BGA Annual Conference 2025 and AGM

Lyesse Laloui

Lyesse Laloui is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL) where he directs the Laboratory for Soil Mechanics. Prof. Laloui’s international recognition is solidified by two honoris causae (Heriot-Watt University, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca) in recognition of his sustainability leadership.

Prof. Laloui holds influential positions within the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences and Academia Europaea, and serves as European Vice President for the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. As Director for Europe of the International Associated Research Centers for the Urban Underground Space, he advances global efforts in sustainable urban development.

As founder and Honorary Editor-in-Chief of Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, Prof. Laloui shapes the field’s discourse. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Interpore Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lectureship Award (2026), ASCE Kersten Lecture (2020), Vienna Terzaghi Lecture (2022), the DFI John Mitchell Lecture (2025).

Christian Moormann

Christian Moormann is a full professor and head of the Institute of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Stuttgart.

He earned his Diploma in civil engineering from the University of Hannover (Germany) and received his Ph.D. and Habilitation from the Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany).

Prof Moormann has been involved in geotechnical research, consulting and education for over 25 years providing solutions to a wide range of geotechnical research projects and tasks, including physical and numerical modelling, resilience, renewable energy, underground structures and deep foundations. 

As authorised and certified court expert advisor and owner of Moormann Geotechnical Consult (MGC) he has been responsible for 1,000+ projects in civil, geotechnical and environmental engineering in more than 40 countries worldwide.

He is a management group member of SC7 drafting the next generation of Eurocode 7 and leads the project team for the new Part 3 ´Geotechnical Structures´. Since 2022 Prof. Moormann is serving as president of the German Geotechnical Society (DGGT).

Mingliang (Carter) Zhou

Dr. Mingliang Zhou is an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean at the College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, China.

He holds international roles, including Vice General Secretary of the International Joint Research Centre for Resilient Infrastructure (ICRI) and membership in ISSMGE Technical Committees TC309 and TC222.

Dr. Zhou earned his BA, MEng, and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Cambridge, UK. His research focuses on enhancing the resilience of underground infrastructure through advanced intelligent construction technologies, emphasizing safety management and disaster mitigation strategies for subsea tunnels.

His innovative research has been applied in major infrastructure projects such as the Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Second Subsea Tunnel and the China-Laos Railway.

He has authored more than 80 journal and conference papers and co-authored the book “AI-enhanced Safety Evaluation for Tunnelling in Rock Engineering”. His industry-linked research has received recognition through awards such as the ISSMGE Bright Spark Lecture Award, ITA Product Innovation Award, and the Gold Medal at the Geneva International Invention Exhibition

Qian Yu

Dr. Yu Qian is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Structural Engineering from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, a Master’s degree with honors in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Kansas, and another Master’s degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Qian’s research centers on intelligent transportation infrastructure and transportation geotechnics, with a strong emphasis on ensuring the safety, resilience, and longevity of critical civil infrastructure systems.

His interdisciplinary work integrates advanced technologies such as computer vision, image analysis, artificial intelligence, and edge computing to support the design, inspection, monitoring, and maintenance of key infrastructure assets.

His research contributes to the development of smarter, more sustainable infrastructure systems that align with the evolving demands of modern transportation networks.

Derek Smith

Derek has more than 38 years’ experience in geotechnical engineering, providing advice to clients on a wide range of geotechnical and geoenvironmental projects.  He joined Coffey as a Senior Geotechnical Engineer in 1995, becoming Managing Director in October 2022.

He has been particularly active with various professional bodies, including serving on the BGA Executive Committee for many years, acting on behalf of IOM3 in developing the RoGEP scheme, managing the drafting of the 2nd edition of the SISG series and being Secretary to the Organising Committee of the very successful XVI ECSMGE 2015 in Edinburgh.

Elliot Broad

Elliot is a Project Manager at Keltbray with over six years of experience in the construction industry, including demolition, piling, groundworks, substructures, and superstructure works.

He joined Keltbray as a Graduate Engineer through the Graduate Programme and has held roles as an Estimator and Project Engineer before progressing to Project Manager. Elliot has delivered projects across various sectors in the UK, including infrastructure, coastal, and commercial developments.

Notably, he has successfully managed high-profile basement projects in London such as the Salisbury Square Development, building strong relationships with project and client teams to deliver safe, high-quality outcomes. Elliot also leads the Moving Plant ‘Big 6’ initiative as part of the Keltbray Promote Health, Prevent Harm (PH2) strategy.

Elliot thrives on the daily challenges presented by Keltbray’s multi-disciplinary projects, particularly those focused on delivering complex solutions for decarbonising the built environment.

Stuart Vaughan

As a Graduate Engineer Stuart worked on the Jubilee Line Extension at London Bridge, constructing running tunnels, station tunnels, shafts and escalators using NATM, pre-cast concrete and SGI linings.

This was an amazing first experience of geotechnical engineering and the delivery of critical infrastructure. After 15 years working numerous projects, Stuart joined Wentworth House Partnership as a Director.

WHP has grown into a sizable and respected geotechnical engineering and temporary works consultancy delivering efficient solutions to clients.

