Andrew McNamara is a practicing engineer with a strong attachment to academia and research.  He commenced his career with Pell Frischmann and Partners in 1980 working on the landmark Standard Chartered Bank project in London. 

He joined Trollope and Colls Construction Ltd (now Skanska) in 1990 where he developed temporary works solutions for commercial building developments in London and commenced part time studies for an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at Kingston University followed by a part time MSc in Geotechnical Engineering at City St George’s, University of London.  He became involved in the construction of a complex deep basement at the site of the former Knightsbridge Crown Court in London.  This inspired him to undertake doctoral research at City St George’s, University of London, under the supervision of Professor Neil Taylor, involving physical modelling work to investigate novel construction methods for controlling ground movement around excavations.  He was awarded his PhD in 2001 and was appointed to a post doctoral fellowship and became a Senior Lecturer in 2004.

He is active in centrifuge research projects, addressing a wide range of construction process related problems; usually with an emphasis on sustainability or safety. Notable research has focussed on enhanced capacity bored piles in stiff clay, hollow piles for energy generation and overcoming problems inherent in pile reuse.

He organised and ran the first European regional conference on physical modelling in geotechnics in 2008 and was chair of ISSMGE technical committee TC104 on Physical Modelling in Geotechnical Engineering from 2014 – 2018; hosting the TCs quadrennial conference in 2018.

In collaboration with the Temporary Works forum (TWf) in the UK he established the Centre of Excellence in Temporary Works and Construction Method Engineering at City St George’s, University of London and developed the MSc in Temporary Works aimed at practicing engineers.

Between 2007 and 2010, he served on the editorial advisory panel for Proceedings of the ICE Geotechnical Engineering Journal.  He was a co-opted member of the British Geotechnical Association Committee from 2004 2008 and a member of the editorial advisory committee of EMAP Ground Engineering magazine between 2005 and 2015.

He is a keen supporter of the International Press-in Association which is based in Japan but with global interests; a research organisation established to better understand the design, installation and performance of pressed in piles

Prof. Seokwon Jeon is currently a Professor at Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. He received his BS and MS degree in mineral and petroleum engineering at Seoul National University in 1987 and 1989, respectively. And he received his ME degree in civil engineering at University of California in 1991. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in mining and geological engineering at the University of Arizona in 1996. 

Since he started working in the Department of Energy Resources Engineering at Seoul National University in 1997, he has been in charge of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering Laboratory. He authored or co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and made more than 250 technical presentations in conferences. He supervised 24 Ph.D. students and more than 38 Master’s course students. 

His research interests include experimental rock mechanics, rock fragmentation by blasting and mechanical cutting, rock fracture mechanics, tunneling engineering, surface subsidence, radioactive waste disposal and more. 

He is currently a member of National Academy of Engineering of Korea. He served in various leading roles in several academic societies, as President of Korean Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, President of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers, and Vice-President of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association.

For ISRM, he is the member of Commission on Testing Methods and Commission on Design Methodology. He has actively supported initiatives for education and cooperation with industry. He served as ISRM Vice-President for Asia from 2015 to 2019. 

Dr. Marc Ballouz, C.Eng, M.ASCE is the President of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). He is President, International IGM (Institute for Geotechnics Materials) and is specialized in Geotechnical Forensic engineering.  He has been part of more than 150 projects accomplished with Design Build Supervision in multiple countries and consultancy missions around the world (e.g., Turkey, KSA, Iraq, Qatar, Emirates, Afghanistan, Syria, Djibouti, Cameroon). His expertise is mainly in Shoring Deep Excavations, Deep Foundations (Vertical and Lateral Loading), Underpinning Micro-piling, Landslide Ground Stabilization, and Forensic Geotechnics. Dr. Ballouz has been very active with the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE).

He has served as the Vice Chair of the Innovation & Development Committee and as leader of the Society’s Public Relations Committee. He served on the ISSMGE Board from 2009-2017.

Prof. Vassilis Marinos is the 2023 – 2026 is President of the International Association of Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG). He is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Geology and Rock Mechanics at the National Technical University of Athens, School of Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Division, while he had been in the past an Associate Professor of Engineering Geology at the School of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2010-2020).

He was born in 1976 in Athens, Greece. He holds a Doctoral Degree from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), School of Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Division, an MSc in Engineering Geology with Distinction from Imperial College and a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of Athens (1st in graduation list).

He has published more than 100 papers in international journals, book chapters and international conferences. His research interests are in the field of the geotechnical classification and behaviour of weak and complex rock masses in tunnelling, landslide hazard and risk analysis, natural gas pipelines, construction of geotechnical database for tunnels and urban environments, rock slope stability and evaluation and analysis of ground movement in mines. His professional experience involves consulting services for numerous highway projects, tunnelling, rockfall and landslide analysis, geohazards correlated to natural gas pipelines but also engineering geological work in the field such as mapping, geo-engineering models, geotechnical classification, geotechnical evaluation of ground investigation programs, geo-data processing, design of engineering structures in rock.

