • Gjerapić, , Perić, D., Murphy F.D., and Znidarčić, D. : “Development of an Engineering Model for Consolidation and in Tailings, Proc. of Tailings and Mine Waste ’21, Banff, Alberta, November 7-10, 2021
  • Miletić, M. and Perić, D.“Effect of Fibers on Onset of Strain Localization in HPFRCC Subjected to Plane Stress Loading,” Journal of Engineering Mechanics, June 18, 2018, 04018074-1, 04018074-12.
  • Perić, D., Cossel, A., and Miletić, M. “Effects of Stratigraphy on the Response of End Bearing Heat Exchanger Pile Subjected to Thermal Load,” Proc. of Int. Foundation Congress and Equipment Expo, Orlando, Florida, March 5-10, 2018.
  • Perić, D., G. Gjerapic, D. Znidarčić. “Essential Issues for Testing and Modeling of Tailings Exhibiting Creep,” Proc. of Tailings and Mine Waste 18’ Conference. October 1-2, 2018 Keystone Resort in Keystone, Colorado.
  • Perić, D., Cossel, A. and Sarna, S. “Analytical solution for thermally induced axial stress in an end bearing heat exchanger pile embedded in a homogeneous soil,” Proc. of 11th International Conference on Structural Integrity and Failure, December 3-6, 2018, Perth, Australia.