Robert Gracie

Dr. Robert Gracie is an Associate Professor in the Department of the Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo (UW) and is an expert in Computational Engineering. His expertise is applied the development of novel simulation technologies/software and the deployment of commercial analysis software to complete problems.

At UW, he carries out research on the development of simulation technologies with an emphasis on multi-physics problems, including fracture and deformations, heat transfer, and multi-constituent fluid flow. Research focuses on the development of novel numerical methods to simulate problems which cannot be readily simulated using exiting commercial software. Recent applications include carbon sequestration, enhanced geothermal systems, hydraulic fracturing, and dissolution solution mining. Past applications include: impact analysis, fracture and fragmentation processes and multiscale analysis.

• Simulation & Modelling of Multiphysics Problems

• Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Data Driven Models

• Jet Bore Mining, Dissolution Mining,

• Geothermal Energy

• Hydraulic Fracturing

• Solid and Fracture Mechanics

• Plasticity

• Geomechanics

• Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics

• Computational Fluid Dynamics

• Molecular Dynamics

• Computational Mechanics

• Numerical Methods

• Finite Element Analysis

• Verification and Validation of Simulators

• Parameter Estimations and Uncertainty

Research Engineer: 2002-2004

Natural Resources Canada, Government of Canada

Ottawa, ON.

-Development of explicit Eulerian Finite Element models to analyze the effect of ice scours on buried offshore artic pipelines, and of implicit/explicit models to analyze the effect of the impact of objects on pressurized concrete encased pipelines.

-Developed an object oriented Finite Element framework.

-Supervised the work of several co-op students

• 2009, Doctorate Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, United States of America

• 2002, Bachelor's Mechanical Engineering, University of Ottawa, Canada

• 2002, Bachelor's Computing Technologies, University of Ottawa, Canada

• 2001 Gold Medal Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers

• 2000 Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) Scholarship

• 2001 Earl Dudgeon Memorial Scholarship

• 2004 Walter P. Murphy Scholarship - Northwestern University

• 2005 Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

• 2005 Best Paper Award at Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering 2005

• 2006 Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

• 2008 Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

• 2009 1st Place, Robert J. Melosh Medal Competition - Best Student Paper Competition

• 2019-2022 Associate Chair Graduate Studies, Dept. Civil and Environmental Engineering

• 2025-present Vice-President of the Canadian Association for Computational Science and Engineering

• 2023-2025 Treasurer of the Canadian Association for Computational Science and Engineering

• Canadian Association for Computational Science and Engineering (CACSE)

• Americal Association of Rock Mechanics (ARMA)

• Waterloo Institue for Sustainable Energy (WISE)

• CIVE 303 - Structural Analysis
  • Taught in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• CIVE 422 - Finite Element Analysis
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• CIVE 611 - Finite Element Analysis
  • Taught in 2020, 2022
• CIVE 622 - Finite Element Analysis
  • Taught in 2023, 2024, 2025
• CIVE 722 - Intermediate Finite Element Analysis
  • Taught in 2022

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.