Edoardo Zannoni is a registered Professional Engineer and Chartered Engineer with a Master Degree in Civil Engineering in 2008 from Italy. He moved in South Africa in 2009 at Maccaferri Africa where he is now Head of Sales for South Africa.

He has experience in geotechnical and hydraulic engineering and he is a specialist in geosynthetic for soil reinforcements, basal reinforcements and ground improvements. He has gained a wide experience through projects in South Africa and other African countries including Mozambique, Egypt, Botswana, Namibia, DRC, Uganda and Kenya.

He joined GIGSA, the South African Chapter of the IGS in 2009 where he is the current Past President. Since 2012 he is council member in the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and African Activity Chair and since 2018 he is the IGS Secretary General.

He is actively involved in the developing of geosynthetic and geotechnical standards in the South African Bureau of Standards and he is member of the ISSMGE TC 218: Reinforced fill structures.

Edoardo is actively involved in publications regarding geosynthetics throughout South African engineering journals as well as international conferences.

Dr Russell Jones is a chartered civil engineer with nearly 30 years’ experience of research, design, and construction of civil and ground engineering projects.  He is currently Immediate Past President of the International Geosythetics Society and is a Director of Golder Associates (UK) Ltd. based in Nottingham, where he is involved in the technical direction, review and management of a range of ground engineering projects.  He has authored several research and development reports for the UK Environment Agency, including the guidance on landfill stability.  His current projects include a large integrated mine waste facility in challenging ground conditions in eastern Europe and large excavations for the UK’s first new nuclear power station for 30 years.  Dr Jones authored around 100 technical papers on various aspects of geotechnical and geosynthetics engineering in peer reviewed journals, symposia and conference proceedings. 

Luís Lamas obtained a BSc in Civil Engineering at the University of Lisbon (1981), a MSc in Engineering Rock Mechanics at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, UK (1986), and a PhD at the University of London, UK (1993).

In 1981 he joined the Portuguese National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC), where he worked at the Underground Construction Division. In 1994 he moved to Macau, China to work at the Macau Civil Engineering Laboratory (LECM), where his work consisted of geotechnical consultancy for several large projects. In 1997 he was appointed President of LECM and he kept this position until February 2003. He then returned to LNEC, where he is currently a Senior Researcher and Head of the Modelling and Rock Mechanics Unit.

Dr. Lamas is the Secretary General of the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) since 2003, and has contributed to the ISRM by participating in several Commissions and in the organizing committees of Eurock93 and of the 2007 ISRM Congress. From 2004 to 2008 he was Vice President of the Portuguese Geotechnical Society.

Dr. Lamas is the author of over 50 publications dealing mainly with rock engineering. He has been involved in studies for support to the design of large underground works, namely of hydroelectric schemes, in Portugal and abroad, including laboratory and field tests and numerical modelling. He is also engaged in monitoring and safety assessment of underground structures during construction and service life. His main research interests are in situ tests, hydromechanical behaviour of rock masses, stresses in rock masses, tunnelling in rock and dam foundations. He is currently the Convenor of CEN Task Group of rock engineering experts dealing with the revision of the Eurocode 7 on geotechnical design.

Eda Freitas de Quadros was born in Brazil. She graduated in Civil Engineering in 1967 from the University of Pernambuco. She obtained her M.Sc. and her Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences at Polytechnic School of the São Paulo University, in 1982 and 1992, respectively.

In the period 1968-74, she worked in the field of soil mechanics and foundation engineering. In 1975, she joined the Technological Research Institute of the State of São Paulo (IPT), Brazil, where she was Assistant Researcher, Official Researcher, Senior Researcher, Head of the Rock Mechanics and Rock Hydraulics Laboratory (1994-1996; 2006-2011) and Head of the Rock Engineering Dept. (1996-98). Since 1978 she worked in the Hydrogeotechnical Section, renamed in 1994 Laboratory of Rock Mechanics and Rock Hydraulics. During this period she worked in the development of equipment, methods and techniques to characterize flow in rock joints and rock masses based on laboratory and field researches, including the anisotropic permeability tensors in rock masses applied to dam and mine engineering. From 2003 to 2011 she was Manager for some advanced research and equipment development for long-term elevated temperature creep and hollow cylinder tests in salt rocks for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras. She was Coordinator of the Petrobras Inter-Laboratory Net (2007-2011), a joint research project with IPT for study of off-shore pre-salt cap rocks. From 2011 to present, Dr. Quadros is Technical Director of BGTech Soil and Rock Engineering, a brazilian consultancy company in rock mechanics testing and rock hydraulics, located in São Paulo, Brazil.

