GeoEngineering Graduate Student Association at Berkeley

Seal of the GeoEngineering Graduate Student Research Association at Berkeley, est. 2017

The main objective of the GeoEngineering Graduate Student Association at Berkeley is to provide GeoSystems graduate students, postdoctoral and visiting researchers with:

an executive/steering committee to coordinate the activities of the abovementioned students,
a forum to share technical details of ongoing research,
a platform for constructive peer review and support, and
to promote student collaboration, outreach, and social interaction.

CalLink: https://callink.berkeley.edu/organization/geoengineering

Contact us here: geoengineering@berkeley.edu

Leadership Committee:

Chair: Treves Li

Vice Chair: Ava Fathian Sabet

Outreach Chairs: Joan Deitsch

Social Chair: John Sadek

Academic Chair: Andreas Kalyvas

MS Representative: Daryn Panchak

Training video: How to make a coffee at the Geosystems Students Lounge

Events

GeoSymposium: The 10th annual GeoSymposium will be held from 1 pm - 5 pm on November 13, 2026 at Jarvis Auditorium in the Grimes Engineering Center at UC Berkeley. This symposium showcases current research conducted in the GeoSystems Engineering group at UC Berkeley. All are welcome to attend.

Visit our page here: https://geotechnical.berkeley.edu/activities/annual-geotechnical-engineering-research-symposium

Past Events

Guest Lecture: In partnership with San Francisco Geo-Institute (SFGI), we were honored to have Prof J. Carlos Santamarina from Georgia Tech on September 2, 2026 to present on Geotechnics in the Information Age as part of the ASCE Cross-USA Lecture Tour.

2026 ASCE Cross-USA Lecture Tour (with Prof Santamarina)

Mid of Term Happy Hour - 2024: Gathering of master and PhD students at Jupiter sponsored by ENGEO.

Guest Lecture: In partnership with the UC Berkeley EERI chapter, we are pleased to have Dr. Srikanth S. C. Madabhushi from the University of Colorado, Boulder on October 20th, 2023 to present on: Misconceptions with Dynamic Earth Pressure Coefficients: Improving the Seismic Limit State Design of Earth Retaining Structures.

Start of Term Happy Hour - 2023: Celebration of welcoming the new master students to the program at LaVal's Pizzeria sponsored by SFGI.

Students eating pizza at long tables in LaVal's Pizzeria

Latest Student News

Berkeley GeoSystems Instagram

Sep 15, 2026 | General

Keep up to date with the day-to-day activities of our graduate students at the new GeoSystems Instagram page! Follow along as they share a behind-the-scenes look at life in the lab, fieldwork, and other geo-adventures. https://www.instagram.com/berkeley_geosystems ...

Wrap up: 44th Annual Distinguished Lecture Series, including the Juan Pestana Memorial Session and Celebration of Graduates and Alumni

May 13, 2026 | General

The 44th Annual Distinguished Lecture Series, including the Juan Pestana Memorial Session and Celebration of Graduates and Alumni was held on May 8, 2026, at the Clark Kerr Campus. It was attended by 175 people, including Juan Pestana’s former students and immediate family, graduating students, and 80 alumni including 27 from the Classes of ‘6s: 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006, and 2016! The morning opened with the Juan Pestana Memorial Session w ...

Register now and don't miss the 44th Annual Geosystems Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series and Juan Pestana Memorial Event, May 8

Apr 09, 2026 | General

The number of registrations continues to increase quickly, and we plan to close registration around April 15 or when the capacity of the venue is reached. If you have been considering joining your colleagues and classmates, we encourage you to register now. Don't miss this event which sold out in previous years!   May 8, 2026 | Krutch Theater, Clark Kerr Campus UC Berkeley, 8:30AM - 8:30PM   Registration UC Berkeley and ...

Registration is filling up - 44th Annual Geosystems Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series, May 8

Mar 26, 2026 | General

The number of registrations for the May 8 event have recently been increasing, and we plan to close registration around April 15 or when the capacity of the venue is reached. If you have been considering joining your colleagues and classmates, we encourage you to register soon!   May 8, 2026 | Krutch Theater, Clark Kerr Campus UC Berkeley, 8:30AM - 8:30PM   Registration UC Berkeley and SFGI ASCE are pleased to announce t ...

Berkeley GeoWall Team Competes at National Geo-Congress

Mar 25, 2026 | General

Did you know that GeoWall at Berkeley is UC Berkeley’s only geotechnical engineering competition team that competes each year at ASCE’s Mid-Pacific Conference and the National Geo-Institute Conference? They recently returned from the National Geo-Institute conference (Geo-Congress) held on March 9-12, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah, where, as finalists, they competed against other finalist teams from around the nation. Rune De Anda, Project Man ...