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.

Dr Charles Wang-wai Ng is currently the CLP Holdings Professor of Sustainability, Chair Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Associate Vice-President for Research and Development at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He is the President of International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (2017-2021).

Professor Ng earned his PhD degree from the University of Bristol, UK in 1993. After carrying out a period of post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge between 1993 and 1995, he returned to Hong Kong and joined HKUST as Assistant Professor in 1995 and rose through the ranks to become Chair Professor in 2011. Professor Ng was elected an Overseas Fellow by Churchill College, the University of Cambridge, a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, and a Changjiang Scholar (Chair Professorship in Geotechnical Engineering). He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK), the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.

He has received many awards including the 2018 Hong Kong Institution of Engineers best Geotechnical Paper Award, the 2017 Telford Premium Prize for best paper from the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Henry Adams Award from the Institution of Structural Engineers (UK), the first Tan Swan Beng Award from the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society, and the R. M. Quigley Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society three times for his three best papers published in 2007, 2012 & 2016. He was conferred the Mao Yisheng Youth Award by the Chinese Institute of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering for his significant contributions in Geotechnical Engineering over the years. He was one of the recipients of the 2nd Prize of 2015 Scientific Technological Advancement Award by the State of China.

Professor Ng has supervised 56 PhD and 50 MPhil local and international students to graduation and mentored dozens of postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars. He has published some 350 SCI journal articles and 300 conference papers. He is the main author of three reference books: (i) Soil-structure Engineering of Deep Foundations, Excavations and Tunnels by Thomas Telford, (ii) Advanced Unsaturated Soil Mechanics and Engineering, and (iii) Plant-Soil slope Interaction by Taylor & Francis. Professor Ng has been invited to deliver more than some 80 state-of-the-art reports and keynote lectures in six continents worldwide.

Professor Chungsik Yoo is currently Professor of Civil, Architectural Engineering and Landscape Architecture at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Korea. He is the President of International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). Professor Yoo obtained his MSc and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in 1989 and 1993, respectively. After briefly working at Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers in USA as a Geotechnical Engineer, he returned to Korea and joined SKKU as Assistant Professor in 1994. Since then, Professor Yoo is continuing to serve as a professor at SKKU, and has served as Chair Professor of School of Civil and Architectural Engineering from 2014 to 2016 and as Vice Dean of College of Engineering from 2017 to 2018. Professor Yoo has co-authored over 400 technical papers, including SCI journal papers and conference papers, in geotechnical engineering and tunneling based on laboratory testing, numerical modeling, and field testing. He was a recipient of 2010 IGS Award from the International Geosynthetic Society (IGS). Professor Yoo also received many awards from the Korean Civil Engineering Society, Korean Geotechnical Society, Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, and Korean Geosynthetics Society including the Best Scientific and Engineering Paper Award from the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies in 2014. Currently, he is a Co-Editor in Chief of Geotextiles and Geomembranes and an Associate Editor of Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, Soils and Foundations. He is also an Editorial Board Member of Geosynthetics International and Computers and Geotechnics.

Prof. Xia-Ting Feng received his PhD at Northeastern University of Technology (namely Northeastern University since 1992), China in 1992 and then took the position of lecturer, associate professor and professor at the same university. He joined the Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 1998 as a Professor of Hundred Talent Program of the CAS and as Deputy Director in Charge and Director in 2001-2005. He has worked as Director of State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering 2007-2018. He works at Northeastern University, China as a Vice President since September 2017. In 2019, Prof. Feng was elected as a member of Chinese Academy of Engineering.

He is President of Federation of International Geo-engineering Societies – FedIGS, President of ISRM Commission on Design Methodology, member of ISRM Commission on Testing Methods, and President of Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering (CSRME). He is also Editor-in-Chief of Chinese Journal of Rock Mechanics and Engineering, Associate Editor-in-Chief of Chinese Journal of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Associate Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (JRMGE), and a member of Editorial Board of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (2010-present). He was the past President of International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) 2011-2015.

His research interests cover rock mechanics for deep rock engineering, intelligent rock mechanics, rock engineering design, and rockbursts. He published more than 170 technical papers and the English book “Rock Engineering Design” and “Rock Engineering Risk” with Professor John Hudson. He has edited five volumes of the book “Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering“ (CRC Press) and the book “Rockburst: ” published by Elsevier.