Glossop Lecture and Glossop Award
Rudolph Glossop (1902-1993) is credited with bringing together academics and practitioners in engineering geology in the UK; he was involved in setting up the Engineering Group in 1964 and, in 1966, the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology, having previously also help set up the Geotechnical Society and the journal Geotechnique in 1948.
Glossop was the eighth Rankine Lecturer in 1967; he was also Chairman of the Engineering Group (1965-68) and Vice President of the Geological Society (1969). Glossop’s contribution to engineering geology is recognised by the Engineering Group of the Geological Society through the prestigious Glossop Lecture and Glossop Award, established in 1997.
Glossop Lecture
The Glossop Lecture was initiated as the most prestigious lecture of the Engineering Group of the Geological Society, to be presented by an invited eminent engineering geologist. The requirement for the presentation is that it should highlight the contribution made in the application of engineering geology to civil engineering. This may be achieved by utilizing a subject that illustrates a particular expertise or summarizes a significant contribution to the science by the invitee. The Glossop Medal Nomination Guidance Notes outline the process and requirements for nominating someone for the Glossop Medal Lecture.
Nominations are now accepted for the Glossop Lecture and Medal from Academia and Professional practice for candidates who:
- Are considered technical experts in their field of Engineering Geology
- Are actively engaged with the Engineering Geology community
- Have made a significant contribution to advancing the cause and science of Engineering Geology
Candidates are likely to be a 'senior' academic or industry figure with greater than 30 years' experience, although nominations will be considered for candidates with less experience who can demonstrate their credentials in the above criteria.
- 1st Glossop Lecture by Professor Peter Fookes (1997) Geology for Engineers: the Geological Model, Prediction and Performance
- 2nd Glossop Lecture by Dr Evert Hoek (1998) Putting numbers to geology – an engineer’s viewpoint
- 3rd Glossop Lecture by Professor Richard Chandler (1999) Clay Sediments in Depositional Basins: the Geotechnical Cycle
- 4th Glossop Lecture by Professor John Hutchinson (2000) Reading the Ground: Morphology and Geology in Site Appraisal
- 5th Glossop Lecture by Professor Denys Brunsden (2001) Geomorphological roulette for engineers and planners: some insights into an old game
- 6th Glossop Lecture by Professor Paul Marinos (2002) Ongoing challenges in engineering geology for tunnelling in difficult ground
- 7th Glossop Lecture by Professor Martin G. Culshaw (2004) From concept towards reality: developing the attributed 3D geological model of the shallow subsurface
- 8th Glossop Lecture by Professor Robin Fell (2006) Rapid Landslides: the importance of understanding mechanisms and rupture surface mechanics
- 9th Glossop Lecture by Professor Mike de Freitas (2008) Geology; its principles, practice and potential for Geotechnics
- 10th Glossop Lecture by Professor Paul Nathanail (2009) Engineering geology of sustainable risk based land quality management
- 11th Glossop Lecture by Professor Rory N. Mortimore (2010) Making sense of chalk: A total rock approach in Engineering Geology
- 12th Glossop Lecture by Professor Edward N. Bromhead (2011) Reflections on the residual strength of clays with special reference to bedding-controlled landslides
- 13th Glossop Lecture by Ruth Allington (2012) Engineering geology and geomorphology in the design, operation and rehabilitation of quarries: forms and processes, models and cycles, roles and responsibilities .
- 14th Glossop Lecture by Jim Griffiths (2013) Feet on the Ground - Engineering Geology, Past, Present and Future
- 15th Glossop Lecture by Mike Sweeney (2014) Terrain and Geohazard Challenges for Onshore Pipelines in Remote Regions
- 16th Glossop Lecture by Tony Waltham (2015) Control the Drainage: The Gospel Accorded to Sinkholes
- 17th Glossop Lecture by David Norbury (2016) Standards and Quality in Ground Investigation – squaring the circle
- 18th Glossop Lecture by Jackie Skipper (2017) Variability and ground hazards: how does the ground get the be 'unexpected'
- 19th Glossop Lecture by Kevin Privett (2018) The lines of evidence approach to challenges faced in engineering geological practice
- 20th Glossop Lecture by Jean Hutchinson (2019) Building slope process models considering engineering geology
- 21st Glossop Lecture by David Shilston (2021) Tools of the trade: Engineering geology and the geoscience time machine
- 22nd Glossop Lecture by John Harrison (2022) Are You Sure? An excursion through uncertainty in rock engineering
- 23rd Glossop Lecture by John C Cripps (2023) From Mud to Rock and Back
Glossop Award
Applications are now open!
The Engineering Group would like to invite all the group's young ground engineers to enter the 29th Annual Glossop Award.
This prestigious award is made annually to an outstanding young person working in engineering geology or a related discipline. The winner will receive up to £500 for a Geological Society Special Publication of their choice, or attendance at a training course or field meeting supported or run by the Engineering Group. They will also be offered the option of joining the Engineering Group's committee for one year.
The successful candidate will present their work at the 2026 Glossop Meeting, which will be held at the XV IAEG World Congress in Delft, The Netherlands, on 3 November 2026, before the Glossop Medal Lecture by Ann Williams, Technical Director – Geotechnical, Beca Ltd.
