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Geotechnical News • March 2014
www.geotechnicalnews.com
GEOSYNTHETICS
Between March 1988 and March
2001, several editors (Bob Holtz,
Shobha Bhatia and Jean Lafleur)
contributed to the Geosynthetics
Department of Geotechncial News.
Starting with the June 2014 issue
of GN, we are pleased to welcome
Jonathan Fannin as our newest editor
of Geosynthetics.
Jonathan Fannin
Jonathan Fannin obtained a B.Sc.
(Civil Engineering, 1983) from the
Queen’s University of Belfast, and
a D. Phil. (Geotechnical Engineer-
ing, 1983-86) from the University of
Oxford for studies on geosynthetics
for soil stabilisation. Thereafter, he
joined the Norwegian Geotechnical
Institute, Foundation Engineering Sec-
tion. He moved to the University of
British Columbia, joining the faculty
in 1989, and attaining promotion to
Full Professor in 2001.
His professional service has included
Chair of the
Geosynthetics Divi-
sion, Board Member of th
,
Associate Editor of the
and contributor
to the recently published 4th edition of
the Canadian Foundation Engineering
Manual.
Jonathan has been recognised for
his teaching excellence with Kil-
lam Awards from the University of
British Columbia (1998 and 2004),
and the President’s Teaching Award
of the Association of Professional
Engineers and Geoscientists of Brit-
ish Columbia (2008). He has been
recognised for his research contribu-
tions with a Canadian Geotechnical
Society Quigley Award for the best
paper in the Canadian Geotechnical
Journal (1996), as a recipient of the
for contributions of laboratory
and field research to engineering prac-
tice (1998), as a U.K. Royal Academy
of Engineering Distinguished Visiting
Fellow (2008), by a Geosynthetics
Award of the Canadian Geotechnical
Society (2012) and, more recently, as
a Fellow of the Engineering Insti-
tute of Canada (2013). Jonathan has
been engaged in university-industry
research partnerships on geosynthetics
for 30 years, and has sought to dissem-
inate that knowledge through teaching
his graduate course on designing with
geosynthetics at the University of Brit-
ish Columbia for 25 years, along with
many specialist short courses in North
and South America, Europe, Africa
and Australasia.
When not thinking about geosynthet-
ics, Jonathan chooses to ski-tour in
the mountains of Canada, surf-kayak
the west coast of Vancouver Island or
complete the occasional sprint-triath-
lon… over time, he has come to recog-
nise the end of a good day is marked
by a Guinness, a single-malt whiskey
and the company of friends.
Jonathan Fannin.