As a child, I developed a deep interest in the Earth: what was hidden beneath its surface, what it was made of and its ability to harbor natural resources via different processes. As I became older and familiar with my father’s profession as a Civil Engineer, it fostered my desire to learn more about the Earth leading to completing my undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering in my home country, Iran. During my undergraduate studies I found soil and rock mechanics the most interesting subdiscipline in the field of Civil Engineering. Having the first ‘tools in my toolbox’ regarding the principals of soil and rock mechanics, I followed my passion by doing a Master of Science in Geotechnical Engineering at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. During two years of graduate studies, I was recognized as the “Fellow of the Graduate Students” by the faculty of graduate studies at the Memorial University.
