Joel Smethurst,
Professor of Geotechnical Infrastructure,
University of Southampton
Short Bio: Joel Smethurst is Professor of Geotechnical Infrastructure at the University of Southampton, where he also serves as Director of Programmes for Civil Engineering. His research focuses on the long-term performance, aging, and failure of geotechnical structures, including transport earthworks (embankments and cuttings), flood levees, retaining walls, and deep basement systems. Joel has also contributed to the study of large natural landslides as well as embankments. With a background in both research and academic leadership, he is committed to ensuring that critical geotechnical infrastructure continues to serve society reliably as it ages.
Jonathan Knappett,
Professor of Civil Engineering,
University of Dundee
Short Bio: Jonathan Knappett is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Dundee, where he has been a faculty member since 2006 following MEng and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on earthquake engineering, nature-based and low-carbon solutions in civil engineering, climate change adaptation of infrastructure, and offshore geotechnics for marine renewable energy. He has led projects from UK, European, and international sources, and has received several awards, including the British Geotechnical Association Medal and the ISSMGE TC203 Young Researcher Award.
Hubert Savenije,
Emeritus Professor of Hydrology,
Delft University of Technology
Short Bio: Hubert Savenije is Emeritus Professor of Hydrology at Delft University of Technology, with over 300 publications in hydrology, estuarine hydraulics, and water resources management. He has worked extensively across Africa, Asia, and South America. Author of Salinity and Tides in Alluvial Estuaries, he has held leadership roles including President of IAHS and chief editor of HESS. His numerous honors include the Henry Darcy Medal, the Alexander von Humboldt Medal, and the Dooge Medal, recognizing his groundbreaking work on the hydrological cycle and ecosystem-based hydrology.
Jean Vaunat,
Professor of Geotechnics,
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Short Bio: Jean Vaunat is Professor of Modelling in geoengineering, Foundations and earth retaining structures and Soil mechanics at BarcelonaTECH, belonging to the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering, within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya at Barcelona, Spain.
His research activity covers the multiphysics behavior of geomaterials in both saturated and partially saturated conditions from the element scale to the field, with combined theoretical, experimental and numerical approaches. He is co-author of more than 100 scientific publications.
Heleni Pantelidou,
Associate Director Infrastructure,
Arup, London
Short Bio: Heleni Pantelidou is a civil, geotechnical engineer with a keen interest in low carbon infrastructure and sustainable development. She obtained a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering at City University in London. She works as a designer and works extensively with external research and client bodies and has supervised a number of research projects with academia. For over 20 years she has worked on a multitude of projects with a vast range of challenges, solutions and experience: from traditional big infrastructure to innovative, soft engineering design.
