Jocelyn Hayley

Jocelyn is a Professor (Geotechnical) and Head in the Department of Civil Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (1994) and a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering (1999) from the University of Alberta. Jocelyn spent two years in industry and has consulted on various projects during her career. She joined the University of Calgary in 2001 after a postdoctoral fellowship at the prestigious Norwegian Geotechnical Institute in Oslo, Norway (2000). Her achievements have led to numerous awards commending her research, teaching, and service, including recently being recognized as a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada and as a Champion of Women in Engineering and Geoscience by APEGA. In 2018, she became Head of the Department of Civil Engineering following 3 years as Senior Associate Dean (Research) in the Schulich School of Engineering (2015-2018). Her research is in the general area of soil mechanics (geotechnical engineering), with a focus on sediments that undergo big changes when subject to temperatures and/or pressures. Gas hydrates are an abundant source of natural gas found in submarine sediments and under the permafrost. Jocelyn builds gas hydrates into soil samples in the laboratory, and then studies what happens when reducing the pressure, thawing, or applying pressure to them to determine their strength. She also investigates permafrost soils, and what happens to roads, buildings, and the arctic coastlines when these soils thaw.

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