Stuart has worked on many complex basements and below ground structures over the years including Thames Tideway East, 1 Bishopsgate Plaza, 22 Bishopsgate, The Shard, Crossrail basements at Farringdon and Paddington, and numerous HS2 contracts providing engineering support.

Stuart now leads the WHP team of in excess of 70 diverse staff including trainees and apprentices meeting the needs of clients today and developing engineering skills and capability for the future.

Charlotte Woodall-Jones

Charlotte has over 20 years’ experience in Ground Engineering leading and managing geotechnical delivery from optioneering and feasibility studies through design and construction.

Passionate about managing ground risk throughout the project lifecycle, Charlotte has a breadth of multi-sector project experience.

She is a Chartered UK Registered Ground Engineering Professional driven to blend the skillsets of Engineering Geologists and Geotechnical Engineers.  At SYSTRA she leads a team empowered to use innovative thinking and a breadth of skills to find the best constructible solutions whilst managing ground risk.

Having started her career as a geology graduate inspired by Dr Brian Hawkins to pursue a career in Engineering Geology, Charlotte now holds a UK Wide Senior Leadership position.

Her own journey through a male-dominated arena inspires her to champion and seek out diversity, and to empower her team to understand their own barriers to progression, development, and delivery irrespective of grade and experience.

Dr Jessie Davey

Jessie has 20 years’ global experience in Ground Engineering, focusing on geological inputs to refine engineering design and risk.

After obtaining a PhD from the University of Adelaide and the Australian School of Petroleum in Geomechanics, Jessie moved into mining and energy in Australasia, focusing on the development of ground models to solve structural geological complexities. 

Her primary focus for this has been integrating geophysical interpretation with geological validation, mineralogy, and structural geology to enhance ground models.

Over her career, Jessie has developed a passion for creative solutions to engineering challenges, firmly believing that the answer comes from the geology.  This has been pivotal in her role at SYSTRA, where Jessie has led a project team dedicated to achieving client-driven sustainable targets through creative engineering.

Palak Shukla

Palak Shukla is the co-chair of the BGA's Early Careers Group and is a design engineer at Ramboll. Prior to this, she completed a PhD at University College London. She has been involved in the BGA ECG since 2020.

Fleur Loveridge

Stefano Quintavalle

Stefano is a London based civil engineer. He enjoys working on challenging engineering projects.

Jeff Mahony

Jeff Mahony has over 23 years’ experience on major civils, with the last 7 years’ experience on rail featuring management of permanent & temporary works design and delivery. He also has experience on highways, water & wastewater and low-level buildings. He is a Chartered Engineer for over 12 years and a Fellow of Engineers Ireland.

Federico Lattuada

Federico Lattuada holds an MEng in Civil Engineering from Imperial College London and a PhD in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, where he investigated frost heave behaviour by designing and developing an innovative frost heave apparatus equipped with computer vision capabilities.

Alexander Swallow

Alexander Swallow is a fourth-year PhD student at the University of Oxford, where he is researching ways to reduce carbon emissions in underground construction, with a focus on microtunnelling and open caisson shafts. His work spans advanced laboratory modelling, case studies, and numerical simulations to enhance design, reduce material use, and optimise construction methods. Alexander’s research has been published in leading journals, including Géotechnique and the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.

Before his PhD, Alexander worked as a design and site engineer with Ward & Burke Construction for one year, gaining valuable experience in geotechnical and structural design, project management, and site operations. He holds an MEng in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford.

Niall Corney

Niall has over three decades of global experience in geotechnical engineering and civil infrastructure having worked for consultants, contractors, and manufacturers on major projects across the UK, Hong Kong, North America, Europe, and Turkey. His project design experience crosses a number of sectors, including airports, high-speed rail, highways, ports, flood protection, and water infrastructure. He has a deep understanding of the civil engineering industry and, in particular, a strong background in geosynthetics and the provision of specialist design services within the ground engineering sector.  
 
Niall holds a BEng. in Civil Engineering from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh and he is affiliated with several professional organisations, including the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IMMM), the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the British Geotechnical Association (BGA), and the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). 

Loretta von der Tann

Loretta von der Tann is a Research Manager at CIRIA who brings together technical skills and industry experience with an awareness of the wider industry needs and research priorities. She has a background in geotechnical engineering and holds a PhD in civil engineering. Her thesis focused on systems thinking for planning the urban subsurface. Before joining CIRIA, Loretta worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, focusing on sustainability in geotechnics. At CIRIA, Loretta is leading the construction and asset management theme that includes the long history of CIRIA producing guidance on geotechnical topics.

Dr Sam Divall

Dr Divall is a Senior Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering within the Department of Engineering within the School of Science & Technology at City, St George’s, University of London. Dr Divall has published papers mostly in the area of the ground’s response to construction in a congested underground space.

He is a Chartered Civil Engineer with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). He is also an invited member of the ISSMGE Technical Committee for Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (TC104) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Dr Divall is Chair of the Consortium for Research into Congested Underground Space (CoRCUS), Director of the Civil Engineering Laboratory and Giant Shear Box facility, and Director of the Research Group into Transforming Urban Environments (TrUE).

Dr Kevin Briggs