Dr. Lai earned her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University, followed by an M.S. degree and Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was supervised by Prof. Robert B. Gilbert, an academician of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. After completing her studies, she joined Zhejiang University as a post-doc researcher and now serves as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Lai’s research is centered on pioneering offshore anchors, soil-anchor interaction, and centrifuge modeling—an area of both scientific complexity and immense practical relevance. In recognition of her contributions, she has received several awards, including the Hogentogler Award from ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rock as well as the Bright Spark Lecture Award from the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.