After completing the HTL in civil engineering Robert Galler studied mining and tunneling at Montanuniversität Leoben, specializing in geomechanics, tunnel construction and structural civil engineering. In 1997 he finished his PhD. From 1997 to 2007, Robert Galler worked for GEOCONSULT Consulting Engineers. Selected reference projects, in which Robert Galler worked in a leading position, are the high-speed rail connection from Frankfurt to Cologne for Deutsche Bahn, the tender planning for the Semmering base tunnel and the submission, tender and execution design for some construction lots of the approx. 40km long Unterinntalbahn of ÖBB Infrastruktur AG. From 2004 to 2007, Robert Galler was the project manager of a design consortium consisting of 8 companies for the Brenner Base Tunnel project. Since November 2006, Robert Galler has been Professor for Subsurface Engineering at Montanuniversität Leoben; since 2000 he has been a member of the board of the Austrian Society for Geomechanics, since 2005 he has represented Austria in the ITA – International Tunneling Association. In September 2013, Robert Galler was elected chairman of ITA-CET (International Tunneling Association – Communication, Education and Training) in London, which conducts special training courses in the field of geotechnics and tunneling for engineers worldwide. Since December 2015, Robert Galler has been the department head for ZaB – Zentrum am Berg, a unique underground research and development center as well as training and education center, and since July 2016 he has also been the department head for Mineral Resources Engineering.

 

Mark Diederichs began his career with a BASc in Geological Engineering at the University of Toronto. After obtaining his Masters degree in Rock Engineering at UofT, his early work involved the development of geological engineering software to aid in underground mining and tunnelling as well as slope stability. He moved on to a position as field microseismic engineer at Creighton Mine, in support of a Queen’s University R&D initiative,  before taking a rock mechanics research position with the Geomechanics Research Centre in Laurentian University where he worked on establishing guidelines fo ground support design  and pursued research related to rockbursts in deep mining. In addition, he has worked as a mining and tunnelling consultant for many years. After completing his PhD in 2000, he joined Queen’s Geological Science and Geological Engineering in 2001. He specializes in underground rock mechanics issues including damage zone development around tunnels, engineering rock characterization in heterogeneous conditions, support design issues, tunnel excavation challenges in hard brittle rock, soft squeezing ground and, brittle fracture and rockbursting and long term stability of caverns and shafts related to nuclear waste repositories.

Since 2017 he works for BG Consulting Engineers Ltd. He holds several positions such as the expert, project manager, Geotechnical and Underground Infrastructures & Energy Production (IGSE), Lecturer for underground construction technology at EPFL, Treasurer of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association ITA-AITES, and Member of Swiss Tunnelling committee. He is experienced in hard rock tunneling (TBM and D+B), high depth tunneling (Rock burst), major projects, shafts, big caverns, injection under high water pressure and natural hazard management in mountainous regions.

Dr Sotirios Vardakos (PE) is a Practice Consultant and Technical Director for Tunnels in HNTB’s National Tunnel Practice. He has a Master’s and Ph.D in Civil – Geotechnical Engineering from Virginia Tech and Bachelor’s and Master’s in Mining Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens – Greece.  He has more than 20 years’ experience in underground design and construction with a strong focus in mechanized tunneling, and rock engineering. He served as Task Lead for various underground engineering projects including the East Side Access and Second Avenue Phase 2 projects in New York and the Amtrak Baltimore Potomac Tunnel Replacement Program. Dr. Vardakos recently served as Principal Investigator and Deputy Project Manager for several Federal Highway Administration research programs including research in the US practice for segmental lining design of large diameter tunnels. He is currently working as geotechnical tunneling lead for a new pedestrian and people mover tunnel for the Austin Bergstrom International Airport in Texas.

Klaus Rabensteiner graduated in Mining Engineering from the Montan University Leoben, Austria. He is co-founder and managing director of Geodata Survey & Monitoring Group since 1987. Klaus is well experienced in all aspects of geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring as well as integrated data management during and after construction of tunnels and metros.

Based on its international experience, Geodata develops solutions generating valuable information and insights to ensure safety and efficiency of infrastructure and mining projects. The group has completed over 500 projects successfully worldwide and is at the moment involved in different underground and infrastructure projects like HEPP Alto Maipo (Chile), Metro Sydney (Australia), 32 km long highspeed railway Koralmtunnel in Austria and many more.

Matthias Neuenschwander is the current animateur of ITA Working Group 3 – Contractual practices. He holds a MSc in civil engineering from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and is the Managing Director of Neuenschwander Consulting Engineers Ltd (www.neu-ce.ch). Matthias has 35 years experience in underground works as a contractor, designer, supervisor, advisor, expert witness, mediator, adjudicator and arbitrator. He chaired the joint FIDIC-ITA task group 10 entrustes with the publication of the Emerald Book until its presentation in 2019.

