Dr. Te Pei joined the CREST institute as its affiliated faculty member in Spring 2024. Dr. Pei is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. He teaches Geotechnical Engineering/Geomechanics.
Commenting on what motivated him to pursue a career in teaching, Dr. Pei said, “I was motivated to become a professor by a passion for discovery and a desire to share knowledge. The most exciting part of my job is the opportunity to explore new frontiers in geotechnical engineering/geoscience and machine learning, and to mentor the next generation of engineers and scientists. Engaging with students and seeing them develop their skills and begin to tackle important scientific challenges is incredibly rewarding.”
Dr. Pei’s research currently focuses on integrating geotechnical engineering with advanced machine learning techniques to enhance landslide prediction accuracy and our understanding of landslide triggers. Further, the research is centered towards advancing the understanding and forecast of geohazards such as landslides through the integration of geoscientific domain knowledge with machine learning. He elaborated, “I am developing AI-physical hybrid models that not only enhance prediction accuracy but also enable a deeper causality analysis by merging theoretical insights with computational intelligence. These models are crucial for improving situational awareness and guiding informed decision-making in communities prone to geohazards. Additionally, my research is committed to developing robust and reliable AI applications, promoting best practices that address the unique data challenges of geoscientific problems and ensuring that AI models remain effective and predictable across varying conditions.”
Dr. Pei is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration and the integration of teaching and research. He is passionate about working with experts from diverse scientific disciplines to transcend interdisciplinary barriers, advancing our understanding of natural hazards and enhancing our resilience against these hazards under climate change. He said, “In teaching, I focus on imparting practical, data-driven solutions to my students, encouraging them to utilize new tools such as ChatGPT and other generative AI products to solve problems. I also strive to connect theoretical knowledge with real-world applications by sharing the latest findings including those from my own research.” Dr. Pei’s academic philosophy is deeply rooted in promoting diversity and inclusion within Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) fields, fostering the engagement of students from various backgrounds to enrich their perspectives in science and engineering.
Fall 2023 CE 345 Soil Mechanics Final Project presentation: GeoWall Competition
(The objective of the GeoWall competition is to design and build a model mechanically stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining wall using paper reinforcement taped to a posterboard wall facing. The design should strive to need the least amount of reinforcement to support the retained soil and design loads).
In 2023, before joining the City College of New York, Dr. Pei completed his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Pennsylvania State University, where his training spanned both geotechnical engineering and data science, including AI and machine learning. He said, “This interdisciplinary education equipped me to tackle complex geotechnical challenges through innovative, hybrid physics-data-driven methodologies. These experiences have profoundly influenced my teaching and research strategies, enabling me to seamlessly integrate advanced computational tools into traditional geotechnical engineering and geoscience frameworks.”
As a graduate student at Penn State, Dr. Pei received the DFI Educational Trust Scholarship and the Leo P. Russell Graduate Fellowship in Civil Engineering. Since he joined CCNY, Dr. Pei’s research has been funded by the CUNY Interdisciplinary Research Grant program 2024 and the PSC-CUNY Research Awards.
