Autor: Rafig Azzam

Professor Sijing Wang is an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering (since 1995), he is also a professor of engineering geology at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGGCAS). He obtained his Ph D degree at Moscow State University of Geological Exploration. His main research interests include Engineering geology of tunnels, slopes and dams and other engineering projects; dynamic stability of rock slopes due to blasting and seismic loading. He won the Hans Cloos Medal of the IAEG, Palmes Academiques of France, the First Prize of Scientific or Technical Award of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Third Prize of National Natural Science Award. He has published various papers, and he’s the main author and the co-editor-in-chief of various monographs including Stability analysis for underground construction, Chinese journal of engineering geology and so on. Professor Runqiu Huang is the ministerof the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Central Committee and Vice Chairman of Jiu San Society. He has obtained Ph D degree in Engineering Geology, Department of Hydrology at Chengdu Institute of Geology (now the Chengdu University of Technology). His main research interests include mechanism of large-scale rockslides, stability of high rock slopes, monitoring and early-warning of landslides. He presided over more than 40 national projects related to the evaluation of major engineering geological problems, and  prevention and control of major geological disaster, including the Three Gorges Project at Yangtze River, Xiluodu and Baihetan Hydropower stations at Jinsha River, Zipingpu Hydropower stations at Min River, Typical landslide prevention and control in Xuanhan, Danba of Sichuan Province,  and so on. Professor Rafig Azzam is the Chairperson of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, the president of International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment.  His main research interests include Remediation and management of brownfields, Risk prognosis and Environment geotechnics. During his academic carrier, he published more than 220 scientific articles and supervised more than 60 Ph D students. Professor 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 light of his exceptional undertakings, Professor Azzam has accrued several accolades and honors throughout his impressive career. He won the Borchers Medaille from RWTH Aachen University in 1984. From 1985 to 1987, he was recognized as a Research Fellow with James Cook University. He won the Prize of the German Government and Industry in 2009. Professor 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.   Vassilis Marinos is President of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG) for the period 2023 – 2026. He is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Geology and Rock Mechanics at the National Technical University of Athens, School of Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Division. 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 congresses. 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, geoengineering models, geotechnical classification, geotechnical evaluation of ground investigation programs, geo-data processing, design of engineering structures in rock. 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.