Chrysothemis is a Mining Engineer (MEng) with post-graduate studies (MSc) in Tunnelling & Geological Engineering from NTUA (GR). In 2016, she completed her PhD in tunnelling, which involved working on a joint Research Project between Queen’s University and ETH Zurich. In 2017 she was appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Leeds (UK) to teach rock mechanics, tunnelling and geotechnical-related courses, where in 2019 she got her tenure (permanent chair). She has also been appointed as visiting Lecturer at Warwick University in the UK and Adjunct Professor at Queen’s University in Canada. Her research deals with geo-engineering innovative design for resilient and sustainable geo-structures and their societal impact. She has published more than 50 papers in international journals and conferences. She also works as a Consultant and in the past as a Geotechnical/Tunnel Engineer. In September 2022 Chrysothemis became the Director of the prestigious MSc Engineering Geology at the University of Leeds. She is an active British and Greek Tunnelling Society Young Members Group member and is currently the GTS General Secretariat and Chair of GTSym. She is also the past Vice-chair of the Young Member’s Group (Early Careers Young Professionals) of the International Tunnelling Association (ITA-IATES) and a member of the ITACUS and ITA-CET committees. In 2020 she completed her MBA at Leeds University Business School as she strongly believes in life-long training (and other reasons);  you can tell from her job title. 

Karin graduated as a civil engineer from Technical University of Karlsruhe, Germany (today KIT, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and completed post graduate studies with her PhD at the Colorado School of Mines, USA. She joined Herrenknecht in 1997 and since then has specialized in geotechnology, research and development. Since 2008 Karin has managed the Geotechnical and Consulting department for the Traffic Tunnelling Division at Herrenknecht’s head office in Schwanau, Germany and is responsible as Head of Business Development.

She is an invited lecturer for postgraduate degrees at Universities in France, Germany, Italy and the USA on the topic of Tunnelling and Tunnel Boring Machines.

Arnold Dix loves tunnels and the underground space. He is convinced that the underground offers a range of adaptive and resilient solutions to most of the perils facing humanity today. Combining his formal qualifications in Science, Law and Engineering he advocates for all things underground in UN SDG and ESG contexts with a smile on his face and an eye to all matters ethical. He is a disaster and fire life safety subject matter expert as well as having special law, insurance and finance  interests. He happens to be the president  of ITA too. 

Antonia Cornaro, MA Urban Planning, New York University, has 25 years of working experience as an urban and transport planner from the public and private sector from New York City, London, Vienna, and Zurich, having worked for NYC Department of City Planning, Parsons Brinckerhoff (now WSP), the Austrian Institute of Regional Planning (ÖIR), and the Zurich based multi-disciplinary engineering consulting firm EBP.In her current work as Management team member of Amberg Engineering she focuses on Urban Underground Space with the aim to increase mobility, livability, and resilience of urban areas.This is also central to her work as Co-Chair of ITACUS, the International Tunnel and Underground Space Association’s Committee on Underground Space. Antonia is passionate about cities, global and sustainable development, and has presented and published extensively on this subject. With Han Admiraal she co-authored the book “Underground spaces unveiled: planning and creating the cities of the future”, ICE, 2018 and recipient of the ISOCARP Gerd Albers award on best book. Antonia also teaches at the Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich. The Semester lecture Planning of Underground Space is taught to Master students in architecture, spatial development and civil engineering.

Giovanny is a senior project delivery leader with over 20 years’ of global experience in design management, project leadership and technical delivery of major underground and tunnelling works. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer, with a MSc in Geotechnical Engineering, and a PhD in Experimental Soil Mechanics from Imperial College London. Giovanny’s major project experience includes infrastructure projects in Australia, the UK, Greece, Saudi Arabia and South America. Giovanny’s strong technical background and major project delivery experience drive high performance multidisciplinary teams with a focus on innovative technical outcomes, sustainability and risk management. Based in Australia since 2011, Giovanny has played a key role in multibillion transportation infrastructure projects such as Sydney Gateway, WestConnex in Sydney, the Rail Infrastructure Alliance for Melbourne Metro, the City Rail Link in Auckland, NEOM in Saudi Arabia and is currently the project manager for the AECOM Aurecon Design Joint Venture delivering the $4.4bn Western Harbour Tunnel Package 2 in Sydney.

