Author: Antonio Abellan

Hello!, My name is Antonio Abellan, I am a research and teaching assistant at the Risk Analysis group, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne (Switzerland). My research focuses upon the 3D study of different natural hazards in Alpine, Permafrost and Polar environments.... you can take a look at my profile here: http://3d-landslide.com/about-me/

2020 | Relevant landslide conferences next year in Japan

Hi there,

I just wanted to share with you about two relevant conferences that will take place next year in Japan.

First, I got invited as guest speaker at the “Fifth World Landslide Forum“, that will take place in Kyoto International Conference Center, Japan, between 2 and 6 November 2020, organised by the International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) and the ISDR-ICL Sendai Partnerships 2015-2025, with the following themes:

Theme 1: Sendai Partnerships 2015-2025 and Kyoto 2020 Commitment
Theme 2: Hazard and vulnerability mapping and zonation
Theme 3: Monitoring and early warning
Theme 4: Testing, modeling and risk assessment
Theme 5: Risk management, capacity development and country practices
Theme 6: Catastrophic landslides: causes and consequences
Theme 7: Frontiers of landslide science and innovative practices

Also, the RocExs2020  (7th Interdisciplinary Workshop on Rockfall Protection) will take place in the Conference Hall, Hokkaido University in in Sapporo, Japan during summer (betwen 15 an 18 June 2020). I was a guest speaker and chairman in the previous edition of RocExs in Barcelona (2017), so I know firsthand this is always a good place to be, some of the topics that will be covered this year include:

– Rockfall source identification and characterization
– Rockfall inventory and/or mapping
– Rockfall runout dynamics and impact mechanics
– New and emerging technologies in rockfall
– Hazard and risk analyses
– Rockfall modeling
– Monitoring and alert systems
– Mitigation and protective measures
– Large rockfalls and rock avalanches
– Case histories

Interested? Maybe see you there 🙂

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The University, established in 1904, is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK. We are renowned globally for the quality of our teaching and research.  The strength of our academic expertise combined with the breadth of disciplines we cover, provides a wealth of opportunities and has real impact on the world in cultural, economic and societal ways.

Within the Rock mechanics, engineering geology and hydrogeology group (RMEGH) we investigate the geomechanical, geotechnical and geoenvironmental behaviour of the ground (rock and soil) and groundwater, mainly focusing on the interaction between the ground and infrastructures and/or man-made projects. Our aim is to expand the boundaries of the current knowledge in specific areas of rock mechanics, engineering geology (and hydrogeology) and geotechnical areas. 

We have specialist expertise in rock mechanics and tunnelling engineering as well in engineering geology, landslide mechanics, slope stability and weathering and hydrogeology of fractured rocks, hydrogeophysics and contaminant biodegradation.

What we can offer

  • Advice on preparing your application
  • Mentoring, guidance and support networks
  • Career development
  • Access to specialist facilities and laboratories
  • Diverse research environment
  • Dedicated research and innovation support

2019.07 – Job offer: Teaching Assistant in Applied Geosciences

We’re recruiting!

We are looking for a graduate with expertise in Engineering Geology and/or Structural Geology, for contributing to the teaching and administration of research-led MSc programmes in the School of Earth and Environment: MSc Structural Geology with Geophysics, MSc Engineering Geology and MSc Exploration Geophysics.

Interested? Have a closer look here: https://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=ENVEE1350

2019.09 – Fully funded scholarship for PhD students – Marshall Scholarship (USA citizens studying in the UK)

Interested in an exciting PhD project with us? We welcome interests from postgraduate students in any research area related with ground problems, hazards, slope stability, rock mechanics or remote sensing, especially in any of the following topics:

  • Global warming: landslides in high mountain areas / permafrost environment / frozen ground under changing climate scenarios.
  • Artificial Intelligence, automation and and eficcient algorthms applied to Engineering Geology problems.
  • Landslide monitoring: drones, smart in-situ sensors, accelerometers, raspberry Pi, remote sensing, photogrammetry, computer vision, LiDAR, satellite, etc.
  • 3D investigation of rock masses: automatic discontinuity extraction/slope monitoring-surveillance, rock mass quality extraction, rockfall detection and prediction.
  • Early Warning Systems: design and implementation of early warning systems based on Real-Time Monitoring and landslide modelling – including storm/snow melting controls on landslide acceleration and failure- .
  • 3D Finite element modelling of active landslides, including physical intervention (e.g. anchoring, protective barriers, etc.)
  • Ice calving: Glacier front monitoring as analogy of rock slope failure

