ISSMGE is delighted to announce that, at the Council Meeting held in Vienna on 14 June 2026, Prof. Dr Lyesse Laloui was elected as the next President of the Society for the period 2026-2030.
Prof. Laloui, Chair Professor at EPFL Lausanne, has served as Vice-President Europe since 2022 and brings over three decades of experience in geotechnical research and education to the role.
The Society also extends its thanks to outgoing President Dr Marc Ballouz and the 2022-2026 Board for their leadership over the past term.
On his election, Prof. Laloui said: "It is an honour to take on this role, and I'm looking forward to working with our Member Societies so that ISSMGE gives every one of us, large society or small, real leverage as a global community."
Joining Prof. Laloui on the new Board are:
Africa: Engr. Sebastian Ozoamalu
Asia: Dr Anil Joseph
Australasia: Professor Rolando Orense
Europe: Professor Loretta Batali
North America: Professor J. David Frost
South America: Daniela Pollak Aguiló
Appointed Board Member: Daniele Cazzuffi
Appointed Board Member: Professor Denis Kalumba
Appointed Board Member: Professor Dietmar Adam
Council also confirmed that the next quadrennial conference, XXII ICSMGE, will be held in Shanghai, China in November 2029, and that the next Council Meeting will take place in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 20-25 August 2028, alongside the XIX European Regional Conference.
A full message from the new President is available here :
Dear colleagues,
Today, at the Council Meeting in Vienna, you elected me as the next President of ISSMGE for the period 2026-2030. I am honoured, and I want this message, my first as President, to go directly to all 21,000 of you.
First, my thanks to Dr Marc Ballouz and the outgoing Board for their dedication to this Society over the past four years.
Now, to the work ahead. Every one of us belongs to a national society, and that society is where our professional identity is rooted. What I want ISSMGE to be, for every one of those societies, large or small, is leverage: the connections, the platforms and the opportunities that come from standing together as a global community. That is the idea I will be working towards every day of this term, and I look forward to doing it with you.
I am looking forward to meeting many of you, in person and online, in the months ahead, and to introducing the new Board alongside me in the announcement from the Secretariat.
Lyesse Laloui
President, ISSMGE