Max Labecki is an accomplished Digital Engineering Manager with a rich experience of 18 years in the AEC (Architectural, Engineering Construction) industry, specializing in BIM (Building Information Modelling) and Digital Engineering. He has played a key role in shaping the industry with his innovative ideas and expertise in emerging technologies. Max has presented at various local and international conferences since 2016, showcasing his deep knowledge and understanding of the Digital Engineering space. Max’s passion for excellence and his drive to deliver innovative solutions have played a crucial role in his team’s performance and project delivery. He has been instrumental in delivering key infrastructure projects in Australia, including the M12 Motorway, MUSBI (Macquarie University Bus Interchange), Inland Rail Project, Humelink – East package, M7 Widening & M7-M12 Interchange, Central West Orana REZ (Renewable Energy Zone) Central New South Wales, and the Suburban Rail Loop in Melbourne. Currently, as the Digital Engineering Manager for Acciona, Max is leading the team towards delivering the $4.4bn Western Harbour Tunnel Package 2 in Sydney, one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Australia.

Panos Spyridis is the Professor for Concrete Construction, University of Rostock in Germany and partner at Ruler Consult Ltd., London, UK. His professional career includes stations in Greece, Austria, the United Kingdom and Germany. He teaches and researches on the design, construction and sustainable use of concrete structures and infrastructure assets. Prior to this he has served as a technical lead in various tunnel construction and modernisation projects, while in parallel he established Ruler Consult, based in London and serving contractors, insurers, and infrastructure owners/operators with expert advisory on the management of technical risks, and asset life-cycle strategies. His experience includes projects on all continents of the globe, involving motorway, railway, metro, hydropower and pedestrian tunnels, deep shafts and foundations. He serves as the Animateur of the ITA WG 21 “Life Cycle Asset Management” and he is a long-standing member of the International Association of Life Cycle Civil Engineering (IALCCE). He is author to nearly 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Mike is the Grewcock Chair Professor of Underground Construction & Tunneling at Colorado School of Mines. He directs the Center for Underground as well as the post-graduate degree program and online graduate certificate in Underground Construction & Tunnel Engineering. Mike teaches courses in tunnel design and construction, support of excavations, and civil infrastructure engineering. His research involves pressure balance TBM tunneling, large diameter liner design, AI and the digital underground, and prediction/control of ground and building deformation. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications. Mike is a member of the ITA Committee on Education and Training, the ISSMGE Committee on Underground Construction in Soft Ground, and the US Underground Construction Association. Mike is a registered Professional Engineer and a consultant on numerous tunneling projects in the US and internationally.

Dr Konstantinos Kiryttopoulos is a Professor of Project and Risk Management at the School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (Greece) and an Adjunct A/Prof. at the University of South Australia. He holds a PhD in Project Risk Management, an Integrated Masters in Mechanical Engineering and he is PMP and AgilePM certified. In the past he worked as an Associate Professor of Project Management at the University of South Australia, Assistant Professor at the Financial and Management Engineering Dept. at the University of the Aegean (Greece) and Teaching Associate at the Hellenic Open University. Apart from the Academia, he has been strongly engaged with the Industry by delivering in-house lectures to middle and senior management staff and providing consulting. At the first steps of his career he had been working as a freelance consultant. He is involved in research and business projects, related to his interests and he is publishing research outcomes in international scientific conferences and journals. For the past 20 years Prof. Kiryttopoulos has been working on road tunnel risk analysis.

Wolfgang Aldrian graduated in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Graz in Austria and completed post-graduate studies with his PhD at the Mining University of Leoben in Austria. He has a long and successful career in work experience:

–With Construction Chemicals since 1998 (MBT, Degussa, BASF, Master Builders), worked as

• Principle Expert Tunneling and Mining & Head New Business, 2018 – today
• Technical Head Underground Worldwide, 2009-2018
• Regional Sales Head Underground (German speaking countries plus EasΤ Europe), 1998-2008

–With Design Company Geoconsult (Salzburg/Austria) 1991-1998

• As Project Manager, Geotechnical Engineer, Senior NATM Engineer (seconded to ABV Rock Group (Saudi) and to Balfour Beatty (London))
• In various countries: Austria, England, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Malaysia

Dr Andreas Benardos is a Professor of Underground Works at the School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering (SMME) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). He holds a Diploma in Mining Engineering (1996) and a Ph.D. in risk assessment for underground construction projects from NTUA (2002). He has been a faculty member since 2009 and teaches underground mine design as well as design of tunnels and underground works in the underground and postgraduate curricula of SMME and NTUA. He has been appointed as Director of the MSc program of “Design and Construction of Underground Works” at NTUA (2018-2022), while he is also an acting board member of the Greek Tunnelling Society. His research interests are focused on the topics of underground space development and mine design, risk assessment and safety in underground construction, ventilation, feasibility assessment and cost estimation, as well as on applications of artificial neural networks in geo-engineering. He has participated in more than 25 research projects awarded by European, National bodies and private firms and has published more than 80 papers in scientific journals and international conferences.

Sergios Lambropoulos graduated from the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens / NTUA and the Department of Economics of the University of Athens. He holds an MSc in Management Science from the Imperial College and a doctorate from the NTUA.

