Behaviour of problem local soils and the application of the Dynamic Cone Penetrometer: My research focused on better understanding the peculiar behavior of problem local soils and their performance under new construction technologies. Even though simple low-cost infrastructure is the backbone of rural economic development, because they usually are allocated very low budgets, little or no attention is paid to the geotechnical aspects required for their proper design and construction. The focus of my research is on extending the application of the simple, portable and economical dynamic cone penetrometer and  geophysical methods for use in site investigation and compaction verification by developing correlations between the output of the DCP and well-known and accepted foundation design parameters and compaction quality control.

• Effect of water on the behaviour of some local soils.
• Case studies of geosynthetic use for addressing difficult construction conditions on soils
• Application of geophysical methods to geotechnical engineering
• DCP as a compaction verification tool
• DCP application for standard site investigation

Search for durable, cost-effective surfacing technologies for rural roads: Rural roads need durable surfacing to protect them from rapid deterioration by climate related factors. However, given the high cost and the need to connect as many rural communities as possible with all-weather roads, part of my research effort has focused on developing affordable surfacing options and construction technologies that are labour-based. It also includes developing tools to support the rational choice of these surfacing options. Specific topics include

• Understanding asphalt pavement failures in Ghana
• Field trials of different surfacing technologies that is labour-friendly
• Life cycle costing of different pavement surfacing options

Geotechnical Aspects of Waste Management: Waste management of all forms is a national problem. Part of my research involves initial studies on using waste for construction and understanding the geotechnical implications of some waste (mis-) management practices

• Use of mine waste as aggregates for road construction
• Understanding geotechnical implications of waste oil disposal practices

Supporting to widespread application of labour-based methodology for rural road construction and maintenance

The use of labour-based methods for infrastructure provision can be a powerful means of provision of decent work for the unskilled unemployed and underemployed young men and women in society. The research was aimed at developing the technology for its widespread application for rural road construction and maintenance.

• Understanding the performance, organization and productivity of labour-based contractors in Ghana.
• Evaluating the technical quality of the roads constructed by the small scale labour-based contractors.

Studies to compare labour-based and conventional capital-intensive technologies in the construction sector in terms of technical, financial and institutional parameters