Our Engineer

Derrick Ayebazibwe, Ph.D.
Specialist Geotechnical Engineer (Project-Based) — AGATETEC Engineering Consultant, E.I.T. (APEGA, P.Eng Under Review)
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Languages: English, Japanese, basic French

Geotechnical Engineer with 10+ years of combined research and consulting experience, specializing in soil mechanics, slope stability, and foundation design, with strong numerical modelling and laboratory testing expertise.

Derrick Ayebazibwe is a Geotechnical Engineer (E.I.T., APEGA) with over eight years of experience spanning academia, applied research, and consulting. His work focuses on slope stability, retaining walls, shallow and deep foundations, and advanced soil mechanics. He has a proven track record of planning and interpreting geotechnical investigations, leading laboratory test programs, and applying numerical analysis to support safe and efficient designs.

Derrick is proficient with Plaxis, GeoStudio, MiDAS GTS-NX, MiDAS Soilworks, and ABAQUS, and has applied these tools on road, bridge, transmission line, and foundation projects. He is an active member of the local geotechnical community, serving on the Calgary Geotechnical Society executive committee (2023–2024).

Areas of Expertise

  • Soil mechanics and advanced geotechnical laboratory testing
  • Slope stability analysis and embankment performance
  • Retaining wall and foundation design (shallow and deep)
  • Pile foundations and settlement / capacity assessment
  • Finite element and numerical modelling (Plaxis, ABAQUS, MiDAS GTS-NX)
  • Seepage and coupled flow–stability analysis (GeoStudio, SEEP/W, SLOPE/W)
  • SPT/CPT interpretation, core logging, and stratigraphic profiling
  • Geotechnical report preparation and client technical communication
  • University-level teaching, training, and mentoring in geotechnical engineering

Selected Experience

Soil Mechanics Specialist — AGAT Laboratories, Calgary, AB, Canada

  • Reviews client technical documentation and testing requirements for complex soil mechanics programs.
  • Oversees laboratory test workflows, turn-around times, and quality of deliverables.
  • Provides follow-up recommendations and clarifications to support geotechnical design and follow-up testing.

Graduate Teaching Assistant — University of Calgary, Schulich School of Engineering

  • Set up and supervised soil mechanics laboratory sessions for triaxial shear, direct shear, oedometer, CBR, grain size distribution, and Atterberg limit tests.
  • Mentored students in deriving geotechnical design parameters from laboratory data for use in GeoStudio-based foundation and slope design projects.
  • Trained students in the use of SEEP/W and SLOPE/W for transient seepage and slope stability analysis.

Geotechnical & Foundations Engineering Specialist — CIC Ltd., Uganda

  • Served as lead geotechnical foundation design specialist on projects for the Uganda National Roads Authority.
  • Used MiDAS Soilworks and GTS-NX to optimize foundation and earthwork designs and ensure compliance with standards.
  • Planned and supervised SPT/CPT investigations, core analysis, RQD evaluation, and associated lab testing.
  • Prepared interpretive design reports, AutoCAD drawings, and client presentations.

Laboratory Engineer — Teclab Africa Limited (now Teclab Limited), Uganda

  • Supervised and managed field and laboratory geotechnical testing programs.
  • Directed borehole positioning, logged SPT blow counts, and completed soil/geomaterial classification.
  • Prepared factual geotechnical reports and provided foundation and ground improvement recommendations.
  • Conducted in-situ density, DCP, and equipment calibration for concrete and materials testing.

Road Data Collection Survey Team Leader / ROMDAS Specialist — Roughton International (Uganda)

  • Led road and bridge inventory surveys for over 20,000 km of roadway for the national network.
  • Used ROMDAS to streamline data collection and built an SQL-based database for road asset management.

Representative Consulting Projects

  • Geotechnical and pile foundation design for 400 kV overhead line (OHL) works associated with SHUROOQ 400/132 kV substation (L-Pile, All-Pile, MiDAS Soilworks).
  • Pile foundation design for 22 swamp tower footings on the Kole–Gulu–Nebbi–Arua power transmission line, Uganda (MiDAS Soilworks, PROKON).
  • Interpretive geotechnical reporting for rehabilitation of road sections in Sturgeon County, Alberta, Canada.

Education

  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering) — University of Calgary, Canada — Hydrate-bearing coarse-grained soil: impact of hydrate dissociation on strength and stiffness.
  • M.Eng., Civil Engineering (Research) — Nagoya University, Japan — Ground improvement for embankments on peat using GEOASIA.
  • B.Sc., Civil Engineering — Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Licences

  • Member-in-Training (E.I.T.), APEGA — No. 291624.
  • Class 5 Driver’s Licence, Alberta.