The evidence of esteem and external visibility of Vassilis Marinos are more than 2100 citations of his research work in international journals and international conferences, while his research results are included in guidelines of major projects in the industry and in geotechnical software. He has delivered numerous keynotes and lectures in conferences, Universities and companies around the world.

He has been a member of numerous professional and scientific bodies such as ISRM, ISSMGE, ITA, a member of the editorial boards of the scientific journals “Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment” and “Journal of Geotechnical and Geological Engineering” as well as a reviewer for numerous journals, such as “Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering”, “Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences”, “Engineering Geology”, “Journal of Geotechnical and Geological Engineering” and “Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology” and others.

Sam R. Allen is the President of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), 2022 – 2026. 

Mr. Allen is the Director of the TRI Environmental Group (TRI), a globally active, independent geosynthetic laboratory and research services provider. His work over the past 35 years has involved significant interaction with public and private entities around the world giving him a strong understanding of the needs in world regions for geosynthetics, infrastructure, and sustainability.

Mr. Allen volunteers time to numerous industry-growing organizations. He has served as the Executive Chair of ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics and currently serves as the group’s Membership Secretary. He is the current WG 5 Convenor on Geosynthetic Durability on ISO Technical Committee 221 on Geosynthetics. And, he has served on the Board of Advisors for the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) for 20+ years.

Importantly, Mr. Allen has been inspired by and dedicated himself to the IGS. He has been elected to the IGS Council (2006, 2010, co-opted 2014, elected 2018), chaired the Education Committee (2008 – 2010), co-chaired the Pan-American Activities Committee (2010), helped launch the Educate the Educators (EtE) program (Argentina – 2013, United States – 2015), and chaired the Communications Committee (2014 – present).

He has also led or contributed substantially to major communications endeavors, such as the Two for a Few series, expanding the IGS’s digital and social media presence, helping manage the rebuild of the IGS Digital Library and IGS website, and working on the Did You Know sustainability campaign.

Mr. Allen strongly believes that the IGS sits at the precipice of a new time of critically important messaging to permanently establish our materials and applications as absolutely necessary to sustainable development and environmental protection, while differentiating them from harmful single use and polluting plastics. Success will require education, awareness and trust from the users of our materials. These are all missions that Mr. Allen brings to his work with the IGS. He combines his scientific background with his passion for growing geosynthetics in engineering around the world.

Dr. Laura Carbone is a senior engineer at HUESKER Synthetic in Germany. She graduated with honours as an environmental engineer at the Mediterranea University of Reggio Calabria in Italy in 2010 and in 2014 she achieved a doctoral degree in geotechnical engineering through a joint supervision thesis between the University of Grenoble Alpes in France and the University of Reggio Calabria in Italy. In her research, she studied the interaction behaviour of geosynthetic – geosynthetic interfaces on slopes under static and seismic loading conditions.

She’s authored more than 30 scientific papers for peer journals, national and international conferences and holds two awards including the IGS Student Award 2012.

Since 2015, she has worked as a senior engineer at Huesker Synthetic in Germany, where she leads project designs in environmental engineering, with a special interest in landfill designs, slope stability and the remediation of contaminated sites. 

Dr. Laura Carbone is the IGS Secretary General (2022 – 2026). She has actively served the IGS for 10 years. She co-founded the IGS Young Members Committee in 2012, was elected an IGS Council member in 2020 and was the past Chair of the European Regional Activities Committee (2020-2022).

At the national level since 2015, she is a member of the German Geotechnical Society (DGGT) and of the German Section on Geosynthetics in Germany and a member of the Italian Geotechnical Society (AGI) and the IGS Italian Chapter (AGI-IGS) in Italy.

Em.Prof. Dr. ir. William Van Impe received his MSc and PhD degree in civil engineering at the Ghent University in Belgium where he has been professor of Geotechnics since 1982 and full professor since 1991. He has been also a full professor at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He has a more than 35 years long career in geotechnics.

He is a member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Overseas Sciences. He was elected Vice-President for Europe of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) in 1994, World President of ISSMGE in 2001 and the President of the umbrella society of the 3 geo-engineering sister societies FedIGS (Federation of the International Geo-Engineering Societies) in 2008. His main field of experience is deep foundations, ground improvement and soil parameter analysis, currently dealing mostly with crushable soils.

Prof. Van Impe is an emeritus professor since March 2011 but remains active as a consultant and as manager of AGE bvba.

