In June, 2nd year PhD student Maxine Beh from Cohort 4, attended the 3rd International Conference on Energy Geotechnics (ICEGT-2025)held at L'Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris. As the global shift toward sustainable energy gains momentum, geotechnical engineering is emerging as a key enabler of this transformation. The conference brought together experts from academia and industry to discuss the unique challenges and emerging opportunities that geotechnical engineers face as they support the infrastructure and technologies critical to the energy transition.
Maxine, whose research focuses on tailored ground improvement solutions for the improved long-term performance of thermo-active geostructures, presented a paper titled "Numerical Modelling of Ground Improvement Thermal Parameters for Long-Term Energy Pile Performance". The paper was co-authored by Abir Al-Tabbaa, from the University of Cambridge, Ryan Yin Wai Liu from Mott MacDonald, and David Taborda, from Imperial College, and was completed as part of Project SaFEGround.
"The conference was a really enriching and productive experience. I had many valuable conversations with academics and fellow students from the field of Energy Geostructures. It really helped to inform the direction of my future work, and where I should focus my attention next. I'm particularly excited about the research being conducted around energy pile groups and soil-pile interfaces. I also received constructive feedback on the research I've completed so far and built many relevant networking connections." - Maxine Beh
Maxine really enjoyed being able to spend time in Paris at the conference which included a gala dinner cruise on the Seine at sunset, offering scenic views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. Naturally, no meal was complete without sampling a wide selection of cheese! The conference was a fantastic opportunity for academic exchange and left Maxine feeling inspired, better informed, and excited about the path ahead in Energy Geotechnics.