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Invited Lecture:
Harnessing Pakistan’s Hydropower Potential: The Critical Role of Engineering Geology in the Northern Areas
Prof. Dr. Mian Sohail Akram is an experienced academic in applied geo-sciences with a robust career trajectory at the University of the Punjab. After starting as a Lecturer in 2005, he steadily progressed through the ranks to become a full Professor. He earned his doctoral degree in Geomechanics from UNSW, Australia, and specializes in areas like rock and soil mechanics, geomechanics, and geohydrology.
Invited Lecture:
Resilient Tunnelling in the Himalayas: Lessons from Recent Projects
Dr. Manoj Verman is a senior engineering geologist with extensive experience in rock mechanics, tunneling, slope stability, and underground excavation. He obtained his Ph.D. in Rock Mechanics from the University of Roorkee (now IIT Roorkee) and has over four decades of academic, research, and consultancy expertise in India and abroad. Dr. Verman has worked on hydropower, mining, and infrastructure projects, contributing significantly to rock engineering design and problem-solving. He is a past President of the Indian National Group of the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) and has published widely in international journals, conferences, and technical forums.
Invited Lecture:
Quantitative Debris Flow-Induced Vulnerability Assessment
Prof. Yun-Tae Kim, as a professor at Pukyong National University, specializes in landslide hazard and risk assessment. His research focuses on the development of susceptibility and vulnerability models that integrate hazard-level rainfall thresholds, seismic triggers, and building structural types. He is actively involved in advancing quantitative approaches for disaster risk reduction and resilient infrastructure planning in mountainous and urban fringe regions.
Keynote:
On the Catchment Sedimentation and Landslides Induced by 1999 Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake
Prof. Dr. Keh-Jian (Albert) Shou is Vice President for Asia of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). A distinguished scholar in geotechnical engineering, he has led pioneering research and major infrastructure projects, contributed extensively to education, and promoted international collaboration in soil and rock engineering.
Invited Lecture:
Deep Excavation in Urban Areas: Design and Construction Challenges
Dr. Shahab Yasrebi is a distinguished geotechnical consultant and engineer with over 37 years of international experience in underground infrastructure, deep excavations, ground improvement, and geotechnical site investigations. Renowned for his leadership in complex urban tunneling projects and expertise in the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), he has contributed extensively to the field through more than 250 technical publications and numerous keynote presentations at global conferences. Holding a PhD in Civil Engineering, Dr. Yasrebi has combined academic excellence with practical project management, serving in prominent roles across industry and academia, and remains an active member of leading international geotechnical and tunneling associations.
Keynote:
Glacier instabilities identification and monitoring: Case Studies in the Alps
Dr. Daniele Giordan is a Senior Researcher at the Italian National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (IRPI). He leads the GeoHazard Monitoring Group and serves as Chairman of IAEG Commission C35 on Monitoring Methods and Approaches in Engineering Geology Applications. Dr. Giordan’s research focuses on innovative monitoring techniques for landslides and other geohazards. He is a recognized expert in remote sensing and geotechnical instrumentation. He is also a member of the editorial boards of Engineering Geology, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, and Remote Sensing, contributing significantly to scientific advancements in engineering geology.
Keynote:
Role of DMG in Advancing Engineering Geological Sciences in Nepal
Mr. Dinesh Kumar Napit is the Director General of the Department of Mines and Geology (DMG), Government of Nepal. With over two decades of professional experience, he has held several key positions within DMG, including Deputy Director General (Spokesperson) and Project Chief of the Petroleum Exploration Promotion Project. He has contributed significantly to Nepal’s mineral exploration, petroleum promotion, and geoscience-based resource management. Mr. Napit is also active in professional societies, serving as General Secretary of the Nepal Geological Society (2013–2015). His leadership focuses on strengthening geological research, sustainable resource utilization, and policy development in Nepal’s mineral and energy sectors.
Keynote:
The evolution of remote sensing for the regional characterization of and response to geohazards and extreme events
Dr. Scott Anderson is a Senior Principal Geotechnical Engineer at BGC Engineering, a former member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering, a Steering Committee member of the National Science Foundation Geotechnical Extreme Event Reconnaissance Association, a former leader of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, and a former professor at the University of Hawaii. He is a recipient of the Burwell award from the Geological Society of America and a Jahns Lecturer for the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists. He’s an active innovator with ASCE and has published more than 100 papers.
Invited Lecture:
Enhancing liquefaction hazard forecasting on regional scale
Dr. George Papathanassiou is working as Associate Professor of Engineering Geology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Geology, while he had been in the past an Assistant Professor of Engineering Geology at the Department of Civil Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace. His expertise includes liquefaction and ground failure, rockfall and landslide analysis, geohazards, earthquake engineering geology, post-event reconnaissance and use of LiDar and UAV for rockfall-landslide hazard and monitoring. He has published more than 90 papers in international journals, book chapters and international conferences. His work was cited in more than 700 published articles.
Keynote:
Erosion and Mass Wasting Processes in Post-Wildfire Mountainous Terrains: Impacts and Challenges
Prof. Dr. Tümay Kadakci Koca is an Associate Professor at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Turkey, teaching Engineering Geology, Rock Mechanics, and Slope Stability and Landslides. She serves as a board member of the Turkish National Group of IAEG and a committee member of the IAEG Young Engineering Geologists group. With over a decade of experience, she has contributed to projects on slope stability, remedial measures in open-pit mining and construction areas, and geohazard assessment. Her current research focuses on the conditioning effect of wildfire on geohazards. She actively mentors young geoscientists through teaching and international collaboration.