Foundation engineering and deep foundations in particular are two growing fields in the profession of civil engineering. Deep foundations are attractive elements that are used to provide support for high-rise buildings and bridge structures. Construction of deep foundations, specifically in the case of bridge structures, requires input from and close collaboration with different fields within civil engineering; namely geotechnical, structural, hydraulic, transportation, and construction management areas.

The geotechnical group at Illinois has always been home to leading experts in foundation engineering profession and has close ties to the DFI main chapter. The Deep foundation Institute (DFI) is devoted to promotion of the profession of foundation engineering and particularly deep foundation design and construction.