From 1982 August to 1984 January, she stayed at the LNEC in Lisbon, Portugal, for rock mechanics and rock hydraulics studies, having also visited some Universities and Laboratories in Europe. 

She has taught flow and rock mechanics in advanced courses at the IPT, short courses at Universities and Institutes in Brazil, as well as post-graduation lectures. She participated in several Ph.D. and M.Sc. thesis juries and she has supervised many students at IPT. She has taught short courses on Engineering and Flow in Rock Masses (in collaboration with Dr Nick Barton) in Australia, China (Hong Kong, and Taiwan), Portugal, and Singapore. 

Dr Quadros has been a Member of ABMS National Council (Brazilian Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering) and President of the Brazilian Committee for Rock Mechanics (1989-1991). Within the ISRM, Dr Quadros has been a member of the ISRM Technical Commission on Testing Methods since 1985 and was Vice-President for South America during the term 2003-2007.

For more than 40 years, Prof. Faquan Wu has long been engaged in the theory and application research of engineering geology and rock mechanics. Prof. Faquan Wu established the statistical rock mechanics theory, putting forward the structural statistical theory and parameter model of fractured rock mass, statistical fracture mechanics constitutive model, statistical fracture mechanics strength criterion and failure probability theory, as well as the hydraulic model of intermittent fracture network rock mass. All the models provided theoretical basis on feasible mechanical analysis of fractured rock mass. And Prof. Faquan Wu systematically summarized the engineering geological working procedures of high and steep rock mass slopes, offering the explanations to the cause especially the evolution of deep cracks on the left bank of high and steep rock mass slope of Jinping I Hydropower Station, which is the one of the top double-curvature arch dams in the world. Prof. Faquan Wu also further completed a series of stability analysis and evaluation of high and steep rock mass slope of medium-sized hydropower stations and reservoirs in the Lancang river Xiaowan, Dadu river Waterfall gully, Monkey Rock, Jinsha river Jin’an Bridge and other reservoirs. Impressed by the theoretical achievements and application examples of statistical rock mechanics theory, the Office of the Three Gorges Construction Commission of the State Council entrusted Prof. Faquan Wu to take the lead of the planning of the high-cut rock mass slope protection project in the Three Gorges Reservoir area. In 1997, Prof. Faquan Wu and his team were awarded 2nd prize of Science & Technology, Hubei province, China. In 2009, Prof. Faquan Wu and his team were awarded the 2nd prize of Science & Technology, Chinese State Council.

In promoting the discipline development, Prof. Faquan Wu tries his best to establish and promote IAEG Science and Technology Award, International Research Program since 2011. Under his initiative and full preparation for years, since 2017, a biennial Shaoxing International Forum, jointed by IAEG and ISRM, full-service supported by Shaoxing University, was hosted in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China. It is a brand new platform for IAEG and sister societies aiming to further grow influence on discipline development and engineer practice. In 2018, Prof. Faquan Wu proposed Shaoxing Announcement aiming at enhancing the communication and development of GeoTech Innovation globally.

In social reputation, Prof. Faquan Wu has been the president of IAEG China National Group since 2006, vice president of IAEG for Asia for 2007-2010 and Secretary General of IAEG for 2011-2014, 2015-2018 and 2019-2022 now. He has been devoting himself to promote the development of IAEG home and abroad for more than 14 years. Prof. Faquan Wu is the first IAEG member ever in history from China and Asia to serve the association as Secretary General. In 2020, Prof. Faquan Wu has been awarded the IAEG Hans Cloos Medal 2020 for his excellent contribution to the development of engineering geology.

