Andrew Mitchell
PhD
My research focus is on the runout behaviour of rapid, flow-like landslides. It is difficult to estimate the area impacted by these events and the intensity of those impacts due to many sources of uncertainty. In many cases it is not practical (or possible) to eliminate this uncertainty. My work is applying probabilistic methods to empirical and numerical predictions of flow-like landslide runout to quantify the uncertainty. The objective is to develop predictive tools that can be used in assessing risks or designing mitigation measures in areas potentially affected by landslides.
2018 - present: UBC - Ph.D. (Geological Engineering), supervisor Scott McDougall
2015 - 2018: BGC Engineering Inc. - Geotechnical Engineer
2013 - 2015: UBC - M.A.Sc. (Geological Engineering), supervisor Oldrich Hungr
2010 - 2013: Harder Associates/SNC Lavalin - Engineer-in-Training
2005 - 2010: U of A - B.Sc. (Civil Engineering)
Mitchell A., McDougall S., Aaron J., Brideau, M.-A. (2020) Rock avalanche-generated mass flows: definitions and hazard. Frontiers in Earth Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.543937
Whittall J., Mitchell A., McDougall S. (2020) Runout of open pit slope failures: an update. Slope Stability
2020. https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/2025_76_Whittall/
Friele P., Millard T.H., Mitchell A., Allstadt K.E., Menounos B., Geertsema M., Clague J.J. (2020) Observations
on the May 2019 Joffre Peak landslides, British Columbia. Landslides, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-019-01332-2
Mitchell, A., McDougall, S., Nolde, N., Brideau, M.-A., Whittall, J., Aaron, J., 2020. Rock avalanche runout prediction using stochastic analysis of a regional dataset. Landslides https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-019-01331-3
Ghahramani, N., McDougall, S., Mitchell, A., Evans, S.G., Take, A., Cuervo, V. (2019). Introducing a runout zone classification for the analysis of tailings-flows. Tailings and Mine Waste 2019, Vancouver BC.
Zubrycky, S., Mitchell, A., Aaron, J., McDougall, S. (2019). Preliminary calibration of a numerical runout model for debris flows in southwestern British Columbia. 7th International Conference on Debris-Flow Hazards Mitigation, Golden CO.
Mitchell A., McDougall S., Aaron J. (2018) Benchmarking Exercise: Dan3D with objective calibration methods. Second JTCl Workshop, Hong Kong.
Mitchell, A., McDougall, S., Whittall, J., Brideau, M-A., and Mcclarty, D., 2018. New empirical-statistical tools for the analysis of rock avalanche runout. Geohazards 7.
Mitchell, A., Lato, M., McDougall, S., Porter, M., Bale, S., and Watson, A., 2017. Regional-scale landslide and erosion monitoring utilizing airborne LiDAR change detection analysis. Geological Society of America 129th Annual Meeting.
Mitchell, A. and Hungr, 0., 2017, Theory and calibration of the Pierre 2 stochastic rock fall dynamics simulation program. Canadian Geotechnical Journal 54: 18 - 30.
Mitchell, A. and Hungr, 0., 2015, PIERRE 2: A stochastic rock fall simulator - development, calibration and applications. GEOQuebec 2015, the 68th Conference of the Canadian Geotechnical Society.
Preh, A., Mitchell, A., Hungr, 0., and Kolenprat, B, 2015, Stochastic analysis of rock fall dynamics on quarry slopes. International Journal of Rock Mechanics & Mining Sciences, 80: 57 - 66.
Gischig, V., Hungr, 0., Mitchell, A., and Bourrier, F., 2015, Pierre3D - a 3D stochastic rock fall simulator based on random ground roughness and hyberbolic restitution coefficients. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 52:
1360 -1373.