November/December 2021 - 76

cations, and visiting sites to supervise design implementation
for potential seismic hazards. From August 2011 to October
2014, before coming to the U.S., he was an intern engineer at
Cairo Home Engineering Consultants with offices in Cairo and
Abu-Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, where he was involved
in designing foundations for medium and high-rise reinforced
concrete buildings, schools and government facilities.
He chose UCI to pursue his academic and research
interests for its location and reputation as a research center.
His doctoral dissertation, " Experimental and Numerical
Studies of Shear Demands of Rock-Socketed Drilled Shafts, "
provides an experimental answer to whether large shear
forces are real or an artifact of the p-y method. He, along with
Lemnitzer of UCI, and Ben Turner, Ph.D., Dan Brown and
Associates, co-authored a feature article on the subject as well,
which appeared in the September/October 2020 issue of Deep
Foundations magazine (see page 93). Turner, who was the coprincipal
investigator and committee liaison for the DFIfunded
project that was the basis of Farrag's Ph.D. work, says,
" He did all the legwork on the project, from the experimental
design and construction to the numerical simulations of the
results. He is highly self-motivated and driven to find answers
and explanations for the experimental findings. He is
tenacious in pursuing objective answers, and possesses
impressive critical thinking skills. I have no doubt that he will
be successful in his future research and academic endeavors. "
The DFI Connection
Farrag is proud of being the winner of DFI's 2020 Student
Paper Competition, the subject of which is his Ph.D. research
and dissertation. He is active in the organization that he feels
is " like a family " to him. His involvement has helped Farrag
deepen his relationship to the geotechnical engineering
community. He encourages other professionals to join and
become involved as he has.
His Ph.D. advisor and research colleague, Lemnitzer,
notes, " I am very pleased to see Rabie taking initiative and
giving back to the DFI community who has supported his
Ph.D. work. He is a great example of how DFI integrates young
members and how young professionals value the DFI
environment, taking responsibility through professional
engagement and leadership. " This is reflected in Farrag being
a mentor for undergraduate students at UCI. He served as the
chair of DFI's student activities program for the organization's
46th Annual Conference, as further evidence of his commitment
to young engineers.
Family and Fun
Farrag relishes time with his family. On the recreation side, he
is a motorcycle aficionado. He smiles and says, " I find it
amusing that keeping a balance on two wheels is the best
reminder that balance is what keeps us alive. " Maintaining a
balance and helping others in any way he can is core to his life.
76 * DEEP FOUNDATIONS * NOV/DEC 2021
http://www.gtc-lab.com/
November/December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2021