He has been Public Works Contractor, Vice President of the Greek Highway Fund, Intra-muros Consultant for Infrastructure and Networks in the European Commission, Technical Advisor of Motorway Concessionaires, General Manager of the Egnatia Odos S.A. for ten years after its establishment and Secretary General for Concessions at the Greek Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport and Networks. He has contributed in various professional and scientific activities.

He was Professor in the Construction Engineering and Management Department of the School of Civil Engineering NTUA. He is currently Professor Emeritus.

He is the President of the Hellenic Construction Industry Council (HCIC).

National Technical University of Athens, Faculty of civil engineering (1982) – Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London – MSc, in Engineering Seismology and Soil Mechanics (1984) – DIC, Diploma of Imperial College (1984) – PhD in Civil Engineering (1988)
Forty years’ experience in Design and Construction of major projects of heavy civil and multidiscipline engineering. Operations Management of complex medium and major size projects. Business Development, Project and Area Management including contractual and financing issues. Development and Management of major schemes in Greece, Cyprus and Balkans including major Proposals Management. Management of FIDIC contracts and PFI/PPP schemes.
Recently, Chief Executive Officer of O&M companies for infrastructure projects (road, rail, metro).
Author & co-author of more than forty papers on the non-linear behaviour of structures and structural elements, earthquake reconnaissance missions and earthquake resistant analysis and design, innovative analytical & programming techniques, design and construction methodologies of major multidiscipline projects, contractual issues in major infrastructure projects.

Nikos Koronakis is the President & CEO of OMIKRON KAPPA CONSULTING S.A. and a Geotechnical & Mining Engineer with over 3 decades of extensive experience in large scale infrastructure, engineering and tunnelling projects requiring overall management, coordination and expertise skills. He has a successful leadership track record with extensive experience and professional knowledge on all types of projects life cycle, from inception to construction and turnkey. Has participated and operated in full spectrum in various international projects in the UAE, Qatar, India, Germany, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Serbia-Montenegro, Venezuela, Albania, Russia, USA as well as in all major concessions in Greece. Since 1996 has been involved as an Expert Tunnel Consultant and Project Leader in the provision of design and consulting services for more than one hundred (100) tunnel and mining projects with a cumulative length of over 500 km and has managed more than one hundred (100) contracts as an Expert Tunnelling Consultant for Ministries of Public Works and Private Contractors. The diversity of accumulated project involvements brings a wealth of technical expertise and practical experience to project standstills. A dynamic, result-oriented, committed and innovative executive manager and a well-recognized tunnelling – geotechnical expert with numerous publications in the relevant sector.

Michalis’ 29 year professional career in managing, consulting and designing major infrastructure projects is the combination of:

•  His successful involvement in the tunneling and geotechnical designs of significant infrastructure projects in Greece and overseas (DTTS Phase 2 in Singapore, Doha Metro, Dubai Metro, Athens Metro, Egnatia Highway Project, Patras – Athens – Thessaloniki Highway Project etc.),
•  His involvement in the Independent Engineer’s teams for major Highway Concession Projects in Greece (i.e. MOREAS Concession Highway Project, AEGEAN Motorways Concession Highway Project, OLYMPIA ODOS Concession Project), and
•  His numerous scientific and academic activities in the areas of Tunneling, Geotechnical Engineering and Complex Foundation Engineering.

Michalis experience in tunnelling engineering, includes, among others: (i) the design of different types of tunnels (railway, motorway and hydraulic tunnels), (ii) the risk analyses of various methodologies of underground operations (TBM and NATM) for metros, railway, motorway and hydraulic projects, and (iii) the active membership in working groups for drafting tunnel and geotechnical design and construction specifications. Finally, it is to be emphasized: (i) Michalis participation in the Technical Consulting Group for the initial design and construction phase of Athens Metro Project, (ii) Michalis’ 5-year cooperation with the Hellenic (Greek) Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport & Networks (2006 – 2011), as Independent Geotechnical and Tunnel Expert and (iii) his co-operation with Deutsche Bahn International for the mega Project of Doha Metro for the period 2012 – 2015. For the period August 2018 – February 2020, Michalis worked with Arcadis Singapore, in the position of Senior Technical / Project Director. He led the Detailed Design of the T0- 7 Contract of the DTTS Phase 2 Project for Zublin. The Project included 12km of double-lining sewerage tunnels and 14 shafts of a maximum depth of 60m. Since March 2020, Michalis is cooperating with Arcadis Australia Design and Engineering team, by offering his consulting services in major infrastructure projects (Cross Island Line / Tender Designs of Singapore Metro extensions, Tender Design of Inland Rail Project (2km of NATM railway tunnels / Australia). In July 2021, Michalis started offering his consulting services to AVAX S.A (main Contractor of Line 4A of the Athens Metro Project) for all the detailed designs of the Project’s Civil Works (e.g. temporary and permanent works of Shafts and Stations, as well as for the TBM segmental lining).