Michael Malusis

Michael Malusis

Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Civil & Environmental Engineering Department Chair
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Educational Background

  • B.S.C.E., Bucknell University
  • M.S.C.E., Colorado State University
  • Ph.D., Colorado State University

Research Interests

  • Enhanced waste containment barriers
  • Waste-soil compatibility
  • Contaminant transport
  • Modified bentonite clays for geoenvironmental
  • Design and performance of soil-bentonite cutoff walls

Teaching Specialties

  • Soil mechanics
  • Ground improvement
  • Geoenvironmental engineering

Professional Registrations and Affiliations

  • Professional Engineer #37338, Colorado
  • Member, ASCE, the GeoInstitute and the Pennsylvania chapter

Selected Publications

Sample-Lord, K.M., Ahmed, M., and Malusis, M.A. (2021). Diffusion through soil-bentonite backfill from a constructed vertical cutoff wall. Soils and Foundations, 62(2), 429-443.

Malusis, M.A. and Barlow, L.C. (2020). Comparison of laboratory and field measurements of backfill hydraulic conductivity for a large-scale soil-bentonite cutoff wall. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 146(8), 04020070-1-13.

Fritz, C.J., Scalia, J., Shackelford, C.D., and Malusis, M.A. (2020). Determining maximum chemico-osmotic pressure difference across clay membranes. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 146(1), 06019108-1-7.

Malusis, M.A., Scalia, J., Norris, A.S., and Shackelford, C.D. (2020). Effect of chemico-osmosis on solute transport in clay barriers. Environmental Geotechnics, 7(7), 447-456.

Shackelford, C.D., Lu, N., Malusis, M.A., and Sample-Lord, K. (2019). Research challenges involving coupled flows in geotechnical engineering. In Geotechnical Fundamentals for Addressing New World Challenges, Springer Series in Geomechanics and Geoengineering, Lu, N., and Mitchell, J.K., Eds., Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Cham, Switzerland, Chapter 10, 237-274.

Scalia, J., Bohnhoff, G., Shackelford, C., Benson, C., Sample-Lord, K., Malusis, M., and Likos, W. (2018). Enhanced bentonites for containment of inorganic wastes by GCLs. Geosynthetics International, 25(4), 392-411.

Norris, A., Di Emidio, G., Malusis, M., and Replogle, M. (2018). Modified bentonites for soil-bentonite cutoff wall applications with hard mix water. Applied Clay Science, 158, 226-235.

Hong, C., Shackelford, C.D., and Malusis, M.A. (2017). Numerical evaluation of vertical cutoff walls comprising zeolite-amended backfills for enhanced metals containment. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 143(7), 04017028-1-15.

Malusis, M.A. and Daniyarov, A.S. (2016). Membrane efficiency and diffusive tortuosity of a dense prehydrated geosynthetic clay liner. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 44, 719-730.

Hong, C., Shackelford, C.D., and Malusis, M.A. (2016). Adsorptive behavior of zeolite-amended backfills for enhanced metals containment. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 142(7), 04016021-1-16.

Malusis, M., Kang, J., and Shackelford, C. (2015). Restricted salt diffusion in a geosynthetic clay liner. Environmental Geotechnics, 2(2), 68-77.

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