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Organization

Organization - Committees

About WTC2023 Organization   

The ITA-AITES WTC2023 is managed by the Executive Organizing Committee which includes all elected members of the Greek Tunnelling Society and is further strengthened by experienced Academics and Industry Professionals. The Executive Organizing Committee is joined by the ITA Executive Director and communicates directly with the ITA Executive Council via both the ITA Executive Director and the assigned “ex officio” member in ITA Ex-Co.


Organizing Structure

Organizing Committee

Principal Design Manager at EDAFOS Engineering Consultants S.A. / ex-President of GTS
Ioannis Fikiris
Ioannis Fikiris
Chair of the Organizing Committee
Former Head of Concession Transport Infrastructure Directorate / ex-President of GTS
Ioannis Bakogiannis
Ioannis Bakogiannis
Organizing Committee co-Chair
Principal Geotechnical and Tunnel Engineering Consultant
Nikolaos Roussos
Nikolaos Roussos
President of Greek Tunnelling Society
Tunnelling – Geotechnical Engineering Division, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Prof. George Anagnostou
Prof. George Anagnostou
Scientific Committee Chair
Associate Professor NTUA, School of Civil Engineering / Vice President IAEG
Prof. Vassilis Marinos
Prof. Vassilis Marinos
Program Committee co-Chair
Professor NTUA, School of Mining & Metallurgical Eng / Board Member GTS
Prof. Andreas Benardos
Prof. Andreas Benardos
Program Committee co-Chair
Civil Engineer ATTIKO METRO S.A. / Treasurer of GTS
Evangelos Pergantis
Evangelos Pergantis
Schedule – Budget – Cost Control Chair
V. Prof. Imperial College, London / Director at EDAFOS S.A. / ex-President of GTS
Dr. George Dounias
Dr. George Dounias
Sponsorships & Exhibits Committee Chair
Civil Engineer ATTIKO METRO S.A. / Vice President of GTS
Dimitrios Alifragis
Dimitrios Alifragis
Technical Visits Committee co-Chair
Teaching & Research Associate NTUA / School of Mining Eng & Metallurgy
Dr. Paraskevi Yiouta-Mitra
Dr. Paraskevi Yiouta-Mitra
Technical Visits, Web & Media Communication Committee Co-Chair
Assistant Professor University of Leeds / ITACUS / ITA-CET / ITAy
Prof. Chrysothemis Paraskevopoulou
Prof. Chrysothemis Paraskevopoulou
ITA-CET Training courses Committee Chair & Young Members group coordinator
Mechanical Engineer ATTIKO METRO S.A.
Dr. George Leoutsakos
Dr. George Leoutsakos
Logistics and Venue Supervision Committee Chair
Civil Engineer, Tunnel Design Project Manager at Omikron Kappa Consulting S.A.
Marilia Balasi
Marilia Balasi
Marketing / Information Committee Chair
Senior Tunnel Engineer, Voessing Engineers mbH
Chara Kalogeraki
Chara Kalogeraki
Marketing/ Information Committee co-chair
Geotechnical & Tunnel Engineering Consultant at Omikron Kappa Consulting S.A.
Dr. George Proutzopoulos
Dr. George Proutzopoulos
Web & Media Communication Committee Chair
Associate Professor NTUA, School of Mechanical Engineering
Κonstantinos Kirytopoulos
Κonstantinos Kirytopoulos
Registration, Hospitality & Delegates Services Chair
Senior Tunnel Engineer at Mott MacDonald
Dr. Dimitrios Litsas
Dr. Dimitrios Litsas
Social Program Committee Chair
Tunnel Design Manager at STRABAG UK
George Doulkas
George Doulkas
Young Members group coordinator
National Technical University of Athens
Prof. Theodosios Tassios
em. Prof. Theodosios Tassios
Scientific Counselor
Olivier Vion
Olivier Vion
Executive Director ITA-AITES

ITA-AITES Executive Council

Prof. Arnold Dix
Arnold Dix

 (

Australia

)

ITA-AITES / President (2022-2025)
Prof. Jinxiu (Jenny) Yan
Jinxiu (Jenny) Yan

 (

China

)

ITA-AITES / Past President (2022-2025)
Dr. Andres Marulanda
Andres Marulanda

 (

Colombia

)

ITA-AITES / First Vice-President (2022-2025)
Prof. Hangseok Choi
Hangseok Choi

 (

Korea

)

ITA-AITES / Vice President (2022-2025)
Prof. Jamal Rostami
Jamal Rostami

 (

Iran

)

