Scientific Committee
Chair - Prof. Nick Roberts
Dr Nick Roberts is Natural Hazards Geologist at Mineral Resources Tasmania, specialising in landslides and their relationship to risk and landscape evolution. His interests and experience include other hazardous phenomena (tsunamis and impulse waves, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions), glacial geology, paleo-environment reconstruction, and multi-disciplinary approaches to risk. Nick’s academic, public-sector, and private-sector projects span Australasia, the Americas, Central Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. His goal is to help reduce losses from natural hazards through improved understanding of natural phenomena and their interaction with society. He is also heavily involved in geoscience education and outreach.
Dr Chris Massey
Dr Chris Massey is an engineering geologist with more than 23 years of consultancy and research experience in the investigation and analysis of complex geological and geotechnical data for landslide and slope stability including landslide monitoring, foundation design, underground/surface rock support and groundwater problems. He has applied these skills to geohazard and risk assessments, oil and gas pipelines, highway, railway, mining engineering and town planning projects in Africa, the Himalayas, Europe, South East and Central Asia and Australasia. Chris has a degree in geology from Leeds University, UK; a masters in Engineering Geology from Imperial College, London, UK; and a PhD in engineering geology from the University of Durham, UK. Dr Massey has published many peer-reviewed journal papers and has given lectures and workshops around the world.
Prof. Martin Brook
Martin is the Professor of Applied Geology and director of the Master of Engineering Geology programme at the University of Auckland. His research focuses on land instability and enviornmental geology in New Zealand, SE Asia and the Pacific Islands, including publishing >100 journal articles and >200 conference presentations. Prior to joining the University of Auckland, Martin was a Brisbane-based consulting engineering geologist working on a range of infrastructure and resource sector projects across Australia and the middle east. He is a CGeol and CMEngNZ PEngGEOl, and regularly undertakes consulting and expert witness work. As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, he retains a keen interest in pedagogy and student learning.
Prof. Neelima Satyam
Dr. Neelima Satyam is currently a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Indore. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Tech from IIT Delhi and a B.Tech from SV University, Tirupati. Before joining IIT Indore, she served as an Assistant Professor at the Earthquake Engineering Research Centre, IIIT Hyderabad. Dr. Satyam was also a visiting researcher at Kyushu University (2023), the University of Stuttgart (2018), and the University of Tokyo (2013). She is actively involved in teaching, research, and consultancy in Geotechnical Engineering.
Prof. Caterina Di Maio
Caterina Di Maio is full professor of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy.
She specialises in the areas of experimental soil chemo-mechanics and slope stability/landslides.
Dr. Ranjan Kumar Dahal
Dr. Ranjan Kumar Dahal, a professional engineering geologist and geohazard expert of Nepal, has been working in the research field of geohazards such as earthquake, landslide and debris flow for the last 25 years. He was born in Kathmandu in 1972 and got his primary, secondary and basic university education in Nepal. Dr. Dahal has completed PhD Engineering and PostDoc in geohazard degrees from Japan. He specializes in landslide, debris flow and earthquake risk research and management. At present, he is serving Tribhuvan University as an Associate Professor in Central Department of Geology. From the research and academic perspective, he has published more than 100 technical/scientific papers in peer reviewed international and national journals. He is the author of five books and he has contributed in three books as co-author.
Vanessa Cuervo
Vanessa is the founder and Principal Geohazards and risk Scientist at Andes Geo, where she leads the development of digital, AI-enabled solutions to assess and manage geohazards and climate risks for critical infrastructure.
With over 19 years of experience in geomorphology, terrain analysis, and applied risk science, she specializes in scalable, efficient, and repeatable methodologies that support resilience across the energy, mining, and transportation sectors—especially in complex terrain in North and South America.
Arishma Ram
Arishma is an academic and researcher with over a decade of experience in the higher education industry in the South Pacific. She is passionate about educating and learning more about our home planet Earth, and its environment.
Her research has centered on understanding of geohydrological and environmental extremes to help create a sustainable future for all on the blue planet. Research includes landslide character and mechanisms, catchment/fluvial sediment delivery patterns, drought impacts on plant physiology and phytoremediation.
Stratis Karantanellis
With an educational background from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the University of Twente, Stratis is a Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Michigan specialising in geologic hazards and 3D remote sensing. He is Chair of the Young Engineering Geologist Committee at IAEG.
Prof Erika Prina Howald
Erika is a Professor of Geotechnics and Natural Hazards at the Haute École d'Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud (HEIG-VD), Switzerland. She regularly publishes on topics ranging from rock fall protection and hazard zoning to the influence of permafrost on stability of slopes and bearing capacity.