Laxman Kafle

PhD Candidate, Rock Mechanics — MIT Civil & Environmental Engineering

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About Me

Portrait of Laxman Kafle

I'm a second-year PhD student in the Einstein Rock Mechanics Lab (MIT CEE). My work focuses on electric fracturing of rock for sustainable subsurface engineering. I am broadly interested in geothermal energy, fracture mechanics, Experimental Mechanics, and digital fabrication.

Research Interests

Electric Fracturing Geothermal Energy Rock Mechanics Fracture Mechanics Experimental Mechanics

Publications

  1. Kafle, L., R. Villamor-Lora, and H.H. Einstein. “Electrical Rock Fracturing Techniques and Applications.” In 59th Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Santa Fe, NM, 8–11 Jun 2025. https://doi.org/10.56952/ARMA-2025-0737
  2. Kafle, L., R. Villamor-Lora, U. Mok, H.H. Einstein, and J. Germaine. “Characterization of Direction Dependent Properties of Sierra White Granite: Initial Results.” In 58th Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Golden, CO, 2024. https://doi.org/10.56952/ARMA-2024-0544
  3. Kafle, L., Xu, W.-J., Nagel, T., 2024. “Numerical Investigation of a Potential Landslide-Induced Tsunami at the Suofengying Reservoir in China.” Landslides. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-024-02217-9
  4. Kafle, L., Xu, W.-J., Nagel, T., 2022. “Influence of Rainfall and Reservoir Water Level Variation on Slope Stability and Evolution of Landslide-Tsunami: A Case Study of Bianjiazhai Landslide at Suofengying Reservoir in China.” Presented at AGU Fall Meeting, 2022.
  5. Kafle, L., Xu, W.-J., Zeng, S.-Y., Nagel, T., 2022. “A Numerical Investigation of Slope Stability Influenced by the Combined Effects of Reservoir Water Level Fluctuations and Precipitation: A Case Study of the Bianjiazhai Landslide in China.” Engineering Geology, 297, 106508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2021.106508