Tatsuoka Symposium

Bio of Keynote Speakers

[introduction from 2000 Burmister lecture]
Prof. Fumio Tatsuoka is the Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Tokyo. His major contributions in geotechnical research include, soil dynamics, laboratory stress-strain testing, soil and rock behavior, soil constitutive modeling, geosynthetics, reinforced soil structures, among others. He is the author of numerous technical papers and monographs, including several state-of-the-art and keynote papers. He was awarded the best paper award for young researchers (1974), the best paper award (1986) and the best technical contribution award (1994) from the Japanese Geotechnical Society; the 1994 IGS award the 1995 best paper award form the Japanese Society for Civil Engineers; the best paper award of Ground Improvement Journal (1997) from ISSMFE, the 1996 and 2000 Hogentogler Award from ASTM and the 1996-1997 Mercer Lectureship from ISSMFE. He served as the Editor in Chief; Soils and Foundations from 1993 to 1999. He is currently the editorial board member for Geotechnical Testing Journal, ASTM, Geotextiles and Geomembranes, IGS, Geosynthetics International, IGS and Ground Improvement, ISSMFE Chairman of TC 29 on Laboratory Stress-Strain Testing Method, ISSMGE, and Council member of IGS. Prof. Tatsuoka served as an engineering consultant to numerous governmental committees and construction projects, including the Akashi Strait Bridge Project and Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway Project.

Prof. Satoru Shibuya	Prof. Shibuya is a profesor of Geotechnical Engineering in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Kobe University. He graduated with a master's degree from Kobe University in 1981 and a Ph.D. from the Imperial College, London University in 1985. From 1985 to 1987, he was a research assistant at the Imperial College. He became the Research Associate at the University of Tokyo in 1988 until he joined Hokkaido University in 1991. Meanwhile, he obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Tokyo in 2001. In the period 1996-1998, he served as an associate professor at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. He has been at Kobe University since 2003. His interests are in the field of soil testing, geotechnical site characetrization, modeling the mechnaical behavior of geomaterials, and ground improvement. He is the secretary of TC29 of the ISSMGE and serves as an editorial board members for several journals: Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, Soils and Foundations, Geotechnical Engineering Journal of the South East Asian Geotechnical Society.
Prof. Diego C.F. Lo Presti	Prof. Lo Presti obtained his Ph. D. in Geotechnical Engineering (1987) at the Politecnico di Torino (Tutor M. Jamiolkowski); Master of Science in Civil Engineering (1975) at the Politecnico di Torino (Tutor M. Jamiolkowski). Since 2004 he is Associate Professor at the University of Pisa. Formerly he was Associate Professor at the II Faculty of Engineering of the Politecnico di Torino (Italy). <>He authored more than 100 papers. His research interests include experimental soil mechanics, geotechnical earthquake engineering. He is a core member of the Technical Committee No. 29 (Stress-Strain Testing of Geomaterials in the Laboratory) of the International Society of SMGE since 1994. On February 1999 he was appointed by the Tuscany Regional Government member of a Research Committee for the seismic microzonantion of Tuscany (Italy). He is also a core Member of European Technical Committee No 12 (Application of Eurocode 8 on the design in seismic areas) of SMGE since 2003.
Professor Hervé DI BENEDETTO	Professor Hervé DI BENEDETTO received his Diploma of Civil Engineer from the "Ecole Nationale des TPE" in 1979. He is Doctor of Engineering in Soil Mechanics (1981) and "Docteur ès-Sciences" (1987), both from the University of Grenoble. He is Professor at the "Ecole Nationale des TPE", Director, from 1992 to 2005, of the Department of Civil Engineering and Buildings (DGCB), which is a Research Unit associated to the French National Centre of Scientific Researches (URA CNRS N°1652). In 2005 the DGCB has 80 members including 24 research and teaching staff members and 35 PhD students. He teaches in the fields of soil mechanics and rheology of geomaterials. His research focuses on the study of mechanical and thermo-mechanical behaviour of geomaterials, including experimental and modelling aspects. He is working in the fields of road engineering and soils mechanics. He has been the supervisor of more than 25 PhD students and of a large volume of research works in collaboration with various private and public partners. He is the author of more than 150 publications and is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal “Road Materials and Pavement Design” (http://rmpd.revuesonline.com).
Prof. Dov Leshchinsky	Prof. Leshchinsky obtained his Bachelor's and master's degrees from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He has been a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Delaware for more than 23 years. Prior to joining the faculty in Delaware, he worked as a geotechnical engineer with the Association of American Railroads in Chicago. At the University of Delaware he has conducted research in slope stability engineering, soil reinforcing, geosynthetics and dredge materials. The National Science Foundation, US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Highway Administration and Private industries have sponsored various research projects he has conducted. His main research thrust interfaces between theories and its application to practice. Much of his work has focused on comprehensive design methods for reinforced step slopes and walls as well as geotextile tubes. He has published over 100 technical publications in journals, conferences and reports. Over 20 MS and PhD students graduated under his supervision. Several of his design methods have culminated with the development of user-friendly computer programmes (FoSSA, ReSSA, MSEW, ReSlope, GeoCops). These design tools are being used world wide. Recently, he has been involved with two complex and large projects involving soft soil (i.e. Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Maryland side of the Potomac River and Cherry Island Landfill in Delaware). As a consultant, he co-authored the design manual “Guidelines for Geofoam Applications in Embankment Projects”. Dr. Leschinsky has been invited to deliver Keynote Papers in several International Conferences (e.g. Conference on Soil Reinforcement in Kyushu, 1992; Slope Stability Conference in Japan, 1999; Geosynthetic Society Annual Meeting in Korea, 2002).
Prof. Richard Jardines	(taken from the home page of Imperial College) Richard Jardine is Professor of Geomechanics at Imperial College London, carrying out research, undergraduate and post graduate teaching. He is currently supervising three PhD projects and is a joint investigator on three EPSRC research projects. He has been Director of the Civil Engineering Masters Programme since 2003, overseeing a major re-launching of the Department’s MSc suite and has undertaken other administrative tasks within the Department. He has managed several large international joint industry research projects and collaborated with many other groups worldwide. He has worked as a Visiting Professor in both Singapore and Sapporo, Japan, and is Chairman of Committee TC-29 of the ISSMGE (Advanced laboratory testing of geomaterials) and sits on API/ISO and SUT Committees on Offshore Foundations. Richard Jardine has written over 130 academic papers. Recent international keynote lectures include the conferences on Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials held in Turin (1999) Lyon (2003), the 2000 Yokohama Conference on Coastal Geotechnical Engineering Practice and the Skempton Conference on Recent Advances in geotechnical Engineering (London 2004).