To apply for the 2026 Glossop Award, please submit an application form by Monday 4 May 2026. The form requests a 500 word abstract based on one of the following topics from the IAEG Congress:
- Innovation in ground modelling
- Low lying, coastal, soft soil countries
- Geohazards
- Engineering Geology in the energy transition
- Use of the (sub)surface
- Geo-Environmental Engineering
- Engineering Geology for the preservation of heritage
- Engineering Geology in the Digital transition and AI revolution
- Boosting Engineering Geology
You should also include:
- A 250-word review on what you have achieved to date in your career
- A 250-word summary on what you would like to achieve on behalf of the industry through having a role on the Engineering Group's committee
- An up-to-date CV
Shortlisted candidates will be notified by Monday 25 May and must be available in July 2026 to attend an interview either at Burlington House or via Microsoft Teams. Candidates should prepare a presentation (including visual aids) to present to the selection panel.
Apply here- Candidates must have no more than eight years of post-graduate experience on the date of the presentation of the award.
- Candidates must be a Fellow of the Geological Society and under training to become, or already be, a Chartered Geologist or Scientist.
- The candidate must obtain the nomination of his/her employer and must be available to give the presentation on the designated evening.
Deadline for applications
2026 Applications must be submitted by Monday 4 May 2026
Notification of shortlisted candidates
2026 Shortlisted Candidates will be announced on Monday 25 May 2026
Presentations by shortlisted finalists
July 2026 (TBC subject to availability)
Presentation of the Award at the 2026 Glossop Meeting
Tuesday 3 November 2026, at the XV IAEG World Congress in Delft, The Netherlands. (NOTE: Reasonable travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the Engineering Group.)
- Peter Phipps (1997) Terrain evaluation for high speed rail - the Channel Tunnel Rail Link as a case study
- Ian Duncan (1998) Mussenden Temple cliff stabilisation
- Jonathan Hart (1999) Rehabilitation of the Halsema Highway, Philippines
- Andrew Porter (2000) Engineering Geology in earth dam design and construction: an example from North Derbyshire
- Chris Martin (2001) Engineering geological investigation at Dabhol LNG Power Project, India
- Fleur Loveridge (2002) The engineering geology of a landslide in the Gault
- James Gelder (2004) Managing risk due to solution features at the A34-M4 junction improvements scheme, Newbury, UK
- Andrew Mills (2005) Novel approaches to mitigation of peat slide risk, an example from Channerwick, Shetland
- Joseph Appleby (2006) Reedness river bank stability – an engineering geological approach
- Anna Pearson (2007) Reduce, reuse, recycle: engineering geology of a sustainable housing development, Eastern Quarry, Kent
- Seth Pollak (2008) Geologic interpretation for design of caverns in an urban setting – A case study of the Seven Line Extension Project, New York
- Stacy English (2009) Rockfall protection of Jamestown Wharf, St Helena
- Dougal Mason (2010) Engineering geology for Project Wind Wind, New Zealand
- Sophie Gibb (2011) Application of presplit blasting to final faces in hard rock quarries
- Thomas Clifford (2012) Assessment and design mitigation for rockfall in quarries
- Arthur Cheung (2013) Landslip prevention and mitigation for study area Stubbs Road, Hong Kong
- Joshua Morland (2014) Cooper's Hill Landslide: Building on previous experience
- Yung Loo (2015) Engineering Geological Solutions for CERN's underground infrastructure
- Scott Davidson (2016) Adding value through identifying risk and opportunity
- Gemma Sherwood (2017) Construction of Hinkley Point C
- Jonny Neville (2018) What role will technology play in the future of Engineering Geology?
- Thomas St John (2019) Communication of risk and opportunity in engineering geology
- Josh Dunlop (2021) The impact of groundwater, including extreme weather and climate change, on Middlewich Eastern Bypass
- Carla Martin-Clave (2022) The current climate emergency and salt caverns as a storage solution for the Energy Transition
- Luke Johnstone (2023) Differentiating Fill and Natural Soft Clays - The Value of Desktop Studies in Building a Geological Model
- Jordan Weddepohl (2024) UK Levelised Cost for Geothermal Heat and Power
- Chris Spence (2025) Geological Insight in Nuclear Development. A Hinkley Point C Case Study
Past Glossop Meetings
Presentations of last year's Glossop Award and Medal Lecture are now available to watch on the Engineering Group's YouTube channel.
Engineering Group Award
This award is for those in their early to mid career and is awarded for significant contribution in research, publication or practice in the field of Engineering Geology.
1985 R. Chandler
1986 M Sanders
1987 M Clayton
1988 T Mellors
1989 M Culshaw
1990 D Gordon
1991 S Hencher
1992 J Cripps
1993 A Burnett
1994 D Norbury
1995 R Allington
1996 T Spink
1997 P Jackson
1999 A Bowden
2001 D Giles
2003 I Sims
2008 L Donnelly
2010 J Skipper
2012 D Giles
2013 H Scholes
2014 T Radford
2017 C Martin
2019 I Duncan
2023 U Lawrence
IAEG Prizes
As the UK National Group of the International Association of Engineering Geology (IAEG), the Engineering Group recognises international contribution and achievement in the field of engineering geology. Both the Hans-Cloos Medal and Richard-Wolters Prize will be awarded in 2010. From the IAEG website:
The Hans-Cloos Medal is the senior award presented by IAEG, given to an engineering geologist of outstanding merit in commemoration of the "founder of geomechanics". The recipient should therefore be a person of international repute who has made a major contribution to engineering geology in his/her written papers or to the development of engineering geology and/or the IAEG in their own area.
The Richard-Wolters Prize specifically recognises meritorious scientific achievement by a younger member of the engineering geology profession (less than 40 years old on 1 January 2010) and is awarded to honour Dr. Wolters' many contributions to international understanding and co-operation.