ITA-AITES / Vice President (2022-2025)
Sindre Log
Sindre Log

 (

Norway

)

ITA-AITES / Member (2022-2025)
Damian McGirr
Damian McGirr

 (

UK

)

ITA-AITES / Member (2022-2025)
Monika Mitew-Czajewska
Monika Mitew-Czajewska

 (

Poland

)

ITA-AITES / Member (2022-2025)
Andrea Pigorini
Andrea Pigorini

 (

Italy

)

ITA-AITES / Member (2022-2025)
Klaus Rieker
Klaus Rieker

 (

Germany

)

ITA-AITES / Member (2022-2025)
Sanja Zlatanic
Sanja Zlatanic

 (

USA

)

ITA-AITES / Member (2022-2025)
Gerard Seingre
Gerard Seingre

 (

Switzerland

)

ITA-AITES / Treasurer (2022-2025)
Ioannis Fikiris
Ioannis Fikiris

 (

Greece

)

ITA-AITES / Member (2020-2023) Correspondent WTC 2023
Thomas Dalmalm
Thomas Dalmalm

 (

Sweden

)

ITA-AITES / Member (2022-2025) Correspondent WTC 2025

Tarcisio Celestino

Tarcisio Celestino was previously ITA President (2016-19) and President of the Brazilian Tunnelling Committee. He was the Animateur of the ITA Working Group 12 on Sprayed Concrete Use (2005-10). He earned his doctorate degree in Civil Engineering (Rock Mechanics) from the University of California, Berkeley (1981).

He is currently Professor at the University of Sao Paulo and employed by Themag Engenharia Ltda., Sao Paulo (Brazil), where he leads the Geotechnical Engineering, Engineering Geology &Transportation Engineering Design Groups. He is also responsible for the geotechnical designs of several hydroelectric power plants, subways, highways etc., including major underground works (since 1990). He has also acted as consultant.

Professor Celestino continues to contribute his knowledge for the graduate courses & research areas on Rock Mechanics & Underground Works, at the São Carlos Engineering School, University of São Paulo and for the ITACET Foundation.

2. Excursion of history and adventure in Lavreotiki
Sunday 14 May, 2023

Our destination is the exploitation galleys of one of the largest underground mines of Attica. The chambers of metal extraction, rich in recognisable minerals, combine the mystery of ancient drifts with the beauty of caves. We will wander underground for up to 3 hours and explore the maize of drifts, the chambers supported by natural as well as carved-out pillars and the stalactites decoration reminiscent of natural caves. Each of the routes we follow hides surprises waiting to be discovered! 

After we will visit the great “Chaos” sinkhole, a heart-shaped sinkhole formation 150m in diameter and 55m deep. This chiasm may have been formed by the collapse of a cave roof as many of the area’s mining tunnels end there.

Scientific theme: Underground mining activity in Lavrio

Duration: 6 hours inclusive

Detailed program

9.30-10.30 Athens-Lavrio

10.30-13.30 Underground mines

14.00-14.30 Stop at dolin “Chaos” and return to Athens

14.30 – 15.30 Lavrio-Athens

Cost per person: 40,00 €

*limited participation on a first come first served basis. In case participants are less than 20, the respective event will be cancelled and a refund wil be given.

Photo Gallery

1. We go down Athens underground. (Athens centre, moving around on foot)
Saturday 13 May, 2023

How many surprises can the Athens underground have in store for its visitors? The stroll will start from underground shelters and detention areas of the German Kommandatur, remnants of the 2nd World War in Athens. Then, we will take the steps that start off under a timeworn trap door on the side of a road or hidden away in a sidewalk flower–bed, that will lead us in a different, forgotten underground area of the city! For hundreds of years, underground pathways have been used for various and mysterious purposes. Some say that all underground pathways are interconnected although there is no proof of this. Nevertheless, the allure of an unknown world is always there, beneath the ground we walk on. We lift up the antiquated hatch and descend the stone steps.  In the catacomb, we come across tunnels of ancient aqueducts, roman baths and byzantine crypts. The Athens river is also found hidden below the ground, running in old galleys under the most central streets of Athens – we can hear the cars passing over our heads! 

We invite you to discover together the hidden secrets of our city!

Scientific theme: underground constructions of the 19th and 20th century.

Duration: Maximum of 4 hours.

Detailed program:

11.00 Meeting outside Metro Station Panepistimio

11.30 Memorial Site (Korai Street). Two-level underground shelter below the Mansion of Ethniki Insurance Company.

13.00 Catacombs of the Russian Church (Filellinon Street). Inside the catacombs a tunnel and a shaft from ancient Peisistratus aqueduct, ruins from roman baths and crypts of the Byzantine order of Likodimos -11th century.

