Research Theme
"UNSAT" stands for the two key aspects of our research endeavor: one for physics and mechanics of UNSATurated porous media; another for UNderground Space Advanced Technologies.
This group is directed by Prof. Chao Zhang in the Department of Civil Engineering at Hunan University. We are a part of Center for Underground Space Advanced Technologies directed by Prof. Renpeng Chen.
Our current research at Hunan University encompasses the following interconnected areas:- Phase Equilibirum and Transition in Porous Media
- AI for Testing and Modelling of Unsaturated Soils
- Soil - Shield Machine Interaction and Its Intelligent Control
- Advanced Testing and Resilience for Underground Structures
Recent News
UNSAT Lab Attends the Gordon Research Conference on Flow and Transport in Permeable Media
Members of the UNSAT Lab attended the Gordon Research Conference on Flow and Transport in Permeable Media. -07/2026
UNSAT Lab Attends the 5th International Symposium on Machine Learning & Big Data in Geoscience
Members of the UNSAT Lab attended the 5th International Symposium on Machine Learning & Big Data in Geoscience (5ISMLG 2026) at HKUST in Hong Kong. -05/2026
Hunan University and CRCHI Release Intelligent Agent for Shield Tunneling
Hunan University and China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation jointly released an intelligent agent for shield tunneling operation, maintenance, and risk prevention and control. -01/2026
Congratulations to Yuhan for publishing a paper titled "Measuring fracture toughness of clayey soils in a wide suction range" by Géotechnique. -01/2026
Professor Hyoungsoo Kim Visits the UNSAT Lab
Professor Hyoungsoo Kim from KAIST visited the UNSAT Lab at Hunan University. -01/2026
Prof. Chao Zhang Co-Convenes a Session at AGU25
Prof. Chao Zhang co-convened a session on water phase transitions in porous media at the AGU25 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. -12/2025
UNSAT Lab Wins First Prize in the China Postgraduate Intelligent Construction Innovation Competition
A team from the UNSAT Lab won First Prize in the China Postgraduate Intelligent Construction Innovation Competition. -11/2025
Professor Nima Shokri Visits the UNSAT Lab
Professor Nima Shokri from Hamburg University of Technology visited the UNSAT Lab at Hunan University. -07/2025
UNSAT Lab Attends ICE 2025: Ice at the Micro-scale
Members of the UNSAT Lab attended ICE 2025: Ice at the Micro-scale at Monte Verità in Ascona, Switzerland. -07/2025
Congratulations to Ziheng for publishing a paper titled "Earth pressure balance tunnel boring machine vibration-based classification charts for real-time ground type and composition detection" by Géotechnique. -06/2025
Professor Markus Flury Visits the UNSAT Lab
Professor Markus Flury from Washington State University visited the UNSAT Lab at Hunan University. -06/2025
UNSAT Lab Publishes Research in Physical Review Letters
Researchers from the UNSAT Lab published a study on water-nanofilm-mediated ice crystal growth in Physical Review Letters. -02/2025
Shaojie Hu and Yuhan Yang Win AGU Unsaturated Zone Student Awards
Shaojie Hu and Yuhan Yang received First and Second Prizes in the AGU Unsaturated Zone Technical Committee Student Awards. -01/2025
Shaojie Hu Joins Vadose Zone Journal as Social Media Editor
Shaojie Hu joined Vadose Zone Journal as a Social Media Editor in January 2025. -01/2025
UNSAT Lab Attends AGU24
Members of the UNSAT Lab attended AGU24. -12/2024
UNSAT Lab Wins Excellent Abstract Award at 2FOMLIG & 5MLIGD
Chao Zhang, Ziheng Geng, and Guodong Wu received the Excellent Abstract Award at 2FOMLIG & 5MLIGD in Chengdu. -10/2024
UNSAT Lab Attends the IUTAM Symposium on Interface Mechanics of Complex Flows and Soft Matter
Members of the UNSAT Lab attended the IUTAM Symposium on Interface Mechanics of Complex Flows and Soft Matter in Beijing. -08/2024
UNSAT Lab Attends InterPore2024 in Qingdao
Members of the UNSAT Lab attended InterPore2024, the 16th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Porous Media, in Qingdao, China. -05/2024
Congratulations to Lijun, Shaojie, and Lingyun for accepting a paper titled "Physical origin of adsorption heat and its significance in the isotherm equation." by International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. -11/2023
Congratulations to Ningning and Shaojie for accepting a paper titled "Physical Origins of Freezing and Melting Temperature Depressions of Water in Millimeter-Sized Pores." by Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. -06/2023
Prof. Zhang, Zhengan, Zhixiong, Yangkai, Ziheng, Jiaxing and Yuhao attended the National Highway Tunnel Academic Annual Conference. -03/2023
Congratulations to Lingyun and Shaojie for accepting a paper titled "A Soil Hydraulic Conductivity Equation Incorporating Adsorption and Capillarity." by JGGE. -03/2023
Congratulations to Yuhao and Minxiang for accepting a paper titled "Significance and formulation of ground loss in tunneling-induced settlement prediction: a data-driven study." by Acta Geotechnica. -02/2023
Congratulations to Zhixiong and Ningning for accepting a paper titled "A paradigm for seismic resilience assessment of subway system." by TUST. -02/2023