Prof. Hehua Zhu is now the Distinguished Professor in Geotechnical Engineering of Tongji University, Changjiang Scholar Chair Professor of China, director of Engineering Research Center of Information Technology in Civil Engineering of the Ministry of Education of China. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Mining Engineering from Chongqing University, in 1983 and 1986 respectively, and his PhD was awarded in Structural Engineering, Tongji University in 1989. He did his postdoctoral research in Geo-Research Institute of Osaka and Kyoto University, Japan from 1993 to 1995, and was a visiting professor at Virginia Tech, USA from 2011 to 2012 and a Humboldt Researcher at Bauhaus Weimar University, Germany from 2016 to 2017. He is the chair of Joint Technical Committee 2 (JTC2) under FedIGS (2017-present); vice presidents of CSRM and Committee of Tunnel and Underground Engineering of CCES. He respectively established Chinese National Institute: Information Technology and Application in Geo-Engineering, a branch of CSRME in 2015. He created an International Journal “Underground Space”.

His research interests are in Rock Failure Mechanics and Numerical Methods in Geo-engineering, Whole Life-cycle Design Theory of Tunnel and Underground Engineering, Infrastructure Smart Service System (iS3) Construction, Fire Disaster Prevention and Reduction for Underground Space. He was awarded with Humboldt Research Prize in 2015 and the T.H.H. medal at ICCES’13 in 2013, two second national prizes of Science and Technology of China. He was also a winner of Excellent Contribution of the Eleventh Five-Year National Sci-Tech Plan from NMOST.

Professor Jean-Louis BRIAUD, holder of the Buchanan Chair in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University in the USA was elected President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). The election took place in Alexandria, Egypt on October 4, 2009. ISSMGE works much like the United Nations with one country one vote; 74 countries were present for the vote. The result of the vote was 56 to 18 and gave Briaud a very strong mandate to lead the society for the next 4 years.

Professor Briaud took office on Friday October 9th and will lead ISSMGE until the next International Conference which will be in Paris, France in 2013. In his acceptance speech, Briaud said that he looks forward to help many countries and many people from all sorts of background come together to exchange ideas and knowledge in a friendly atmosphere.

One of President Briaud’s first step is to reorganize the society in a more “customer oriented” fashion. Also at the top of his priorities is to raise money to help the representatives of the less fortunate countries to come to the conferences and to achieve things that are common expectations in wealthier countries. He and his wife Janet have pledged $10,000 to get the fund raising process started; contributors should contact Professor Briaud at briaud@tamu.edu for details.

Improving the technical content of the ISSMGE web site and developing Webinars are also on the To-Do list as well as increasing the number of practitioners and corporations which are members of ISSMGE. Three new board level committees will be created: a Technical Oversight Committee populated by some of the most well known professors in geotechnical engineering in the world, a Membership Committee populated by some of the most well known practitioners in the world, and an Innovation Committee populated by young geotechnical engineers with ideas, energy, and a daring attitude. The Innovation Committee will be the think tank of the society. The role of this committee will simply be to think and come up with new ideas which will invigorate the society and bring further excitement to being a member of ISSMGE.

Nielen van der Merwe was born in 1947. He obtained the B.Sc. in Mining Engineering at the University of Pretoria S. AFRICA (1972), the M.Sc. (Eng.) at the University of Witwatersrand S. AFRICA (1984), and the Ph.D. also at the University of Witwatersrand (1991).

He started his professional activity in 1972 at Gold Fields of SA Ltd., where he reached the position of Chief Rock Mechanics Engineer (1976-1978). From 1979 to 1984 he was engaged as Rock Mechanics Manager and Consultant on Rock Mechanics problems by Gencor Company (1979-1984). He was Founder of the Strata Control Department, Consultant to 5 mines on Rock Mechanics matters, and finally Manager on Scientific Technology Development at Sasol Coal Division (1984-1997). He acted as Managing Director at ITASCA Africa (PTY) Ltd (1997-1999), and from 1999 as Programme Manager on Rock Engineering at the CSIR Mining Technology. After six years as Professor and Head of the Mining Engineering Department at the University of Pretoria, he is now back on the private sector with his own consultant company.

Prof. van der Merwe has played an important role in the South African National Group on Rock Mechanics both as Member of the Executive Committee (1983 to date) and as President (1992-1996). In 1999 he became President of the South African National Institute of Rock Engineering – SANIRE. From 2003 he became President of the ISRM, after having acted as Vice President for Africa from 1995 to 1999.

He is Fellow of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, of SANIRE, and of the South African Colliery Managers Association. He is also a Fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering.

He is author of more than 40 technical papers and of two handbooks on practical Coal Mine Rock Engineering.