Dear Colleague,
The Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University is pleased to announce the 2026 Buchanan Lecture.
The 2026 Buchanan Lecturer is Dr. Youssef Hashash, Grainger Distinguished Chair of Engineering and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The title of his lecture is “A new era of empiricism: The role of AI in Geotechnical Engineering with selected applications”. Dr. Hashash is internationally recognized for his contributions to geotechnical earthquake engineering, numerical modeling, tunneling, and excavation support systems. His research group developed DEEPSOIL (now RSSeismic), a software program used worldwide to evaluate soil response to earthquake shaking. A Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and former President of the ASCE Geo-Institute, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2022, one of the highest professional honors awarded to engineers in the United States.
Dr.Youssef Hashash
Also on the agenda is Dr. Rodolfo Sancio, Senior Principal Geotechnical Engineer and Operations Vice President at Geosyntec Consultants in Houston, Texas, who will present an Honor Lecture entitled “A Discussion on the Geotechnical Engineering State of the Practice.” Dr. Sancio has more than 25 years of professional experience in geotechnical engineering and geohazard management, with a strong emphasis on onshore and offshore infrastructure development. He is a recognized leader in geotechnical site characterization, geohazard assessment, and foundation engineering and has authored more than 30 technical publications on geotechnical characterization and engineering practice.
Dr.Rodolfo Sancio
The lectures will take place in person at the Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) on the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus in Bryan, Texas, on Friday October 23, 2026 at 2 pm.
Additional schedule details will be posted as they become available, Address for CIR can be found below.
1041 Rellis Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77807
Please share this announcement with colleagues and students who may be interested in attending. A reception for all participants will follow the lectures at the Center for Infrastructure Renewal. We look forward to welcoming you to this year’s Buchanan Lecture and Honor Lecture.
Best wishes, Jean-Louis.
Jean-Louis BRIAUD, PhD, PE, DGE, Distinguished Member ASCE
ASCE President 2021
University Distinguished Professor and Buchanan Chair Holder
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas, 77843-3136, USA
Tel: 979-845-3795, Cell: 979-777-1692
Email: briaud@tamu.edu