14.00 Ilissos River (area of Panathenaic Stadium). The buried riverbed of Athens river Ilissos.

Cost per person : 35,00 €

*limited participation on a first come first served basis. In case participants are less than 20, the respective event will be cancelled and a refund wil be given.

Photo Gallery

Professor Kyriazis Pitilakis

Professor Kyriazis Pitilakis has more than forty years of intensive academic, research and professional experience in civil, earthquake and geotechnical engineering. Vice-President of the European Association of Earthquake Engineering (EAEE), ex- Chairman of the Technical Committee “Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering andAssociated Problems” (TC203) of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), and past President of the Greek Society of Earthquake Engineering. He is presently Professor Emeritus in Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece and since 2019 visiting Professor in Tongji University, International Laboratory of earthquake Engineering (ILEE), Shanghai, China.

Coordinator and scientific responsible of numerous European research projects, namely EUROSEISTEST and SYNER-G, he has a long experience in European research activities in earthquake engineering, geotechnical engineering, vulnerability and risk assessment of civil engineering structures, infrastructures and lifelines. According to the recent Stanford classification he is among the top 10 leading researchers in Civil Engineering in Greece, and among the top 10 leading international researchers in specific topics like Soil Dynamics, Engineering Seismology and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering.

Chairman of several international conferences including the 16th European Conference of Earthquake Engineering, Thessaloniki 2018 and invited keynote lecturer in many International Conferences. Author of more than 650 scientific papers (h-factor 57) published in peer review scientific journals, and conference proceedings, author and co-author in several books, editor of four books published in Springer Editions, all in relevant subjects of earthquake engineering, seismic risk and geotechnical earthquake engineering. Professor Kyriazis Pitilakis is founder and coordinator of EUROSEISTEST, a large scale experimental facility in earthquake engineering, soil dynamics and engineering seismology that is unique in Europe and worldwide. He supervised more that 30 PhD thesis and numerous of his students hold academic positions in Greece and worldwide.

Professor Kyriazis Pitilakis is strongly involved in the ongoing revision of EC8 (Part 1-Seismic Actions and Part 5-Seismic design of foundations, retaining structures, soilstructure interaction, liquefaction, slope stability and underground structures), while he has been international expert for the revision of other seismic codes worldwide.

He is member of the editorial advisory board in Springer editions (Geotechnical, Geological and Earthquake Engineering), member of the editorial board and reviewer of numerous scientific journals and member of many international societies in earthquake and geotechnical engineering.

Honors: Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques, French Republic.
Thessaloniki 06.06.2022

Professor Marc Panet

The 12th Muir Wood lecture will be delivered by Professor Marc Panet during the WTC2023 in Athens. His nomination being a Muir Wood lecturer was proposed by the French Tunnelling & Underground Space Association (AFTES) as per ITA’s Statues and By-laws.

Marc Panet graduated in Civil Engineering at the École des Mines de Paris and obtained a Master degree at the University of California at Berkeley. He started his career in 1965 at the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées, in Paris, where he was a Research Engineer, Head of the Geotechnical Department and Technical Director. In 1982 he joined the SHP Group, in Paris, as Scientific Director. From 1984 to 1996 he was the President and CEO of SIMECSOL; and from 1996 to 2000 President and CEO of FC International SA. Since then he has been working as a consultant. He taught at the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, at the École des Mines and at the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, in Paris.

Marc has been in charge of numerous studies in geotechnical engineering for underground works, highways, bridges, and natural hazards. Among the main projects are: the Mont Blanc Tunnel (11.6km), the Frejus Road Tunnel (12.9 km), the Large Electron–Positron Collider (CERN in Geneva), the Channel Tunnel (from 1967 to the end of the construction), the Millau Bridge, the Loetschberg Base Tunnel (43 km), subways in Paris, Rennes, Caracas, Athens and Algiers, the slides of the city of Constantine (Algeria), the project of the suspended bridge on the Straits of Messina (Italy) and the project of the cable-stayed bridge on the Golden Horn (Turkey). He is presently involved in a large number of geotechnical projects.

He is the author of a large number of publications in professional journals and international conferences and of the well-known book “Calculation of tunnels using the convergence-confinement method”.

Marc Panet is a Honorary Member of the French Academy of Technology, Knight of the National Order of Merit and Knight of the Order of Academic Palms.