Scott is a Professor Emeritus of Geology and Past-Chair of the Dept. of Geology at Portland State University where he just finished his 29th year of teaching. He was also Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at P.S.U. from 1997-1999. He has been teaching for 49 years, with past positions in Switzerland, New Zealand, Washington, Colorado and Louisiana. He is a 6th generation Oregonian who grew up in Beaverton and is very happy to be “home” after a 25 year hiatus! Scott specializes in environmental and engineering geology, geomorphology, soils, and Quaternary geology. In Oregon, he has projects involving landslides and land use, environmental cleanup of service stations, slope stability, earthquake hazard mapping, Missoula Floods, paleosols, loess soil stratigraphy, radon generation from soils, the distribution of heavy metals and trace elements in Oregon soils, alpine soil development, and the terroir of wine. He has been active in mapping landslides in the Pacific Northwest since his return to Portland. Scott has won many awards for outstanding teaching with the most significant being the Faculty Senate Chair Award at Louisiana Tech University in 1987, the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Portland State Alumni Association in 2001, and the George Hoffmann Award from PSU in 2007. He has authored over 100 publications and has had over 25 research grants. His first book, Environmental, Groundwater and Engineering Geology: Applications from Oregon, came out January of 1998. His second book, Cataclysms on the Columbia, the Great Missoula Floods came out in October of 2009 and is co-authored by Marjorie Burns, a friend and professor at PSU. Scott has been the president of the Faculty Senate at three different universities: Louisiana Tech University and the American College of Switzerland and Portland State University. He actively helps local TV and radio stations and newspapers bring important geological news to the public. For the past 48 years he has been studying wine and terroir – the relationship between wine, soils, geology and climate. 

His BS and MS degrees are from Stanford University in California, plus a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is has memberships in over 20 professional organizations and is most active in the International Association of Engineering Geologists and the Environment, Association of Engineering Geologists, Geological Society of America, National Association of Geology Teachers, and the Soil Science Society of America. He is past president of the Oregon Society of Soil Scientists and the Oregon Section of the Association of Engineering Geologists. He was national chair of the engineering geology division of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in 1999-2000. 

He was national president of the Association of Engineering Geologists from 2002-2003. He is now past president of the International Association of Engineering Geologists. He was chosen a fellow of the Geological Society of America in 2004. Scott was chosen a fellow with the Kellogg National Fellowship Program from 1990 – 1993 based on his national leadership performance. He was president of the Downtown Rotary Club of Portland, Oregon’s oldest and largest Rotary club in 2009. 

He has won some national awards in geology: distinguished practice award from the engineering geology division of GSA in 2012, the Richard Jahns Award for engineering geology (top engineering geologist in the U.S.) from GSA and AEG in 2011, the Shoemaker Award for Public Service to the US (GSA) in 2011, the Karl Terzaghi Award from AEG in 2015, the Robert Schuster Award for North America Outstanding Natural Hazards Research in 2018, and on the state level, the “Outstanding Scientist for Oregon for 2014” from the 74 year old Oregon Academy of Sciences. 

He has been active working with youth as a basketball coach. Scott enjoys all sports, especially basketball, running, skiing, hiking, swimming, tennis, and golf. He has been married for 44 years to Glenda, and they have three children: Lisa (41), Doug (37) and Tracy (4) and one grandson, Desmond (2) and one granddaughter, Gwendolyn. The Burns family lives in Tualatin, Oregon, USA

Neil Taylor graduated from Cambridge University in 1976 and later worked there as a researcher, earning his doctorate in 1984. He was appointed to a lectureship at City University London in 1984 where he promoted physical model testing research. He installed the Acutronic 661 geotechnical centrifuge in 1989 and has been active in initiating a wide range of centrifuge research projects. A key development in centrifuge testing has been to monitor deformation mechanisms. For this, he pioneered the use of digital image analysis techniques to measure ground movements in centrifuge models, which has become a standard technique used in centrifuge facilities around the world. Research has related to construction processes and has included studies of ground movements caused by tunnelling in layered ground, the use of minipiles as high load-capacity foundations, the use of heave-resisting piles to reduce ground movements near deep excavations, the performance of thrust blocks as a means of supporting deep basement walls, the interaction of piled foundations with existing tunnels and ground movement control using spiles placed from a tunnel heading.

He has published widely in international journals and conferences and has edited and contributed to a book on Geotechnical Centrifuge Technology. He was awarded a personal chair as Professor of Geotechnical Engineering in 1996. In addition to his academic career, he has maintained active links with industry and is an associate of the London based specialist geotechnical engineering consultancy firm Geotechnical Consulting Group.
 
Dr Taylor has served on the committee of the British Geotechnical Association, and has been the secretary of ISSMGE Technical Committee on Underground Construction in Soft Ground, and also a key member of the TC on Physical Modelling in Geotechnical Engineering. He was elected to the office of Secretary General of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering and took up the appointment after the Council Meeting in Amsterdam, June 1999.

