Prof. William Powrie

University of Southampton, UK

Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering

Professor William Powrie was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2009 for his pioneering contributions to the fields of environmental geotechnical engineering and transportation geotechnical engineering.

Since 2018, he has been leading the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC) — a consortium of 15 universities — and also heads the Infrastructure Excellence Centre of the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN). One of his key research focuses is the application of soil mechanics principles to "complex" soils and soil-like materials, including landfill waste, high-strength interlocked sand bodies, and railway ballast. He is the author of the internationally renowned textbook Soil Mechanics: Concepts and Applications.

Professor Powrie has maintained close collaboration with the industry and has participated in a number of major civil engineering projects, such as the Conwy Immersed Tube Tunnel, the Medway Immersed Tube Tunnel, the Jubilee Line tube stations at Canary Wharf and Canada Water, and the UK High Speed 1 (HS1). In addition, he serves as the chair of the Independent Geotechnical Expert Panel for the UK High Speed 2 (HS2).

Prof. Chaofeng Zeng

Hunan University of Science and Technology, China

Leader of Civil Engineering Discipline of Hunan University of Science and Technology

Chaofeng Zeng is a PhD (postdoctoral), professor, and doctoral supervisor, currently leading the civil engineering discipline at Hunan University of Science and Technology as a Xiangjiang Scholar. He serves as the director of the Analytical Testing Center and deputy director of the State-owned Assets and Laboratory Management Office. His research focuses on disaster prevention and mitigation in underground engineering. He has hosted 12 national and provincial projects including National Natural Science Foundation projects and Hunan Provincial Outstanding Youth projects. As the first or corresponding author, he has published 47 SCI/EI papers in high-level journals such as the "Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering" and "Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology." He has received the Second Prize of the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Award and holds 20 public patents. He has contributed to the publication of one translated work and two industry standards. Zeng is a member of various committees including the Soft Soil Engineering Committee of the China Civil Engineering Society and serves as a reviewer for 64 domestic and international journals. His primary research areas include disaster evaluation and prevention in geotechnical and urban underground engineering, environmentally friendly foundation support systems, groundwater management, and the theoretical assessment of defective and permeable piles.