Peter Cundall
Associate
Dr. Cundall performed his doctoral work at Imperial College, London, where, in 1971, he originated the Distinct Element Method for modeling jointed rock and granular material. In addition to being an independent consultant for several years, he worked for Dames and Moore for five years, was a faculty member at the University of Minnesota for seven years, at which he is now Adjunct Professor. He was employed by Itasca for more than 20 years, and continues involvement as an Associate.
Dr. Cundall is the original author of many computer codes, including TRUBAL, FLAC, FLAC3D, UDEC, 3DEC and PFC, which all enjoy widespread use. His main interest is in applied computer modeling, particularly in the areas of micromechanics, seismic analysis, plasticity, fracture damage, localization, shock waves and coupled problems.
He has written many papers, including the most-cited paper for the journal Géotechnique: “A Discrete Numerical Model for Granular Assemblies”. Dr. Cundall has received several awards for his work in rock mechanics, and is Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Member of the National Academy of Engineering.