Biography

Ruchi Shrestha is a Staff Geotechnical Engineer II at GeoEngineers Inc., based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she works on transportation, coastal, and industrial infrastructure projects. Her work involves detailed subsurface investigations, laboratory data interpretation, and geotechnical analyses that support safe and efficient design of foundations, embankments, and coastal systems.

At GeoEngineers, Ruchi coordinates drilling and testing operations, develops geotechnical design profiles, and performs analyses including slope stability, bearing capacity, settlement, pile design, and CPT interpretation. Through this work, she has developed a strong appreciation for how complex soil–structure interactions can be better understood through data-driven insights and modeling.

Ruchi completed her Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering) at Boise State University, where her research focused on Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) as a sustainable soil stabilization technique. She also served as a Teaching Assistant, guiding students in courses such as Soil Mechanics, Construction Materials, and Computational Methods.

Before graduate school, she worked as a Civil Engineer at CE Construction Pvt. Ltd. in Kathmandu, Nepal, gaining field and design experience in residential and commercial projects.

Motivated by her professional and academic experiences, Ruchi now seeks to pursue doctoral research that explores the computational and data-driven aspects of geotechnical engineering—bridging physical understanding of soils with emerging analytical and modeling approaches to address modern infrastructure challenges.

Ruchi Shrestha

Contact Information

Education

2022 - 2023

MSc in Geotechnical Engineering

Boise State University, Boise, ID

GPA: 3.9/4.0

Master's thesis on 'Study of Dry Mixing Method to Apply Microbial-Induced Calcite Precipitation for Soil Treatment'.

2013 - 2017

BSc in Civil Engineering

Tribhuvan University, Kathmand, Nepal

GPA: 77

Capstone project on sustainable bridge design. Focus on structural mechanics, materials science, and transportation engineering. Dean's List all semesters.

Experience

Sep 2020 - Aug 2022

Research Assistant

MIT Structural Engineering Lab, Cambridge, MA

Conducted research on structural health monitoring systems using machine learning and IoT sensors. Responsibilities included:
• Developed deep learning models for damage detection achieving 95% accuracy
• Designed and deployed wireless sensor networks on bridge structures
• Published 3 journal papers and 2 conference papers
• Mentored 2 undergraduate research assistants
• Collaborated with Department of Transportation on field testing

Jun 2019 - Aug 2019

Structural Engineering Intern

AECOM, San Francisco, CA

Worked on design and analysis of commercial and residential buildings. Key contributions:
• Performed structural analysis using SAP2000 and ETABS for 5 projects
• Prepared construction documents and technical specifications
• Conducted site inspections and quality control reviews
• Assisted in seismic retrofit design for historic buildings

Jan 2018 - May 2020

Teaching Assistant

UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Teaching assistant for undergraduate courses in structural analysis and design:
• Led weekly discussion sections for 30-40 students
• Graded assignments and exams, held office hours
• Courses: Structural Analysis, Steel Design, Concrete Design
• Received excellent teaching evaluations (4.8/5.0 average)

Awards & Honors

2022

Best Paper Award

International Conference on Smart Infrastructure

Best paper award for research on IoT-based bridge monitoring systems.

2022

Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award

MIT Department of Civil Engineering

Recognized for exceptional research contributions in structural health monitoring.

2021

ASCE Excellence in Civil Engineering Education Award

American Society of Civil Engineers

Awarded for academic excellence and leadership in civil engineering education.

2020

Dean's List

UC Berkeley College of Engineering

Maintained Dean's List status for all eight semesters of undergraduate study.