Roger Frank was born in 1949 at Roslyn, New York (USA). He was then raised in the UK, in Switzerland and in France. He received his Diploma of Engineering from ‘Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées’ (ENPC, National School of Bridges and Highways of France) in 1972. Both his Doctor of Engineering degree (1974) and his Doctor of Science degree (1984) are from Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris. Roger Frank has devoted his entire professional career to the ‘Ponts et Chaussées’ (the French Highway Administration). He was first employed by ‘Laboratoire central des ponts et chaussées’ (LCPC), where he became Head of the Foundations Section in 1983, and Head of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division in 1990. From 1992 to 2003, he was the Director of CERMES (ENPC-LCPC), a teaching and research centre in soil mechanics. In 1997, Roger Frank was promoted to the rank of Professor in geotechnical engineering at ENPC.

The main field of expertise of Roger Frank is in situ testing and foundation engineering. He carries out theoretical and experimental research, as well as consulting work for civil engineering projects. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 papers in journals and conference proceedings, and he has delivered numerous invited lectures in many countries. From 1998 to 2004, he was the Chairman of the European committee in charge of Eurocode 7 on ‘Geotechnical design’. He was the Vice-President for Europe of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) for the period 2005 to 2009, an appointed member on the Board of ISSMGE for the period 2009 to 2013 and he was the President of ISSMGE for the period 2013-2017.

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.

With more than 35 years of academic experience to his credit, Dr. Azzam has been recognized as a professor emeritus with RWTH Aachen University since 2017. Prior to this appointment, he was the president of the German National Association of engineering geology from 2009 to 2017, the vice president of the International Association of Engineering Geology (IAEG) from 2015 to 2018, the head of the Department of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology at RWTH Aachen University from 2002 to 2017, and as professor for RWTH Aachen University from 2002 to 2017. Previously, he served the Department of Engineering Geology and Environmental Geotechnics at TU Bergakademie Freiberg as a professor and department head from 1993 to 2002. Dr. Azzam began his career at RWTH Aachen University as a senior lecturer from 1987 to 1992 and as research assistant from 1980 to 1984.

Before embarking on his professional path, Dr. Azzam pursued an education at RWTH Aachen University, earning a Diploma in Geology in 1978. He would conclude his studies at the same academic establishment in 1984, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy, summa cum laude. Following these accomplishments, Dr. Azzam was presented with an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Shanghai University of Science and Technology. During his academic carrier, he published more than 220 scientific articles and supervised more than 60 PhD students.

Beyond his efforts within the field, Dr. Azzam has contributed to numerous endeavors outside of his professional circles. A consultant-in-field of environmental Geotechnics, and member of the executive on the board of directors for the German Association of Geotechnics and on the board of directors on the Interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence for Brownfields (CiF). Dr. Azzam has also found much success with his written works, having edited “Mitteilungen zur Ingenieugeologie und Hydrogeologie” in 2004, authored “Stofftransportprozesse in natürlichen Dichtungsstoffen unter Berücksichtigung der Verdichtbarkeit sowie des Einflusses strukturverändernder Chemikalien auf die Materialeigenschaften,” and contributed over 200 articles and reviews to professional journals.

In addition to his primary trade, Dr. Azzam remains affiliated with various organizations in relation to his areas of expertise. He has been, besides being on the executive board for the German Association for Geotechnical Engineering, member of the DIN Standards Committee for Building and Civil Engineering, as well as the India Delegate for RWTH Aachen University, an audit member for ASIIN, and a reviewer for the German Research Foundation. He has also been associated with the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability as founder and coordinator. Dr. Azzam has also held the role of adviser for the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Greek Ministry of Research and Technology, the Research Council of Norway, the Austrian Foundation for Advancement in Scientific Research, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In light of his exceptional undertakings, Dr. Azzam has accrued several accolades and honors throughout his impressive career. From 1985 to 1987, he was recognized as a Research Fellow with James Cook University. Dr. Azzam has also received an Award for Thousand Talent Foreign Experts from the Government of Shejiang Province in 2015 and from the National Government in the People’s Republic of China in 2017, the Prize of the German Government and Industry in 2009, and the Borchers Medaille from RWTH Aachen University in 1984.