Welcome to the 8th AP-UNSAT 2024

The series of Asia-Pacific conferences on unsaturated soils began in Singapore in 2000 with a strong emphasis on both the theoretical aspect and practical significance of unsaturated soil mechanics in the region. With the continued support of the Technical Committee on Unsaturated Soils (TC106) of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th conferences were held in Tokyo (Japan, 2003); Nanjing (China, 2007); Newcastle (Australia, 2009); Pattaya (Thailand, 2012); Guilin (China, 2015) and Nagoya (Japan, 2019), respectively.

The conferences have provided a forum for researchers and practitioners in the region and beyond to present their latest developments and exchange ideas in the subject, with strong relevance to problems in the region such as heave/desiccation shrinkage, collapse, rainfall-induced slope instability, contaminant transport, etc. The latest developments in unsaturated soil mechanics will also lead to a much better understanding and solution of many emerging problems such as soil/atmosphere interaction, thermal and chemical influence, and climate change.

After almost 15 years, we would like to bring the AP-UNSAT conference back to Australia. We will host the 8th Asia-Pacific conference on unsaturated soils (8th AP-UNSAT) in Melbourne, Australia, jointly by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and Monash University.

On behalf of the Organising Committee, we look forward to welcoming you to the iconic city of Melbourne for the 8th AP-UNSAT.

Yours sincerely,