Professor Reşat Ulusay, who was born in 1952 in İzmir, Turkey, obtained his BSc and MSc degrees on engineering geology from the Geological Engineering Department at Hacettepe University in 1975 and PhD degree (open pit slope stability) from the Middle East Technical University (METU) in 1991, Ankara, Turkey, respectively. His research activities are concentrated on engineering geology, rock mechanics and soil mechanics; particularly on slope stability and open pit slopes, geotechnical rock mass characterization and classification, rock and soil mechanics testing, engineering geology and rock mechanics at historical sites, liquefaction and swelling.

Between 1975 and December 1995, he served the Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) Institute of Turkey and was trained on Mining Geotechnology both in UK and Turkey by Golder & Hoek Associates under the auspices of United Nations and assigned to establish Rock and Soil Mechanics Division and Laboratories in this institute. During this period, he was involved in a number of geotechnical projects as engineer, project leader, Chief of the Division and the Assistant Director of the Feasibility Studies Department responsible from geotechnical projects. He became Associate Professor in 1994. Between December 1995 and September 2019 when he retired, he served Applied Geology Division of Geological Engineering Department at Hacettepe University. He became full Professor in 2000. He also served the Geological Engineering Department at METU as a part-time instructor between 1992 and 2015.

He supervised 34 MSc and PhD theses and is the author and/or co-author of about 300 research papers, some technical books and two technical dictionaries in Turkish and four chapters in international books on geo-engineering. He is also the co-editor and editor of the ISRM Blue Book and Orange Book on ISRM Suggested Methods, respectively, and the associate editor and editorial board member of some international and national journals on geo-engineering.

He is the President of the ISRM Commission on Testing Methods and a member of the ISRM Commission on Design Methodology, since 2006 and 2008, respectively. He was the President of the Executive Committee of Turkish Society of Engineering Geology and the member of Turkish Earthquake Advisory Board. He is the member of ISRM, IAEG, AEG and JSCE. He also chaired the Organizing Committee of EUROCK2016 – ISRM Int. Symp. held in Turkey.

In 2015, Professor Ulusay was recognized by ISRM as “Lifetime ISRM Fellow”, honouring his accomplishments in rock mechanics and rock engineering and his contributions to the work of the ISRM. In addition, “ISRM Outstanding Commission Award 2015” was conferred to the ISRM Commission on Testing Methods chaired by Prof. Ulusay. He presented 8th ISRM Online Lecture in 2014. In 2016, the most prestigious award of the International Association of Engineering Geology (IAEG), the “Hans Cloos Medal” was conferred to Prof. Ulusay for his excellent contribution to the development of engineering geology. Between 2017 and 2019 he was the ISRM Board Member as the President Elect (2019-2023). Since Januray 2019, he is  the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the IAEG Bulletin, “Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment” and the Ex-Officio Member of the IAEG Executive Committee, and since  19 September 2020 he is the President of ISRM.