The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
The BGA Touring Lecture is biennial lecture by an international speaker and is held at three venues around the UK
The Touring Lecture was established by the British Geotechnical Society (the predecessor to the BGA) in the 1980s to provide support to Regional Geotechnical Groups in the UK by bringing eminent geotechnical professionals from overseas to deliver a lecture on their particular expertise. The Lecture is biennial and is held at three venues around the country, normally on successive evenings in early November. On occasion, the choice of venue is based on the topic of the Lecture, but it is not normally held in London. The Lecturer is selected by the BGA Committee, but Regional Groups are invited to offer suggestions.
Year | Lecturer and affiliation | Lecture title | Venues |
| 2024 | Bruno Stuyts, University of Ghent, Belgium | Applications of machine learning in geotechnical site characterisation and design | Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol |
| 2022 | Mike Long, University College, Dublin, Ireland | Practical Use of Shear Wave Velocity Measurements in Clays
with a Focus on UK and Irish Clays | Glasgow, Belfast, Leeds, Manchester |
2019 | Lisa Coyne, Golder Associates, Mississauga, Canada | Practical implications of subsurface uncertainty: lessons from 25 years of “dirt engineering” | Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds |
2017 | Giulia Viggiani, Università di Roma, Italy | Tunnelling in the urban environment: engineering challenges and research | Belfast, Southampton, Birmingham |
2014 | Eduardo Alonso, Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain | Rapid landslides | Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield |
2012 | Carlos Santamarina, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA | Energy geotechnology: the role of geotechnical engineers in the energy challenge | Birmingham, London, Cardiff |
2010 | Serge Veraksin, Menard SNC, Paris, France | Concepts and parameters related to ground improvement illustrated by case histories | Glasgow, Manchester, Oxford |
2008 | Carlo Viggiani, University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy | Geotechnical problems in the design and construction of Naples underground | Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol |
2006 | Antonio Gomes Correira, University of Minho, Portugal | Geotechnics for pavements and rail tracks: innovations in construction and design | Glasgow, Swansea, Wokingham |
2004 | Alain Pecker, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussée, Paris, France | Earthquake engineering design of foundations: from research to practice | Southampton, Manchester, Newcastle |
2002 | Trevor Orr, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland | Geotechnical challenges in Celtic soils | Glasgow, Manchester, Swansea |
2000 | Manfred Stocker, Bauer Spezialtiefbau GmbH, Schrobenhausen, Germany | Special foundations: technical trends, codes and contract conditions in Europe | Birmingham, Manchester, Bromley |
1998 | Antonio Gens, Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain | New trends in unsaturated soil mechanics: from fundamentals to engineering practice | Portsmouth, Nottingham, Newcastle |
1996 | François Schlosser, Terrasol, Paris, France | Soil nailing in retaining structures, slope stability, tunnelling and foundations | Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff |
1993 | Hans L Jessburger, University of Bochum, Germany | Geotechnical aspects of landfill design and construction | Birmingham, Guildford, Newcastle |
1992 | Tom O'Rourke, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA | A tale of two cities – geotechnical lessons from the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes in San Francisco | London, Cardiff, Glasgow, |
1989 | Elmo DiBiaggio, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo | Field instrumentation – the link between theory and practice in geotechnical engineering | Birmingham, Guildford, Glasgow |
1988 | Niels Krebs Ovesen, Danish Geotechnical Institute, Copenhagen | Design in geotechnical engineering | Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh |