Geotechnical Engineering is a crucial supporting discipline for Southeast University's "Double First-Class" disciplines of Transportation Engineering and Civil Engineering. It was designated as a Key Discipline of Jiangsu Province in 2006. In 2014, the Institute of Geotechnical Engineering spearheaded the establishment of the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Underground Engineering and Environmental Safety. Furthermore, it was selected as an Outstanding Scientific and Technological Innovation Team in Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (Environmental Geotechnical Engineering) in 2017.

Aligned with national development needs, the discipline has gradually forged its distinct research characteristics. Its primary research directions include:

◆   Pile foundation engineering

◆   Special foundation treatment

◆   In-situ testing technologies in geotechnical engineering

◆   Engineering properties of soils and unsaturated soil mechanics

◆   Environmental geotechnical  engineering

In recent years, its research achievements have garnered numerous accolades. These include one Second Prize of the National Technological Invention Award, one Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, two First Prizes of the Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, one First Prize of the Science and Technology Progress Award from the Ministry of Education, and one First Prize of the Military Science and Technology Progress Award, along with 16 other various scientific and technological awards. Additionally, the discipline has produced one National Top 100 Excellent Doctoral Dissertation.

The discipline has recently undertaken a substantial number of national-level research projects, including programs under the National Key R&D Program, the 973 Program, the 863 Program, National Science and Technology Support Programs, as well as Key and General Projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). It has also engaged in major engineering research initiatives across various sectors, such as expressways, tunnel engineering, railway/track engineering, bridge pile foundations, and underground structures.