Giroud Lecturer Named As Jie Han

Dr. Jie Han has been named to deliver the next Giroud Lecture.

Given at the opening of each International Conference on Geosynthetics (ICG), which occurs every four years, the honor recognizes exceptional achievement and influence in the field of geosynthetics.

Dr. Han will present his talk, 'Transforming road infrastructure: innovative geosynthetic solutions for improved sustainability and resilience' at the 13^th ICG in Montreal, Canada, in September 2026. He will also receive a plaque in recognition of his achievement.

He said: "I am deeply grateful to the IGS Council for selecting me as the 8th Giroud Lecturer. This is a huge honor for me. I have admired Dr. Giroud since my college days in the 1980s when I first learned about geosynthetics. He is not only my hero and role model but also a mentor to me. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Giroud on publications and short courses and to learn so much from him."

Created in tribute to geosynthetics-great Dr. JP Giroud in 1994, the opportunity was first awarded in 1998 and last given by Ennio Marques Palmeira, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Brasília, Brazil, who gave his Giroud Lecture at the 12th ICG in Rome, Italy, in 2023.

Previous lectures have been given by Dr. Natalie Touze (2018), Dr. Richard Bathurst (2014), Prof. Heinz Brandl (2010), Chris Lawson (2006), Dr. R. Kerry Rowe (2002), and Dr. Robert Koerner (1998).

Dr. Han is a Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas, USA. He has previously worked as a design engineer, a senior engineer, and then a manager of technology development at Tensar International from 1997 to 2001.

His research and practical experience has involved geosynthetics, ground improvement, pile foundations, buried structures, and roadways, and he has so far published 489 journal and conference papers.

Aside from his role as IGS Treasurer, Dr. Han was an IGS Council member from 2018 to 2022. He is also the Immediate Past President of the ASCE Geo‐Institute. As well as a decade of awards, he delivered the 2021-2023 Koerner Lecture, which was honored by the Geosynthetic Materials Association.

Among reasons for his recommendation, his nominator said: "Professor Han has been one of the most dedicated professionals to the geosynthetics discipline and the IGS… he is truly international: he teaches in the United States and was born in China where he is frequently invited to present lectures. It would be appropriate to have the Giroud Lecture given by an Asian scholar after lecturers from Europe and the Americas."

Giroud Lecture nominations were compiled by the IGS Officers before names were forwarded to the IGS Council for selection. An accompanying paper will be published following Dr. Han's lecture.