To be eligible for a 2020 Marshall Scholarship, candidates must:

  • be citizens of the United States of America (at the time they apply for a scholarship);
  • (by the time they take up their scholarship ie September 2020) hold their first undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year college or university in the United States;
  • have obtained a grade point average of not less than 3.7 on their undergraduate degree.  (Applicants must have a GPA of 3.7 at the time of application). We do not accept rounded GPA’s.
  • have graduated from their first undergraduate college or university after April 2017.
  • not have studied for, or hold a degree or degree-equivalent qualification from a British University or GCSE or A Levels taken at school in the UK.

All applicants must complete and submit their applications no later than 5pm in the time zone where your endorsing institution is located on 30 September 2019.  More information: http://www.marshallscholarship.org/applications/apply

2018.11 | Call for abstracts EGU session | Landslide investigation using Remote Sensing and Geophysics

Dear colleagues,

The conveners of the always-successful EGU session on Landslides investigation using Remote Sensing and Geophysics  were looking for new collaborators for 2019 and I instantaneously volunteer for accepting this responsibility with great pleasure 🙂

Big thanks from here to the previous conveners of the session for their successful management of the session during all this years and for facilitating a smooth transition during the next years. So it is an honour to invite you to submit an abstract for the rejuvenated EGU Session on: LAndslide investigation using Remote seNsINg and Geophysics (LeARNING). Conveners: Antonio Abellan, Janusz Wasowski, Masahiro Chigira, AndrĂ© Stumpf, Jan Burjanek 
As guest speaker for the session, we invited prof. Denis Jongmans, from the Risks and Environmental Geophysics research group (Polytech Grenoble – UniversitĂ© J. Fourier). While two of the previous conveners (prof. Janusz Wasowski and prof. Masahiro Chigira) will still be instrumental in the session, I would like to send big kuddos from here to prof. Michel Jaboyedoff, prof. Denis Jongmans, prof. Vincenzo Del Gaudio, prof. Gilles Grandjean and Dr. Marc-Henri Derron.

Abstract deadline is January the 10th, while EGU travel grant support deadline is December the 1st (more info at http://egu2019.eu).

Hope to see you there!

2018.10 | Project funded by The Alan Turing Institute + LIDA

Hi everyone,

I have some good news to share: we were recently funded by the Alan Turing institute + LIDA for an exciting project in collaboration with Dr. Nikolaos Nikitas, from the School of Civil Engineering. The project is dealing with the use of advance data analytics  (Predictive Analytics, artificial intelligence, Machine learning), and we manage to secure an internship with the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics. Our interdisciplary project is entitled ‘Predicting and Warning extreme wind response in bridges using advance data analytics‘, and we are recruiting now. Interested?

 

2018.09 | Workshop @ Leeds: Advanced Engineering for Natural Disaster Identification, Mitigation, Prevention and Response

 

I had the pleasure to participate in an international initiative in order to join forces between academics from the University of Leeds  + Kyoto University, as part of the Research and Education Network for Knowledge Economy Initiatives (RENKEI) network for UK/Japan collaboration.

The workshop title was “Advanced Engineering for Natural Disaster Identification, Mitigation, Prevention and Response”, and was carried out from 17 to 19 September 2018. The University of Kyoto is highly ranked in multiple World University Rankings 2019, and leading Japanesse universities.

The venue was organized in Leeds by Dr Raul Fuentes, from the School of Civil Engineering, and in his own words: “The symposium will provide a forum for researchers from the UK, Europe and Japan to come together to develop solutions to the challenge of natural disaster resilience. This cross-disciplinary and international approach gives us the best possible chance of developing solutions to one of the world’s most pressing global challenges: resilience to natural disasters”

 

 

 

2018.05 | Announcement | 2nd International Conference on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure

Dear colleagues,

I would like to draw your attention to the forthcoming 2nd International Conference on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure that is going to take place in Chania, Greece next summer (23-26 June 2019).

The event is organized by the Innovation Center on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure following the successful previous edition (2016). Interested? Please have a look at the conference website and themes: