Abolfazl (Nima) Baghbani is an Associate Lecturer in Engineering at La Trobe University, Melbourne, and a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng, NER, RPEV, RPEQ; MIEAust, AGS). He brings 13+ years of geotechnical industry experience and 5+ years of university teaching. Nima has held senior roles at FMG Engineering and at Federation University’s GHERG (Senior Geotechnical Engineer & Manager), and previously served at La Trobe as a senior engineer/researcher and Civil Laboratory Technical Officer, leading collaborative, experiment-driven projects with industry. He holds a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering (Deakin University) and was a finalist in the 2025 SAE-A Mobility Technology Excellence Awards.

Nima’s research spans site investigation, experimental geomechanics, soil dynamics, and data-driven methods. He develops machine-learning models for geotechnical applications (for example, desiccation cracking, predictive soil/rock behaviour) and intelligent geotechnical sensors, with 60+ publications.

At La Trobe, he teaches across geotechnical and civil engineering and actively builds industry partnerships. He has assisted in facilitating 30+ student placements through the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program and mentors students on practice-based projects.

Beyond campus, Nima hosts the YouTube channel @nimabaghbani, featuring expert interviews and applied content on geotechnical engineering and AI in engineering.

YouTube Channel: (1) Nima Baghbani - YouTube

Contact: a.baghbani@latrobe.edu.au