Fredrik Johansson

Fredrik Johansson is Professor in Rock Mechanics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His research focuses on behaviour, assessment, and design of rock engineering systems for underground construction and dams founded on rock.

Before joining KTH as a full-time faculty member, I worked as a consultant in rock engineering and hydropower for over two decades. During this period, I participated in infrastructure projects related to tunnelling, underground construction, and hydropower. A significant part of my work was related to hydropower projects and dam engineering, including investigations, design, and assessments of dams founded on rock. This professional experience has provided a practical background that has influenced my research activities at KTH.

My research focuses on the behaviour, assessment, and design of rock engineering systems, with particular emphasis on design principles and determination of mechanical parameters for rock masses. My work combines numerical modelling, laboratory experiments and field measurements in studies related to underground construction and rock foundations for dams.

Within underground construction, my research mainly concerns design principles for rock support and excavation stability, including studies of pre-support systems such as spiling and the use of numerical analyses and field observations to investigate rock mass behaviour and support performance. An important aspect of this research is the development and application of reliability-based design approaches. Recent applications include reliability-based design of Lined Rock Caverns (LRC) for underground hydrogen storage, where uncertainties related to rock mass properties and long-term performance are considered.

Concerning rock engineering aspects of dams founded on rock, my research includes stability analyses of concrete dams, with particular emphasis on sliding stability, shear strength of concrete–rock interfaces, and rock discontinuities. The research also addresses reliability-based assessment of concrete dams, uplift pressures, drainage systems, and the design and performance of grout curtains.

Throughout my career, I have maintained a connection between research, education, and engineering practice. I supervise master’s and doctoral students and contribute to education in rock mechanics and tunnel engineering. At KTH, I serve as Deputy Head of the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering. I am also responsible for the strategic collaboration between KTH and Skanska and coordinate the strategic impact work at the School of Architecture and the Built Environment.

I have served as President of the Swedish National Group of the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (ISRM) from 2013 to 2023 and was Chair of the Scientific Committee for the World Tunnel Congress 2025 in Stockholm. In recognition of my contributions to rock mechanics research and practice, I received the ISRM Franklin Lecture Award in 2020.