Claudia E. Zapata

Claudia E. Zapata

  • Senior Sustainability Scientist, Global Institute of Sustainability
  • Assistant Professor, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
Arizona State University
PO Box 875306
Tempe, AZ 85287

Phone: 480-727-8514
Email: czapata@asu.edu


Biography

Dr. Zapata was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Arizona State University in August 2006. She received her Ph.D. degree in Geo-Environmental Engineering from ASU in 1999. Dr. Zapata's research primary interest is in the area of unsaturated soil behavior. She has focused on fluid flow and volume change modeling for expansive soils, with applications related to the behavior of pavement subgrades and slabs-on-grade foundation design. At ASU, Dr. Zapata has been actively involved in the development of the new mechanistic-empirical guide for Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures, in the assessment of pavement performance due to environmental factors and in the study of fluid flow and volume change properties of expansive soils under slabs on grade residential foundations.

Expertise

geotechnical engineering; environmental effects in pavement design; urban infrastructure; durability of building materials; materials development

Education

  • Ph.D., Geo-environmental Engineering, Arizona State University, 1999
  • M.S.E., Geotechnical Engineering, Arizona State University, 1995
  • B.S., Civil Engineering, Universidad Nacional Manizales Columbia, 1988

Current Projects/Teams

Advancement of Unsaturated Soils Theory into the Undergraduate Civil Engineering Curriculum

SWCC Based Models for Realistic Simulation of Swell Behavior of Expansive Soils

Archived Projects/Teams

Surface Flux for Cracked and Intact Clays for Ponded and Sloped Conditions


vision

Established in 2007, the School of Sustainability brings together multiple disciplines and leaders to create and share knowledge, train a new generation of scholars and practitioners, and develop practical solutions to the most pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges of sustainability - especially as they relate to urban areas.

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