SPEAKER BIODATA

Pofessor Fumio Tatsuoka is a distinguished academic and geotechnical engineer from Japan. He served as a Professor Emeritus at the
University of Tokyo and Tokyo University of Science. Throughout his career, he held esteemed positions such as Vice President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), President of the Japanese Geotechnical Society, Vice president of the Japanese Society of Civil Engineers, and President of the International Geosynthetic Society. Prof Tatsuoka area of research focuses on the deformation and strength characteristics of geomaterials, ground improvement and geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures. His contributions have been widely recognized, as evidenced by numerous prestigious awards, including the IGS award, Mercer Lectureship, multiple Hogentoglar awards from ASTM, Best Paper awards from Geosynthetics International Journal, the Bishop Lectureship from ISSMGE and The Kevin Nash Gold Medal from ISSMGE.

Mr Takuya Kosaka is a geotechnical engineer with diverse and successful experience in his field. He obtained his Master of Engineering degree from the Graduate School of Kanazawa University in 1992. He has worked as a consulting engineer at Chuo Fukken Consultants Co. Ltd since 1992. In 2010, Mr Kosaka held the position of Executive Director at Integrated Geotechnology Institute Co. Ltd. Currently, he serves as the First Chief of the Secretariat for the International Association of the RRR Construction System. Mr Kosaka has obtained his Professional Engineer Qualifications (Comprehensive Technical Management). He has been actively involved in technical publications, including a recent publication on “Evaluation and Improvement of Performance of Civil Engineering Structures” in 2019. Notably, he has received recognition for his work, including the JGS Social Contribution Award in 2015 for his contribution to seismic reinforcements for the upper embankment of Tamasaka Tunnel in using the RRR method in Japan.

Mr. Michael Dobie is a Geotechnical Engineer with more than 40 years of experience, including 28 years working in SE Asia (Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia). He graduated from Bristol University with a BSc in Civil Engineering, then a few years later from Imperial College, London with an MSc in Soil Mechanics. His experience includes working for consulting engineers (WS Atkins & Partners and Acer Freeman Fox) and for geotechnical specialists (Delft Soil Mechanics Laboratory and Dames & Moore). One assignment consisted of setting up and running the Central Soils Laboratory (CSL) in Bangi, Malaysia for the North-South Expressway project. Since early 1991 Mike has been employed by Tensar International Limited as Regional Manager for Asia Pacific. He has had extensive input into the development of design methods and software, including the design of reinforced soil structures under seismic loading conditions.

Ir. Dr. Loke Kean Hooi, graduated Doctor of Philosophy (Phd) in Geosynthetics Engineering and a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), with First Class Honours, form the University of Strathclyde, UK. Later in his career, he graduated Master of Business Administration (MBA) with Distinction, also from the University of Strathclyde, UK. He has been involved in the research, manufacturing, consulting, design, and teaching of geosynthetics for more than 25 years. He worked with several multinational companies dealing with geosynthetics in senior management positions and has been instrumental in developing geosynthetics applications in Malaysia. He has conducted many courses on geosynthetics applications and technology for the public and universities. He is also actively developing Malaysia test standards for geosynthetics in the working group, WG6 of Standard Malaysia.

Ir. Allan Chwee graduated from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in 2011 and obtained his Master of Engineering in Geotechnical in 2017. He started his career as a civil site engineer for a high-rise project before he joined as a geotechnical consultant. He is now an engineering manager and country lead at Geoinventions Consulting Services Sdn Bhd, a consulting firm specializing in Geotechnical Engineering. He has actively published many technical papers on geotechnical engineering in international and local conferences. Ir Allan has more than 10 years of technical experience and has been involved in major infrastructure projects such as Tanjung Jati Cirebon Power Plant (Indonesia), Gemas – Johor Bahru Electrified Double Track, KL – Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR), MRT Line 2 Underground, Klang Valley Double Track Phase 2, etc. He is a professional engineer registered with the Board of Engineer (BEM), Malaysia and also registered as ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer (ACPE). Ir. Allan is
also active in the professional community. He has been a committee member of the Geotechnical Engineering Technical Division (GETD) and Membership Drive & Promotion (MDP) of the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) since 2019.

Ir Saiffuddin has a diverse background and experience as a consultant, contractor, and manufacturer in hydraulics and mining for local and international projects. He is a Professional Engineer with Practicing Certificate (PEPC) with 15 years of post-graduate experience. He has been involved in all aspects of civil engineering projects, starting from project defining and feasibility studies, project management, and finally, the construction, commission, and operations stage with traditional project delivery and EPCM models. His major assignments have included tailing and water dams, tunnel, and underground structures, mine waste dumps, rock slope stability, dam safety review and management, flood mitigation, and risk assessment. He is currently the Technical Manager in Maccaferri (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

Ir. Marcus Jong Graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from the University of Malaya with first class honours and was awarded the ‘Professor Chin Fung Kee Prize’. Over 10 years of experience in geotechnical and geosynthetics engineering covering Asia and Asia Pacific regions, and 3 years of prior experience in structural engineering. A registered Professional Engineer with the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and a corporate member of the Institutions of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM). Has authored and presented several technical publications at international conferences including the 5th Asian Regional Conference on Geosynthetics in Bangkok in 2012, 6th Asian Regional Conference on Geosynthetics in New Delhi in 2016 and more. Currently co-supervising a university-industry collaborated Ph.D. research program with Monash University Malaysia.

Ir. Albert Limis an accomplished professional engineer, currently holding the position of Senior Geosynthetics Manager at Solmax. He is responsible for driving the technical capabilities and marketing of geosynthetics products throughout the Asia Pacific region. With previous experience heading the Water and Environment Division, Albert was responsible for overseeing strategic plans, sales, product development, design and marketing plans for geosynthetics across Asia Pacific. Albert holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Mississippi, USA. He is a well-respected collaborator, working closely with renowned universities such as the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technology University, and Monash University. Over the course of his 25-year technical career, he has authored and co-authored more than 30 technical papers for conferences both locally and overseas.